The Top Thirteen

Sure-Fire Ways
To Hole Every Putt ®
By Andy Brown

AVAILABLE FROM

GOLFSWINGSECRETSREVEALED.COM

WEB CAMPAIGN LIMITED COMPANY

St Andrews, Fife and Ulverston,Cumbria
The Top Thirteen Sure-Fire Ways To Hole Every Putt ®

Copyright © 2006 by Web Campaign Ltd

Printed in the United Kingdom. No part of this publication may be

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Contents

Introduction...................................................................................... 1
Chapter 1 - Accelerating through the Ball ..................................... 2
Chapter 2 - Eye Position Equals Success ..................................... 3
Chapter 3 - Hit and Hold .................................................................. 4
Chapter 4 - Lag Putting ................................................................... 5
Chapter 5 - Developing the Perfect Stroke .................................... 6
Chapter 6 - Putting through the Gate ............................................. 7
Chapter 7 - Putt Around the Clock ................................................. 8
Chapter 8 - Find the Line By Making a Line................................... 9
Chapter 9 - Down The Tunnel ....................................................... 10
Chapter 10 - Tee to Tee Putting .................................................... 11
Chapter 11 - Building Long-Range Lags...................................... 12
Chapter 12 - Uphill and Downhill.................................................. 13
Chapter 13 - Visualizing the Line.................................................. 14
The Top Thirteen Sure-Fire WaysTo Hole Every Putt Introduction

Introduction
The game of golf has a rich history that dates back to as early as 1297 in the Netherlands.
The origin of golf may have begun in a handful of countries and many countries debate over
the beginning of the sport, taking place in their country; this includes the Chinese, Dutch,
Scottish and French. Generally, golf has been considered a Scottish invention and was
actually prohibited in the 15th century.

Golf has come a long ways since this time and the sport is extremely competitive all over the
world. Players are constantly looking for ways to increase their skill and lower their par. Golf
Digest has actually calculated that there are approximately 32,000 golf courses in the world
and about half of those courses are located in the United States.

Putting is perhaps the most stressful point in a game of golf and many people are continually
trying to improve their putting abilities. After all, it is getting the ball in the hole in the fewest
number of strokes that really matters. There are several methods that can be used to
improve your putts, but you must first understand the basic skills of putting before you can
begin improving your game.

These basic putting skills are:

• See the path

• See the distance
• Hit the path
• Hit the distance

The key to mastering Tiger Woods style putts is to simply practice, practice, practice. Within
this book you will learn that there are many techniques that you can use to improve your
putting and improve your practice. Perfect practice makes perfect performance and this is
true for any type of putt you are trying to perfect on the green. Without doubt you should
practice putting as though you are in a competitive situation as you will definitely see better
results

There are many different types of putting training aids on the market today, but for the
purposes of this book I am concentrating on tools that are easily accessible. Portable
practice greens are the only piece of equipment that may be of use to you while you are
working on improving your skills. These are great if you want to practice at home or in the
office. They replicate the green and they allow you to practice anywhere.

The following 13 drills and tips are designed to help you improve your putting.

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The Top Thirteen Sure-Fire WaysTo Hole Every Putt Chapter 1 – Accelerating through the Ball

Chapter 1 - Accelerating through the Ball

Many golfers miss their shorter putts because they have long backswings. These long swings
cause them to decelerate through the impact of the ball when they should be accelerating
through the ball. When you slow down your swing, you actually are losing control of your
putter instead of gaining control. Many people perceive they have better control when they
swing slowly when they are actually more likely to lose control. A slow swing may cause you
to change the face position of the ball and send the ball off line.

It may not take much speed to propel the ball forward a few feet, but you need to be able to
control the amount of energy that you use. This drill requites the use of a tee to help you
build new swinging habits and to encourage muscle memory that will make you take a stroke
that is shorter when going back and accelerates through the ball.

Begin by placing an upright tee one-head length behind the golf ball. Using the tee as a backstop,
you will feel as though you do not have enough room to swing. This backstop encourages you to
use a shorter stroke that will result in more energy passing through the ball. Accelerate the putter
head through the impact of the ball and the ball will roll along your intended line with more power
and control. This drill can be replicated on any surface that has a true roll and you can use
anything as a backstop in place of a tee.

