Half the strokes required to reach par on 18 holes can be attributed to putting mode. You can get the ball to the hole in two shots on average, and that’s because golf holes are made for this purpose. This makes the task seem a lot easier. There is no need to be concerned about hitting the first hole putt.
That should be enough to ease some of the pressure that you feel on Sundays at the course. Golfers of all levels struggle with every putt. [especially that first one]It was like having a million bucks riding on it. It becomes a mental battle and it becomes a routine to put 3 and 4 greens.
Keep in mind that there is always a 2nd chance to make it par.
To increase your confidence in each putt, visualize the hole being 3 feet wide! This is how it should look. Imagine that your putt is only 3 feet long. If it’s possible to leave the first one inside the imaginary hole, then you will only be 16 ins from the edge. The second hole should be no more than a foot and half. That’s a very small putt!
If your putt is less than 10 feet from the hole, and it has no break, then you need to focus on hitting two. That’s all!
If your putt extends beyond 15 feet, you should not get into the habit of looking at each putt in all directions. Instead, use the putter as a plumbbob, closing one eye and analyzing every turn, twist and break. You have the second putt. One look behind the ball at the putting line, then another view from the other side. Make your final decision. It will not yield better results to spend time analyzing and agonizing over the putt again and again. Most likely, your first impression about the break of the putt and the distance you have to go before it breaks is correct. Be confident in your abilities and practice your putts with confidence. You will get more stressed if you spend too much time worrying. Putting that way will lead to higher scores.
You shouldn’t be too concerned about that first putt being too far to one side or the other. This is not the case. You will notice that people are less likely to putt too close or too high than they should. This is why you should be mindful of how fast and long your putts are. You will reach the 16 inch mark if you get it in that 3-foot circle on either side of the hole.
You don’t need to putt every hole. You won’t need to putt three, four or more holes per round if you get down in 2.
Maybe you’ll get a couple of breaks, and maybe even lose a few putts. This is when your score really starts to fall.