A Free Golf Putting Lesson

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A Free Golf Putting Lesson For Your Putting Routine

This is the Putting Pre-shot Routine Lesson. This Golf Putting Lesson is designed to help you develop a strong routine so that even if you are feeling little nervous about the shot at hand, your routine will help you settle into the shot and feel as comfortable as possible.

If you have a routine to follow before every shot, you are going to give yourself the best opportunity to hit a great shot. Also, you are not going to waste time on the course. Keeping up pace of play is very important whether you are new to the game, or a grizzled veteran. If you follow a solid routine you will always know what you are doing next, so you won't slow down the game.

Golf Putting Lesson #1 : Walking To The Green

Survey the green as a whole...you are looking for the low points. I like to think of where the water would flow off the green. The ball will break towards the low spots...so get a feel for where they are.
Is the green wet? Dry? Is the grass brown compared to the other greens? This will help you get a feel for the speed. If it is different from the other greens.
A couple of other tricks the old pros will tell you...the ball will break towards water and away from mountains. Paying attention while walking up to the green with water or if you are playing a mountain course allows you to find your bearings to those elements.
When you get to your ball, mark it with a coin so that you can clean the ball and get it out of the other players way.

Golf Putting Lesson #2 : Reading The Break

As long as you are not in the other players way, read your putt while they are putting. The number one rule for keeping up pace of play is to be ready to hit your shot when it is your turn. Preparing for your shot while the others are putting saves lots of time.
When reading your putt you are simply looking for the slopes in the grass. (see Breaking Putts Lesson)
Try to figure out where you need to hit your putt so that it will end up at the hole.
Another trick is to find a color blemish on the green on the line you want to start your putt, so that you can aim at something that is closer to you. It is easier to aim at something 3 feet away as opposed to 25 feet away.

Golf Putting Lesson #3 : Replacing Your Ball

This is a fairly simple task. Just put the ball down...right? Well, there is a way that can be helpful in making more putts. Nothing in this game should be done randomly. Everything should have a purpose.
You are allowed to put a line on your golf ball.
Squat behind your coin that you marked your ball with...then align the line on your ball along your target line. Use your reference point from the previous step to make it easier to line up the ball along your target line.

Golf Putting Lesson #4 : Practice Strokes

After replacing your ball, stand up and place your putter head beside the ball so that you can take a couple of practice strokes without hitting the ball.
Remember...everything has a purpose. Give your practice strokes a purpose. You want your strokes to give you feedback.
I always let my eyes follow the line of the putt as I make my practice strokes. I keep making strokes until, in my imagination I see the ball fall into the hole.
This will help you get a feel for the speed that the ball will be going during the putt.
You will be able to get a good feel for how long a stroke you will need to control your distance.
It's great to be able to “see” your putt before you actually hit it. This routine allows you to do that most effectively.

Golf Putting Lesson #5 : Hit The Putt!!

As soon as you are finished your practice strokes, move your putter head behind the ball.
Place your putter behind the ball so that your alignment aid lines up with the line you made on your golf ball.
After placing the club down first, place your body into position next.
Take one last look at where you want to hit your putt and then...HIT THE PUTT!!
Don't wait. The sooner you can hit your putt after your practice strokes the better.

You will probably be surprised how little time this takes once you get the hang of the routine. It should be less than 30 seconds. There are two key ways to keep up your pace of play. First, be ready to hit when it is your turn. Second, take fewer shots. This routine should help you accomplish both these tasks.

Thank you for reading the Putting Pre-shot Routine Lesson. If you have been following the Putting Lessons in order this is the final lesson in the Golf Putting Lesson series. Please review the lessons as you need them to stay on top of your putting.

Click Here For A Complete List Of All the Putting Lessons

Good luck with your game. May you reach your golf goals sooner with the help of free-golf-lessons.com.

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PGA Tour Winner Quick Lesson

Congratulations to Tiger Woods on his victory at the 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

It certainly has been an interesting year to date! The number one ranking has changed hands a couple of times. Tiger looked down and out with another possible injury...and now this...a good win heading into The Masters. Great stuff for golf.

There has been enough said on all Tiger's swing changes. Let's take a look at what is making him very efficient and powerful with his golf ball.

It is very rare to get this camera angle, which is why I love to show whenever I can. The back angle is great because it can really emphasize the transition from the backswing to the down swing.

First the backswing. Notice how his shoulders turn and stack over his right foot. This is a great position, but it is not the entire key to this great backswing. You must also take note that his hips do not push out to the right. There are many players who take the weight shift on the backswing too literally. They shift their upper body and lower body over to their right side on the backswing. In this video it is very clear that Tiger does not shift his lower body weight over his right foot.

A great drill to do at home or at the office is to setup up in your address position with the back of a chair an inch or so from your right hip. When you make your back swing your right hip should never touch the chair.

The second element is the transition. It is a beautiful transition that obviously creates a lot of power. I like how as he nears the top of his backswing, his left knee starts to transition towards the target, while his back, shoulders and arms move ever so slightly away from the target. Then there is the slight pause as the upper body starts unwinding back towards the target, before the whole body rotates through impact.

The key is to not let your arms continue the backswing without your back and shoulders. If you do that you will lose all the timing to have an effective golf swing. Your swing will get steep, offline and with limited chance to have great timing at impact.

PGA Tour Winner Quick Lesson

Congratulations to Justin Rose on his victory at the 2012 WGC-Cadillac Championship.

Nice to see Justin Rose winning again. Does anybody remember when he burst onto the scene in the late '90s as a 17 year old at the Open Championship? His hole out on the 72nd hole was terrific.

I love this video of Justin practicing. There are many players out there who feel they don't need alignment aids or swing drills. If Justin is working with aids...we should all work with them.

The point of the drill is to help his club head come into the ball on the right path. He can aim the track at his target and then see if his divot is in line with his track. A great drill for alignment and club path.

There are many things we can take away from Justin's swing that will help us all be better players. I would like to focus on two.

The first is his solid backswing. In the video watch how long his hands stay in front of his chest. That is a terrific position to have in your backswing. It means that you are turning your chest and shoulders at the same speed as your arms. Everything is working together. It also means that you are keeping the width in your swing which will help you generate power. If your hands come across your body and are not in front of your chest then you will lose your leverage.

The second is his terrific transition from his backswing to his downswing. Watch how his lower body moves to the target. It seems like his back hesitates a split second while his arms gently fall down into position. With his hands back in front of his chest he can power through the hitting area with great consistency.