"Rolling the Rock" – The cornerstones of perfect putting

By PGA Golf Coach MATT ANTELL

Controlling the controllables is a phrase constantly used by sports psychologists, and one in which I believe can be carried over to our putting.

When you are next practising on the green or on the course, try and evaluate your putting performance by how truly you roll the ball rather than whether or not you made the putt.

Getting the ball in the hole requires a number of variables to go in our favour, not least some of which the are out of our control such as the quality of the putting surface; whether we read the break correctly and atmospheric conditions.

What we CAN control however is the way in which we set up to the ball, the stroke that we make and how the ball initially comes of the putter face.

A good piece of imagery to take with you when you are next practising your putting is that of rolling a tyre across a flat surface with your hand, thinking of the path and angle of your palm as it strikes the tyre. Another is the way in which you would strike a ball when trying to hit a topspin forehand in tennis. These skills require us to replicate the impact conditions desired to make the perfect putt.

Make this your focus and watch your scores improve as a result.

To book a lesson with Matt Antell contact 01372 375 200 or email.