Don't Forget Your Putting Practice

Putting is a huge part of a round of golf. It accounts for almost half of your shots. Because of this high percentage, practicing your putting should be high on your list when you go out to the course. Too many people neglect this part of their games and only work on their long game. Here are a few reasons why people don't practice their putting:

1. Not Enough Hours In the Day - These days people have very little time. Between work, kids, meals etc. they're usually rushing out to the course. Once there, they hit a few warm up shots ... then it's out to play a quick 9 holes. If you are one of these people, you should be looking for other times to practice your putting. What I used to do was to save the daylight hours for practicing long shots and I would practice putting indoors at home. Waiting for dinner or after dinner is a great time to get some good putting practice in. If you can get into this routine it won't really matter if you are rushing to the course because you are consistently working on your putting at home.

2. Physical Ailments - Most people aren't conditioned to hit a lot of putts. As simple as this movement seems to be, doing it for long periods of time can hurt your back. This is because your upper body is hanging over your toe line. If you find yourself not able to putt for long periods of time, then gradually condition yourself. Start off with a few minutes, then go a little longer the next time your practice and so on until your back can take it.

3. Boredom Sets In - Let's be honest, putting isn't as exciting as crushing a huge drive. Because people would rather be crushing drives, they avoid practicing their putting. If this sounds like you, ask your friends or members that are hanging around to take you on in a putting competition. By putting a bet on the outcome, you'll not only be practicing your putting under pressure, but you will also add some excitement compared to just putting by yourself.

4. You Don't Putt Well - If you're someone who doesn't putt very well, you can't keep avoiding practice. If you do, how do you expect to ever improve this part of your game? If you can just practice a little on a regular basis, you will start to see improvement which will spark your will to keep doing it.

5. No Instant Gratification - I've seen some people on the putting green who get disappointed or frustrated when they aren't sinking a great percentage of the 15-20 footers they practice. These people quickly disappear and are never found regularly practicing their putting. If you need instant gratification when you putt, try setting some easy goals at first. If you have easy goals instead of trying to hole every 15 - 20 footer you'll get that gratification right away. Then, that'll keep you motivated to set even harder goals.

6. You Need Touch - Putting is much different that hitting a 300 yard drive. Brute force is not required. Because of this, some people don't find it all that fun. Although at first glance, the feeling of smashing a big drive out there should outweigh a 6 foot putt, making that 6 foot putt is for birdie or eagle, is a lot more exciting. Make sure you're spending some of your time putting, people are much more impressed with scores rather than 300 yard drives into the trees.

7. People Are Lazy - I realize it takes a lot of effort to wander over the putting green and hit some practice putts but things could be worse. You could be doing some strenuous or tedious work around the house. The next time you are debating whether to practice your putting or to go home, you may want to stick around. You never know what is waiting for you at home.

As you can see, there are many reasons for this lack of putting practice. If any of these reasons apply to you, then you just have to keep in mind that the more you work on something, the better you will become. You have to make time to practice your putting. If you don't have time at the course then buy a practice putting aid and do your putting practice at home. If you make the effort to practice your putting stroke, lower scores are sure to follow.

Article Source: http://www.health-fitness-for-all.com

Author: Paul Wilson is the creator of Swing Machine Golf which instructs people how to copy the perfect swing mechanics of Iron Byron. He has also the created of the Puttacup indoor putting practice cup which enables you to putt at home.

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