Perfecting your putting

Putting is arguably the most important skill in golf.
Forget about reading the green until you have mastered pace. Getting this right comes from developing a smooth putting rhythm.
There are no hard and fast rules about how you address the ball - develop any style you like as long as it delivers a smooth and reliable stroke.

STEP ONE

Very few top golfers break their wrists when they putt.
Instead they let their arms hang loosely and hold the putter lightly so both hang like a pendulum from the shoulders.
Ben Crenshaw is one of the world's finest. He holds the putter so lightly he sometimes drops it - but this is how he achieves the 'touch' behind a smooth rhythm.
Set up with the ball near your front foot, the club face square to the target line and your eyes over the ball.
It is important to keep your hands level or ahead of the ball through the stroke.

STEP TWO



Move the putter away smoothly, the arms hinging from the shoulders not the elbows or wrists.
Keep the putter head as a low to the ground as possible.
Keep the putter on a line square to the target as you swing it back and then forth.




STEP THREE


Maintain your tempo through the swing, accelerating slightly into the ball.
Watch the putter head strike the back of the ball on the upswing, feeling almost as if the palm of your right hand is striking it towards the target.
The best putting strokes look smooth because the club is swung back and forward at the same speed.



STEP FOUR


Follow through to the hole with your club, not your eyes.
It is good to practice keeping eye contact on the spot where the ball was rather than trying to see where it has gone.
Practice counting two seconds in your head before you allow yourself to see how well you've done.

source http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/golf/skills/4238292.stm