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The Top Thirteen Sure-Fire WaysTo Hole Every Putt Chapter 2 – Eye Position Equals Success

Chapter 2 - Eye Position Equals Success

One of the most important concepts to achieve in your putting is proper alignment. Feet,
hands, clubface, and eyes need to be properly aligned. Practice keeping your eyes aligned
directly above the ball.

Keeping the eyes of the ball promotes a “straight line” approach. A “straight line” approach
means that everything is aligned from your eyes to the ball and your club head. This
straightness will follow through to your swing. This will make sure that your swing is straight
in both a back and forth motion and will ensure that your follow through is also straight. This
straightness should also lead through to a straight ball rolling straight into a cup.

Another eye alignment technique that may help some golfers is to focus your eyes inside of
the ball. Focus on a spot that is one or two inches on the ground closer to your body. You
swing will be more of an arc. The club will be pulled into your body on your backswing and
will move forward as it swings away from your body and comes back to your body. The club
will make contact with the ball on your forward swing. The goal is to have the club make
contact with the ball when it as at the farthest point of from your body. This area is at the top
of the arc and the clubface should be perfectly aligned with your target.

Different putters will work well with different swings. Putters that have center shaft will work
better with the “straight line” approach. Putters that have the shaft attached to the end of the
club head will work well with the arced swing.

Practicing to ensure that you are finding the correct eye alignment, you will want to make sure
that you are not pushing the club away from your body when you are trying to perform a
straight-line stroke. The same is true for the arcing stroke. Try not to consciously make the
swing arc, but rather allow it to do so naturally. Challenge yourself by finding a spot an inch to
the right of the ball. Using either eye alignment method set yourself a goal on how many
putts you will make in a row. This will test you as to whether or not you have found an eye
alignment method that works for you.

Another good method of ensuring your eye alignment is correct, is to set up a putt and
assume your putting stance without your putter. Stand as though you are going to putt and
drop a ball from your eyes down to the original ball. Try to one ball directly in front of the
original ball and one directly behind the original ball. Assume your stance again and place a
ball between your eyes on the bridge of your nose. Let the ball drop straight down and if the
ball hits either of your three balls, then your eyes are over your line and your body is in proper
alignment. Use the feel from this stance to putt your balls and ensure that you are properly
aligned. Challenge yourself to see how many putts you are able to land by using the stance
from your proper eye to line alignment.

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The Top Thirteen Sure-Fire WaysTo Hole Every Putt Chapter 3 – Hit and Hold

Chapter 3 - Hit and Hold

A popular mistake amongst golfers is that they hit the ball and then come out of their putting
position too early. This causes too much movement, which inadvertently changes the
direction of the putt. This is due to the golfer watching the ball as it rolls away. Many people
are unaware of the impact of their movement, which causes the shoulder to come out of
position and causes the shoulder to open up. This opening up of the shoulder causes the
putter head path to move to the left and causes a closed clubface, which results in missed
putts.

To practice the “Hit and Hold” drill, go to your local practice green and be consciously aware
of your body position. After you have struck the ball, follow through for at least six seconds
and consider the following:

• Are you still in your original body position?

• Is the putter head still on path to the target?
• Is the putter face square with your target?

If you are still missing putts, then you are moving in some way and you need to isolate the
problem. Begin by putting again and not watching the ball as it rolls away. Focus on keeping
your body in position and keeping your stroke straight both backwards and forwards. The
clubface should also remain square to the hole as you are following through on your putt.

Give yourself a little challenge and try to hit as many putts in a row without missing. If you
miss one, start all over until your form is proper and you are keeping your strokes straight
without watching the ball as it rolls.

Another method to ensure proper putting alignment is to putt blind. Begin by lining up the putt as
you normally would. Just before you strike the ball, close your eyes. Closing your eyes will keep
you from thinking too much on the stroke because you won’t be able to see it. There is also no
temptation to watch the ball as it rolls for the hole. This will keep you from opening up your
shoulders or moving too much. You will be able to stay still as you listen for the ball to drop in the
hole. Challenge yourself and see how many balls you can hole with your eyes closed.

