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Putting - The Magic Bullet
When you’re on , you’re
on. The world is your oyster. When you’re
off… well, it seems even a preschooler has
more of a chance to get the ball in the hole
than you do.
You’d swear you have
the same stance, the same putter, the same
“feel” as the times you made the shot
easily. What happened?
Is putting merely a
game of luck?
Not a chance. It may
seem that there’s no real key to putting
successfully. And granted, putting isn’t an
exact science.
But if you’re having a
poor game due to putting problems, it all
can be summed up in one simple word.
Tension.
The more you relax your
muscles during your putting, the more
accurate your shots will be.
You make the game hard
for yourself when you stiffen your muscles.
The basis of good putting, as with all other
shots, is absolute relaxation of the
muscles. Fluid movement allows for perfect
freedom and play. If you’re trying to brace
yourself to keep your balance, you’re
courting disaster.
When you’re putting
well, your movement is free and your
confidence high. The second you miss an
easy putt, you become anxious and brace
yourself to try more carefully. The more
you brace yourself, the worse the tension in
your body becomes. Consequently, your
putting suffers.
You can change putters,
change your stance, and mimic every pro
player you’ve ever watched. But it all
comes down to loosening up. Make your
muscles go flabby and limp, loose and free.
Pretend your muscles are jelly.
Tension kills good
shots. When you furrow your brow and set
your muscles in a rigid fashion, you lose
the freedom necessary in successful
putting. Now you may make several shots in
a row, but the time will come that no matter
what you try, nothing seems to work. That’s
the time to gelatin-ize your body. Relax
your whole body as if you’re about to fall
to the ground. (But stay standing!)
The extra bonus here is that as
you use this method of relaxation and putt
more successfully, your confidence will
increase and you’ll be even more relaxed on
the green.
Loosening those muscles
really is the magic bullet when it comes to
putting!
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