Tip From the Archives
Long Putts
Problem
You miss-hit, use too much wrist action, or do not take enough backstroke on long putts.
Cure
Difficulties sinking long putts can often be caused by incorrect posture in your stance. Bending too far at the waist restricts natural arm swing and results in too much wrist action. Determining distance also becomes a problem because the human brain has trouble accurately calculating spatial relations with your eyes on a vertical plane.
Therapy
A good tip to remember is that the longer the putt, the taller you should stand. This will help you correctly perceive the distance and promote the use of your arms more than your wrists, for a more natural feeling pendulum stroke. Practice longer putts before playing the course and have confidence in your swing; inexperience and fear of leaving putts short can also ruin your long putts. A good drill to help you learn how long of a backstroke you need is to practice either on the green or on carpeting at home with a dozen balls at different distances. Start with the closest ball to the hole; notice how your backswing is very short when the ball is this close. Now work your way further from the hole. The more distance to the hole, the longer your backswing needs to be and always make sure your forward swing is just as long. When you are greater than eight feet away, you should start to reduce your knee flex slightly and stand a little taller.
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