Stop Leaving Putts Short: Mastering Distance Control in Golf

Are you tired of watching your golf putts come up short, right at the edge of the hole? You line up the shot perfectly, your stroke feels smooth, and yet—instead of dropping in, your ball just stops short, taunting you. Trust me, you’re not alone in this struggle, and the good news is that it’s totally fixable once you get to the root of the problem!

The Two Main Culprits Behind Short Putts

So, why are your putts falling short? Well, for many golfers, it boils down to two sneaky mistakes: deceleration through impact and looking up too soon. While these might seem like minor slip-ups, they can seriously mess with your distance control and your putts.

Let’s chat about deceleration first. When you slow your stroke down as you hit the ball, you’re basically killing the energy transfer. This often happens when your backswing is longer than it needs to be for the distance you’re aiming for. As a result, you hold back on the downswing, thinking it’ll prevent you from overshooting. The key? You should either maintain your speed or let it accelerate slightly through impact. It’s all about keeping that momentum!

Now, onto the second culprit: looking up too soon. When you peek at the hole before your ball has even left the putter face, your body instinctively reacts. It causes you to decelerate and lose your posture, which is a recipe for short putts. Keep your head down and your eyes glued to the ball until after impact, and you’ll notice a significant difference.

Mental Barriers Making Your Putt Fall Short

Sometimes, the battle is as much mental as it is physical. Fear can really play tricks on your putting. A lot of golfers end up leaving their putts short simply because they’re afraid of hitting it too hard and rolling it past the hole. This worry creates a self-fulfilling prophecy: if you’re nervous about overshooting, you’ll end up decelerating through impact, and voila!—your putt ends up short.

Here’s a little mantra to keep in mind: A putt that doesn’t reach the hole? Yeah, it has zero chance of going in. Seriously, it’s way better to roll a ball three feet past the hole every now and then than to consistently leave them a few inches short. So, embrace a little aggressiveness when you’re lining up that putt!

The Fundamentals of Distance Control

You might be wondering, “What’s the secret to distance control?” Well, here’s the scoop: it’s all about the length of your stroke, not just how hard you hit it. Picture your putting stroke as a pendulum—it should swing at the same tempo, regardless of the distance to the hole. If you need to make a longer putt, just lengthen your backswing. For shorter putts, shorten your backswing, but keep that acceleration through the ball constant.

Your follow-through should ideally mirror your backswing, maybe even be slightly longer. If you overdo the backswing and then stop abruptly, you’re putting yourself at risk of deceleration. And that’s not what we want!

Getting Your Setup Right

A proper setup is crucial for nailing those distance control putts. Start with your ball position—it should sit just forward of center in your stance, right under your left eye (if you’re a right-handed golfer). If it’s too far back, you might hit down on the ball, leading it to skid and lose that valuable distance.

Next up is eye position. Keep your eyes directly over the ball or just slightly inside the target line. Poor eye alignment can lead to compensations in your stroke, which often results in that dreaded deceleration.

And don’t forget your posture. You should feel balanced and comfortable. Your arms ought to hang naturally from your shoulders. If you’re all stiff and tense, guess what? You’ll likely decelerate and leave those putts short once again.

Reading the Green for Better Distance

Sometimes, even when you have a perfect stroke, misreading the green can trip you up. Here’s what you should focus on:

1. Uphill Slopes: For every foot of elevation change, add about 10% to your putt’s distance.

2. Grain of the Grass: If you’re putting into the grain (against the direction the grass grows), your ball will lose momentum quicker.

3. Subtle Slopes: Even if a green looks flat, there may be tiny inclines that can cause your putts to come up short.

Equipment Matters: Find Your Right Putter

Sometimes the problem is all about your gear. A putter that’s too light can encourage a “handsy” stroke, making it tough to control distance. On the flip side, a heavier putter often allows for a smoother, pendulum-like stroke that’s easier to command.

Also, make sure your putter face is clean! Dirt can hinder energy transfer. Oh, and pay attention to the loft of your putter too. Most putters have a slight loft (between two to four degrees) that helps the ball roll rather than skid.

Practice Drills for Mastering Distance Control

Ready to put in some practice? Here are a few drills to hone that distance control:

• The Ladder Drill: Line up balls at varying distances (10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 feet) from the hole. Your goal? Make each ball finish within three feet of the hole while ensuring each subsequent putt travels further than the last.

• The Follow-Through Drill: Work on making putting strokes where your follow-through is noticeably longer than your backswing. This is a great way to train your body to accelerate through the ball.

• The Head-Down Drill: Keep your head down and your eyes on the ball well after impact. Count “one-thousand-one” after you hear the ball leave the putter face before looking up.

Bringing It All Together

Let’s wrap this up. Start targeting those two major distance killers: deceleration and looking up too soon. Focus on developing a smooth, steady stroke with the right tempo and acceleration while keeping your head down during impact.

And above all, don’t be afraid to be a bit aggressive with your putting. That worry about three-putting can make you overly cautious, but trust me, you’ll make more putts by staying a bit aggressive than by leaving them short.

Remember: those pesky short putts aren’t some unsolvable mystery—they’re fixable! With the right fundamentals and plenty of practice, you’ll be rolling those putts with confidence, watching them drop into the hole instead of dying just short. Game on!