Golf Tips: Look at the Hole on Short Putts

The Masters finished this past weekend and the golf world is abuzz about the fantastic performance by 21-year-old Jordan Spieth.  His four rounds combined in many ways to produce all sorts of scoring and birdie records.  One of the reasons for Spieth's great performance and subsequent securing of the coveted green jacket was his amazing putting.  Spieth was dropping putts from all sorts of difficult places, making it look quite easy, though most know that putting at Augusta National in the Masters is anything but. Look at Hole Did you happen to notice that on shorter putts Spieth is actually looking at the hole when he strikes the ball?  Yes isn't that oddly interesting.   When he is in a range close enough to see the hole and his golf ball at the same time, Spieth looks at the hole at impact.  He first reads the putt, looks down at the ball, the hole, the ball, then when he looks at the hole again he strikes the putt. This is a very interesting way of putting, and could provide an outlet for those of you (like me) who struggle with short putts of perhaps eight feet and under.  Looking at the hole during the stroke could give the player a better idea of the amount of strength needed for that particular distance.  It could be a way of helping the player keep the putter on the proper target line. Flip Side On the flip side there are some potential drawbacks to this concept.  If the player is not able to keep his/her body still there's a high probability that the contact between the ball and putter will not only be off-center, it could be quite far off-line. Conclusion If you struggle with your short putts, try looking at the hole when you're sure your setup is correct.  It might be a game changer!