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The Top Thirteen Sure-Fire WaysTo Hole Every Putt Chapter 4 – Lag Putting

Chapter 4 - Lag Putting

This drill is challenging to even the most seasoned players. For this drill you will learn to
focus on distance control in your putts. You will need to cut five or six pieces of string that are
about three feet long. Lay them on the practice green about three feet apart from each other,
with the first one about 20 feet.

Putt balls so that they land between the strings. Start with the first string, the second string
and then so on. Once you have done that, begin working in the opposite direction. Putt to
the farthest string, the next farthest and so on until you are at the first string. This drill
teaches you to learn the different speeds that are necessary to hit between each line. Then
use your eyes and imagine that between each line is a hole and use the speed control that
you have learned to control where the ball goes.

Those who shoot for the line will find that they have poor distance control. Your distance
control will improve when you learn to train yourself at what speed each ball will need to be hit
to make it between the lines.

Once you have your speed control perfected on a flat green, mix it up a little more by laying
the string out on hills and practice working in each direction up and down hill. You will learn
how to adjust your speed on the ball to hit between each line.

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The Top Thirteen Sure-Fire WaysTo Hole Every Putt Chapter 5 – Developing the Perfect Stroke

Chapter 5 - Developing the Perfect Stroke

Most golfers expect to hole the short putts, you know the ones that look so close to the hole
that they have to be easy and you can just tap it in without thinking. Research, however, has
found that these are the ones that are routinely missed and only about fifty percent of the six-
foot putts make it in the hole.

Practicing a stroke just for these putts will teach you to have a consistent plan when it comes
to making these putts for real. The most important concept in these putts is straightness.
Because these are the putts that seem the easiest, these are also the ones that you tend to
make the most mistakes on.

To perfect your stroke take ten balls and line up a straight putt of about four feet. The straight
putt will teach you to focus on the stroke and not the break. If you miss a straight putt, then
you will know that your strike was poor, while if you were to miss a breaking putt you may
have just had the wrong speed on the putt.

Next, ensure that your putter head is coming straight back and straight through. The putter
face should be square at all times. This is the most common problem that golfers have
because they feel that these four-foot putts are easy and they pay less attention to technique.
Getting back to the fundamentals of straightness will keep your putting head square in the
stroke.

To make this drill a little more challenging, set a goal for how many putts you will make in a
row. Gradually increase your goal up until 50, but if you miss one, you have to start all over.
Don’t go home until you are consistently hitting your goal and not missing straight putts.
Beating your own personal goal will also build your confidence and you will be less afraid of
these putts as well as perfect your form and your stroke. This drill can also be practiced on
your putting green at home as well.

Another tip that will help in developing the perfect stroke is to swing your arms in a pendulum
fashion. Many people believe that keeping their head still is key to making the putts,
however, this is not completely true. A pendulum works from a fixed point and while many
people believe the head is that fixed point, it is actually a spot on the chest. This spot on the
chest is closer to the lower body where your arms are acting as a pendulum. In order to find
this spot on your chest, begin by putting with your rear end against the wall. The wall will help
you to stabilize this area on the chest and you will begin to feel the difference. This
stabilization allows your arms to act in a true pendulum motion and will stabilize your body so
that you can focus on this motion. Begin by getting a feel for this motion and use it in the
above drill.

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The Top Thirteen Sure-Fire WaysTo Hole Every Putt Chapter 6 – Putting through the Gate

Chapter 6 - Putting through the Gate

This is a drill that the pros put to use when they feel like they need some putting practice
before beginning tournaments. Place two tees in the ground that are slightly wider than the
putter head and about three feet from the hole.

Begin with six balls and hit twelve putts with your right hand only and then do six putts with
both hands. Continue doing this until you have had hit about 50 in a row. Tiger Woods will
do it until he hits one hundred in a row and if he misses one - he starts all over. Once you are
comfortable with the three-footers, move your “gate” back another foot and work on the four-
foot putts. Your focus will increase tremendously, especially when the consequence to
missing one is starting all over.

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The Top Thirteen Sure-Fire WaysTo Hole Every Putt Chapter 7 – Putt Around the Clock

Chapter 7 - Putt Around the Clock

Short putts are amongst the most feared by golfers. This is because they look so easy, but
they are really quite difficult. For this drill, place a number of balls in a circle around the hole.
Place them at about two to three foot intervals and about three feet away from the hole. This
drill is designed to build your confidence and tempo in putting.

