Putting Strategies for the Beginner Golfer

Long putt shots are challenging, but can also be very rewarding. Most golfers who are good putters have one thing in common: good intuition or a natural feel for the distance and speed needed when making a long putt shot.

This feel is not something that you can pick up soley be reading the right "how to" booklet. If you don't have this feel for the putt shot now there is no reason to dismay. You can learn it from instinct and it will become stronger with a lot of practice.

The Secret to Sinking Putts Longer Than 8 Feet Or More

Most beginners are tempted to make the ball fall into the hole by attempting a long putt shot of 8 feet or longer. However, that should not be your goal. Most great golfers understand that it is best to lag the ball so that it gets as close to the hole as possible, thereby leaving themselves a very easy shot with only 2 - 3 feet of distance.

Don't get me wrong. There is nothing bad about knocking the ball into the hole with a long putt shot. But even more important is understanding that the last thing you want to do is mess up your shot to the point where you have to finish the hole with the dreaded 3-Putt shot.

So many beginner players and amateur golfers go through such an experience. They have a ball sitting 15 to 20 feet away from the hole and they put too much speed and distance on it. The next thing they realize, they have taken 5-6 shots in order to finish a par-3 hole.

Mastering The Art Of Long Putting

Your job is to become a master the art of getting a perfect lag on a ball when shooting a long-distance putt. This is so you can create a situation where the ball will always land safely near the hole, regardless of whether it breaks too early or too soon. You will know that wherever the ball lands, it should be a simple hit to finish the hole on the next swing.

Practice Exercise for the Long Putt

Like all golf shots, practice makes perfect when learning to determine the feel for speed and distance on the green. A simple exercise that you can practice in order to become a better long-putt shooter is to place four to five balls approximately 10 feet apart from each other, evenly distributed to the hole.

Basically, you will have a line of balls, evenly spaced between each other, all leading to the hole, starting at about 40 to 50 feet out. Now start the exercise by making your swing with the ball closest to the hole. Simply work your way back to the farthest ball. In order for this exercise to work, you must mentally place yourself in a real playing scenario.

The funny thing about such practice techniques is that because you know it's not a real game, you are more loosened up and are not really stressed about making the lag shot work.

Can you guess what happens? You play well! That is the ironic part about golf. When you are in the middle of a good game, worry and doubt tend to tense your muscles up, thereby causing poor shots to be made. The real key is to take your practice mindset with you when playing a real golf game.