Don't Miss Gimmies

As I drive around our golf tournaments on Mondays, I see way too many people missing short putts. I have even seen students miss putts from less than a foot. To think that those last few inches count as much as your 250 yard drive should be painful to you. I know it makes me sick! Every missed putt from 3 feet and closer should be looked at like a penalty stroke. If you start to look at it that way we might start to practice it a little more. Everyone practices their driver because of those one or two they put in the water or trees each round. If we counted the missed short putts as penalties, I guarantee you would probably have more penalty strokes with your putter than driver.

To fix that problem, we just need to rethink how we warm up. Instead of putting the emphasis on the swing, let's focus on putting before the round. I would encourage you to work on your 3 and 6-footers during your warm up. Your goal should be to make twenty 3-footers in a row and at least five 6-footers in a row (preferably 10). Not only will this get you feeling more confident over those short putts, it will also help you get a good feel for the green speed. Even if you cannot attain the goals the first time you try, keep practicing. After all, if you cannot achieve those goals, you probably need the extra work.