Begin working your way around the hole, knocking them in a “one-two” rhythm. Getting into a
rhythm and consistently knocking in putts will help to build your confidence and eliminate
doubt when it comes to your short game. During this drill you will want to focus on your form,
setup and alignment to ensure that the rhythm you develop is accurate.

As you become confident at three-feet, line the balls up a little further at 4 feet and so on.
Don’t start with ten footers or you will completely blow your confidence when you are not able
to make them all right off the bat. Start short and work your way up to longer putts.

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The Top Thirteen Sure-Fire WaysTo Hole Every Putt Chapter 8 – Findthe Line By Making a Line

Chapter 8 - Find the Line By Making a Line

For this drill, you will need about 25 feet of string, two nails and a marker pen. Wrap the
string around each nail and place one nail in the ground at the top of a hole and then stretch
the string out over the hole and place the other nail in the ground so that the string is tight.
Draw a line around the circumference of your ball. Align the line on the ball with string line. If
the line on the ball does not wobble as it rolls under the string, you will know you have hit the
sweet spot on your putter.

After mastering your straight putt, adjust your string for a breaking putt. The contour of the
green will affect the speed of the ball as well as the line of the ball. Use your string to practice
picking a spot near the apex of a big breaking putt. Try to roll the ball over that spot at the
proper speed. This will allow the ball to fall into the cup as it dies.

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The Top Thirteen Sure-Fire WaysTo Hole Every Putt Chapter 9 – Down the Tunnel

Chapter 9 - Down The Tunnel

This drill may be practiced on the putting green or at home. This drill will help you to find a
pendulum rhythm in your putting and you will learn to swing straight without losing your line.

Begin by laying two clubs, parallel to each other on the ground. Space them to where the gap
between them is slightly larger than the head of your putter. Line them up so that they point
towards the hole. Practice stroking the ball towards the hole. The goal is to not hit either of
the clubs with your putter and to send the ball straight through the two clubs. Your
backswing and your forward swing should be the same distance. Focus on your form as well,
ensuring that you are not rotating your body or opening up your shoulders to early. You will
know when you are moving excessively because the putter will clank on the two clubs.

This drill will also help you to eliminate tension in your arms and hands. After you make your
stroke, slowly lower the putter head between the two clubs at the end of each stroke and
check your alignment. Your hands and arms must be relaxed in order to do this and once you
have lowered the putter head, check the alignment of the face. The face should still be
square after putting.

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The Top Thirteen Sure-Fire WaysTo Hole Every Putt Chapter 10 – Tee to Tee Putting

Chapter 10 - Tee to Tee Putting

Begin this drill by finding a flat putting surface. Place four tees in a line going away from the
cup. Tees should be placed at 3, 6, 9 and 12 feet. Your goal is to putt three balls from each
tee. Start with the three-foot tee and work your way back to the twelve-foot tee. Set a goal
for yourself by either allowing to miss a certain number of putts or by setting a goal for how
many putts you will hit in a row. This will allow yourself a few to miss on the long putts or to
keep yourself focused and from missing at all.

After you become comfortable at all four levels. Set another tee at twenty feet and a tee at
eighteen inches from the hole. Shoot to at least put yourself in the “zone” or hit the hole.
Keep putting until you are able to put at least ten putts in the zone. If you miss while doing
the ten, start over from one. This drill will teach you to consistently control your pace.

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The Top Thirteen Sure-Fire WaysTo Hole Every Putt Chapter 11 – Building Long Range Lags

Chapter 11 - Building Long-Range Lags

This drill will help you build on your long-range putts. These are often more difficult to hit and
you may have to use two strokes to get them in. In order to do this, begin by focusing on your
body movement. On longer putts, your body needs to have more freedom of movement. On
short putts, you will need to be more stable. Allow the wrists to hinge and free up your upper
body. Relaxation is the key on these putts.

Next, you will need to focus on your tempo. On longer putts, many golfers are tempted to add
a little more energy, which results in an extra pop on the ball. Even on the long putts, you
need to keep a consistent tempo. That extra pop will result in a three-putt instead of a two-
putt. Count “one” on the backstroke and “two” on impact. This even tempo will help in your
distance control.

