Equipment
Getting the first putt right
It can be frustrating when you’re walking off the greens making 3-putts, but it’s a glorious feeling to watch a tricky read roll into the hole.
So, picture this...
You've found the fairway off the tee and hit a solid approach shot to the heart of the green, with your ball rolling out towards the back.
As you reach the green, you notice your balls about 30 foot away from the flag. Birdie putt incoming!
You commit to the putt and end up hitting the ball a little past the hole, with the green being on a downslope your ball runs a little further, and you now have a good 5 feet to the back of the cup.
You’ve got this next putt to save par, but you slightly miss-read and your ball ends up flirting with the edge of the hole. The annoyance sets in as you tap in your bogey putt, knowing full well that if the two preceding putts have been a little tidier, you’d be walking away with a par.
Sound familiar?
It’s easy to blame the shorter putts that just miss the hole as the culprits for big numbers on the scorecard, but today we want to reiterate how every putt no matter the distance, if struck well, can give you a big sigh of relief and leave you with a smile on your face.
When you're 50+ feet away
Should you happen to be playing a hole with a large green and you’ve edged onto one corner of it on your approach shot, you’re going to still have a lot of green to cover between you and the hole.
The aim when you have a long putt ahead of you is to get the ball close on the first try. It’s not common, but we’ve all holed super long putts and wow does it feel amazing! However, we’ve all also 3-putted from distance more often than we’ve holed out.
When faced with a long putt, you’ll want to aim to get the ball pin-high with the flag. It’s much preferable to get the pace and distance correct over finding the line only to leave the putt short. Getting a long initial putt correct will drastically help reduce the chances of you walking off the green with a 3-putt.
The 20-foot putt
Having landed the green and walking onto it with the ball resting in the center is a great feeling, but you’ve still got a good 20-feet ahead of you to make a birdie. Tempting as it is to try for the hole, it’ll be a costly mistake should you miss and send the ball flying past.
Practicing putts of a middling-distance like this is paramount to getting more confidence with your flatstick. It’s going to be a balance of measuring the speed and pace of the green as well as committing to the line you’re reading. Get this putt right and you should be left with a satisfying tap-in par.
Another example is hitting your tee shot to the left of the green on a tricky par-3, only to strike a good chip and end up 15-feet from the hole. Whether we’re trying to score a birdie or secure a par, we know that making a putt this length is within our reach.
Striking this kind of putt becomes a mental battle between wanting to go for the hole but not wanting the ball to run 5 feet past it. It’s therefore crucial to find both the line and the pace if you’re going for the hole from this distance away.
Making up-and-down
Picture this, your approach shot falls into a greenside bunker on a par-4, but a miraculous wedge shot from the bunker lands you within 3-feet of the hole. It’s the perfect opportunity to sink the par and walk off the green with some renowned faith in your short game!
Sometimes it’s the short putts that you can feel the most pressure over, but they also feel incredibly rewarding when you walk off the green having made only one putt. When you visit us in the pro shop for some putting lessons, we’ll have you striking your putts with greater poise in no time.
Coaching
It’s easy to feel a bit lost when considering all the variables that go towards finding yourself a new golf putter. Do you go for one with a traditional bladed head, or a weightier mallet? Do you go for a straight or slanted hosel?
When you visit us in the pro shop, we’ll study how you play, consider how you approach the ball and your putting arc, and recommend you the best kind of putter for you. We have an excellent line of TaylorMade putters in the pro shop just waiting for you to have a go with them.
The latest TaylorMade golf putters
When you first set eyes on the Spider Tour Black putters, you’ll appreciate how stylish they are. Each putter in the set looks fantastic with a black finish and bronze contrasts on the sold. Both the face and True Path alignment system on the head are white and really stand out. TaylorMade’s TPU Pure Roll insert sits behind the face and offers a sensationally soft feel when you strike the ball. This delicate sense of feel will really help you find the correct distance and pace when you’re a good few dozen feet from the flag
Another fantastic putter offering from TaylorMade is the Spider 5K-ZT. This truly unique putter features a central hosel position to offer players complete stability as they strike through the ball. This high-MOI shaft location allows for flawless accuracy that will be invaluable on delicate mid-range putts when you need to get the line just right. The grooves on the face are even angled at 45°-degrees to provide more predictable roll characteristics on your strikes. If you’ve not played with a putter that has a central hosel before, we’d recommend you come and have a go with this one.
Whether you’re curious about the latest putters we have in stock or you’d like to book some lessons to help better your short game, we’re available to help you in the pro shop.
