Random Food for Putting Thought

Putting accounts for about 40 percent of your strokes in an average round. Practice accordingly.

On that note, why would you spend three times as much on your driver as your putter?

If your putting game is a mess, don’t just assume it’s you. How well would you play soccer with shoes that don’t fit? Make sure you’ve got the right putter in your hands. Do your research on putter length, design, material and technology. Get a putter that truly fits your physique and preferences, then work on your game.

Don’t think of your putter as a club, think of it as a broom. That is, don’t hit the ball. Just make the stroke you want, and the ball will be swept along the intended path.

Jim Furyk made a great point in the latest issue of Golf Magazine. How often do you miss the hole by five feet to the left or right? Not nearly as often as you leave the ball five feet short or long. The lesson: don’t get so fixated on alignment that you forget about distance.