Speed control comes into play here as well. You will want to be sure that you have the proper
speed to ensure that you get the ball close to the hole for your short putt. In order to work on
this speed control begin by putting several balls to the fringe. Putt from the hole backwards.
In this drill, you will not be worrying about the hole, as you will be putting away from it. This
will allow you to put more of an emphasis on speed and distance control. When you feel
comfortable working backwards, work back towards the hole and combine all the aspects of a
long-range putt to get the ball within three feet of the hole or in the hole.

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The Top Thirteen Sure-Fire WaysTo Hole Every Putt Chapter 12 – Uphill and Downhill

Chapter 12 - Uphill and Downhill

Putting uphill and downhill poses difficulties of their own. These putts are more difficult than
the straight putt because you have to decide how hard you are going to have to hit the ball
without allowing the ball to go much past the cup or not close enough.

On an uphill putt, the cup is slightly higher in the front than it is in the back. This will allow you
to charge the hole instead of making the ball die in the cup. The steeper slope on the uphill
putt means you have to strike the ball harder. On these putts, you need to make a solid
impact on the ball, as a mis-struck putt on an uphill slope will result in the ball being six feet
away from the hole versus three feet on a straight putt. When you charge an uphill putt you
don’t have to worry as much about your pace and break, whilst allowing you to aim for the
back of the cup. Even if you miss, the slope will keep the ball from running too far past the
hole and then you will only have a short putt to hit back.

To keep your body still on these uphill putts, point your chin straight down at the ball. You
may have to slightly widen your stance and your head will be slightly more erect. Point your
chin and keep it steady and imagine that your hands are pushing back and pull through on
your path directly below your chin. This will eliminate the common mistake of moving your
head and body on an aggressive putt. Although you are trying to hit the ball harder, you can
end up missing the sweet spot on your putter and swaying too much through the stroke.
Practice the pointed chin technique to become more stable and to develop a rhythm in your
stroke. Challenge yourself and see how many of these aggressive putts you can make while
focusing on steadiness and pointing your chin.

The downhill putt is just the opposite of the uphill putt. Here you will have no backstop
because the back of the cup is lower than the front of the cup. If you are too aggressive on
this putt, you will shoot the ball over the hole. Try to aim for the front lip of the cup and rollthe
ball with just enough speed to allow the ball to make its way into the cup. This putt requires
that you are correct in both speed and break of the putt. Slopes on the green will magnify the
speed and energy in your putt and you may end up watching the ball roll down the other side
of the hill if you are not accurate.

To hit these downhill putts, you will want to avoid hitting the sweet spot of your putter. Hitting
the sweet spot will cause your ball to come off with too much speed. Here, you want the ball
to hit towards the toe of the putter while you perform your regular stroke. This “dead” impact
will keep the ball from rolling off down the hill. Practice tapping off the toe of the putter by
challenging yourself to see how many downhill putts you can make in a row. Set yourself a
goal and if you miss one, start over. This will help you to determine a rhythm and speed
control for these downhill putts.

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The Top Thirteen Sure-Fire WaysTo Hole Every Putt Chapter 13 – Visualizing the Line

Chapter 13 - Visualizing the Line

Many professional players spend an ample amount of time visualizing the line that the ball will
follow before they make their play. For those individuals that are having difficulty seeing the
line, try getting to the putting green early while there is still dew on the grass. The dew will
draw a natural line for you that you will be able to use and practice with.

Begin by finding a practice green where the dew has been untouched and stroke a fifteen-foot
putt. Watch the ball as it forms a line in the dew. Place another ball at the head of the line
and focus on the line. Make your putt and watch to see if it follows the line. Slowly begin to
move forward down the line making putts at different distances. If your line is true, then the
balls will continue down the original line that you formed. This will also ingrain the line into
your mind and you will begin to see how you can visualize the line on any hole.

If you can’t make it for the early morning dew, begin by putting your fifteen-foot putt. Watch
the line of the first ball and then place five balls along your line at about three foot intervals.
Beginning with the ball closest to the hole, begin putting. Hit the first ball and then hit the next
ball. Try to keep a consistent rhythm while keeping the knock of the ball the same as the prior
ball that you putt. Keep the line of your last putt in mind as you move down the row of balls.

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