Your technique to stop nerves when putting

[bgolfing]

following the advice at puttingzone.com helped me immensely.

[Boba]

I always think of how much it would suck if I were to miss my putt, then just before I pull the trigger I think "DON'T MISS, DON'T MISS, DON'T MISS!" That usually works.

[tourblade]

keep your core muscles tight, feel your abs tighten and hold them tight, also try belly breaths.

Breath with your belly not with your chest. Breathing with your chest raises your shoulders and puts tension around the shoulder area.

[Tedenzyme]

Don't think too much!

 

Line-up, have a look, make a practice swing, address, and hit!

Putting is about feeling comfortable, CONFIDENT, and relaxed.

 

It is about allowing your totally unique, natural stance and action to happen by itself, and repeat. Think about it: you don't think too much when you brilliantly toss a ball of paper into the recycling bin from ten yards away, your body just performs its own casual magic. Allow your body to do the same on the greens.

 

Train to swing in an entirely metronomic way, all from the shoulders, a smooth, short, repetitive action. A short backswing, then allow the club to accelerate naturally all the way through the ball towards the target.

 

If you have a million swing thoughts going on, and are not confident that you are standing, and/or swinging correctly, you are going to miss!

 

I only focus on keeping my head absolutely still, and NEVER looking up to see where the ball has gone.

 

Try this too. Repeat after me:

'I am, and always have been, a good putter'!

Repeat 10000 times!

 

I've tried many putters, and it makes no difference. I could putt well with a sledgehammer!

[sharkhark]

I am very similar to you. I cannot honestly say what i am doing to fix it because i have not done that. I do know this. What type of putter you use has very little to do with it. I find in practice putting, i do not peek at the ball and it goes in.

In a real game, i peek and also have a long back stroke and jab at putt. I am going to promise in next season to play a few rounds accepting bad putting if it comes...although i bet it will not..by using a smooth stroke with no peeking, just listening for ball into hole.

[Rodtraut]

I didn't have the yips really, but did have a problem with the left hand shaking as I took the putter back. Decided to try the 'left hand low' grip and eliminated the shaky left hand almost immediately. Also helped the stroke path, and distance control.

[bigdogdaddy22]

I insure that I keep the back of my left hand moving toward the target. A breakdown of the left wrist sometimes makes me hit up on the ball or flip the toe over leading to a putt that comes up short or gets pulled left. Works for me... :good:

[blindwillie]

Try putting while looking at the hole.. dont worry.. you wont whiff.. it gets you focused on your target and not your stroke..

[TMfan54]

sink a lot of putts before the round. and think about those when putting. and dont be embarassed to back off of even a two footer. better to back off and make it then miss it. you can even play it off as if there is an insect by your ball or face or whatever.

[Draces]

My technique when I´m nervous, in a playoff, or an important stroke I smile through the swing and before I go to my Happy Place. (Yes just like Happy Gilmore, but it works ¡¡¡¡)

[atlanta golfer]

Think of something in your head. For me, I say to myself "in the hole, in the hole, in the hole" as I prepare for and make the stroke. Anything else will work also, such as the happy place references above, or saying numbers to yourself, or whatever. The key is if your mind is thinking of a picture or words, then it is NOT thinking about mechanics, which is the real secret on why this works.

[8thehardway]

Focus on the process, not the outcome.

 

Being nervous over a putt shatters your organization. Of course you may miss the putt, but that's life and the observation (manifested by nerves) is meaningless. In any endeavor, results reflect ability plus a little luck and some failure is inevitable as no one takes 18 putts/round.

 

Relaxation techniques like deep breathing or finding your happy place can work, but most people need to experience the effect a few times rather then first trying it over a tough putt. An alternate or complimentary relaxation technique - process reorientation - has you concentrate on some technical aspect of self-instruction; ie, paying attention to where you stand relative to the ball. Often that first step is enough to draw you back into the process and away from considering the outcome.

 

Consider a heavier putter.

 

Beyond stabilizing your stroke, added weight has a way of leveling out emotional input. The putter shouldn't be so heavy that its weight affects distance control, and it's not for everyone. But a golfer who gets over-adrenalized either from anxiety or excitement, may find that what felt heavy during a demo in a relaxed environment ffeels perfect when the adrenaline is running. The reverse is true as well - since adrenaline lightens perceived effort, a suitably-weighted putter at Golfsmith may seem too light during a tense or exciting round.

 

Adding temporary weight just before a round is a good way to test for optimal 'playing weight.' A US nickle weighs exactly five grams and it's easy to tape one or two on your putter before a round.

 

Good luck!

[Bomb and Gouge]

I read "Putting out of your mind" and it was very good. However, I don't think it's the cure-all some here claim it is.

 

 

For me, it's all about practice.

[sharkhark]

its called dalwhinnie scotch....15 yrs aged....a bit pricey...but it works...:)

[gotem]

i take deep breaths, take your time, pay attention to speed, commit, and accelerate thru the stroke. then again, i 3 putt on gir all the time.

[mission_scratch]

this may not help you, but I use to suffer from Panic Attacks (pretty bad ones), and I learned how to beat em, so comparing that to putting, its a cake walk...lol.. usually in tournaments or scrambles I do really well at putting.. but the advice I can give you that may help, is everytime you step up to a putt believe that you are the best putter out there, and you know that the putt is going to drop... if you think that and believe it, I promise you'll sink alot more putts....

[PuttingDoctor]

Routine, routine, routine,routine,routine,routine,routine,routine,.... oh did I mention ROUTINE!

 

Know your percentage from distance and let your subconscious do the work.

 

Stop that stinkin' thinkin' and let the stroke flow.

 

Focused practice is the key. Most successful golfers have drills they work on at the range.... how many do you know who do the same for putting? It's almost half of the scoring game!

 

Repeat after me.... "I can two putt any green."

 

Oh...and "never leave a putt short."