FAULT NO.47 Missing breaking putts on the low side

Putting would be a very mundane business if each and every green was flat. Subtle slopes and borrows add spice to the game, and test the skill of the player to read the greens correctly. During the course of a typical round you are probably going to encounter many breaking putts where, in order to make the putt, you have to aim somewhere outside of the hole.

In my experience, the majority of these putts are missed on the low - or 'amateur' - side, as the player fails to make enough provision for the borrow or break. In other words, more curling right-to-left putts are missed on the left side of the hole than the right, and vice versa.

The reason? Golfers often lack the confidence to start the ball outside of the hole. Instinct tells you to aim at the hole, even when you know there's a definite 'break' to negotiate. As a result, from the moment the ball leaves the putter-face, the chances of the putt going in - for many players - are nil.

FIX NO.47
Focus on an intermediate target

Bearing in mind that the line and pace of every putt are inversely related, visualize the ball running towards the hole, and try to pick out the point at which you think it will first start to break toward the cup. Regard that apex point as your intermediate target, and aim at it. (Remember, when you read a putt, the center of the cup may change. If your putt is breaking from left-to-right, for example, the center could move from six o'clock to, say, eight o'clock as you look at the hole.)

Now, having chosen your line, all you have to worry about is the pace to get the ball to the hole. If you hit the ball too hard you will hit the putt right through the break; hit it too softly and even though you may have aimed correctly, it will still miss on the low side.

In the end, it all boils down to trust. You have to trust yourself to read the break correctly, judge the speed, and then hit the putt on the line you have chosen. If you can focus on hitting the putt to the apex of the curve, and your speed is decent, you'll have more chance of making those curly putts. Or at least start missing them on the high - or 'pro' - side.