Like many weight-loss diets, many people think golf training aids and golf books are too good to be true. Many of the ads for golf training aids come along with hefty claims such as being able to knock ten strokes off of your game or by cutting you handicap in half. You have learned that if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. So which training aids or golf books will help you improve your game? Below is a training aid and a golf book that you can use in unison to improve your putting indoors or out.

1. The Putting Arc Deluxe

The Putting Arc Deluxe works because this putting aid is based upon natural body movement. This body movement can be quickly learned and repeated. With regular use, the results can be seen in a short period of time. The putter head travels in a perfect circle (radius R). The projection of this circle on the ground is an ellipse in the shape of The Putting Arc Deluxe. The putter is always on plane and the intersection of this plane with the ground is a straight line, the ball/target line. With the Putting Arc Deluxe, the club face is always square to the above plane. In addition, it is only square to the ball target line at the center line of the Putting Arc. You are learning an inside to square to inside putting stroke. In this perfect putting stroke, there is only one moving part. The hands, arms and shoulders rotate as one unit and no manipulation of the hands or arms are required to follow the correct path with a correct clubface.

2. The Art of Putting by Stan Utley

In The Art of Putting, Stan Utley’s golf book outlines his putting fundamentals for players of all levels, from beginners to very skilled. Stan Utley’s easy to understand method will allow you to develop a repeatable stroke. Utley introduces you to the fundamentals of the proper grip, posture, alignment, and stroke. The Art of Putting will give you guidelines for finding the correct putter for you and the type of stroke you have. In addition, how a putt should sound and how to read greens properly. No matter what your current skill level is, Stan Utley keeps his theories easy to read and to implement for all players from beginners to skilled players. Everyone can enjoy this easy read.

By: Brad Myers

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Here is a scenario that may sound familiar to you. How many times have you rushed out of the house and sped to the golf course in order to get there for your designated tee-time. You turn up, organize your kit and head out to the first tee without so much as a practice putt on the putting green. So on the first green you make your first put of the day and it either

Barely makes it 50% of the way to the hole or Heads on a trajectory away from the hole that leaves you baffled or Zips past the hole and off the other side of the green.

Spending some time, even 5 quick minutes, on the practice green can pay huge dividends on the course saving you shots (and embarrassment) over the first six holes.

Here is a five minute drill to help you zone in on your putting alignment and gauge the speed of the greens.

Alignment

This drill is as old as the hills. Line up for a long put using whatever preferred technique you regularly use. Place a short iron against the toes of your shoes. Step away from the club and look down its line. Is it the line you had intended in your setup? This line is going to show the starting trajectory of your putts so you want to have this as accurate as possible. If the line is off then maybe your technique for lining up shots is a little off. Try picking a point closer to the ball (instead of closer to the hole) to start lining up your shot.

Distances

If time is pressing then you want to quickly get the feel for the greens at three distances. You can practice several distances if time permits but it’s generally easier to recall the feeling of putting a short, medium and long distance putt.

Start with a long putt, however long the practice putting green can accommodate. Try to make a dozen of these long putts and you want to zone in on getting the distance of your putt correct. Get the rhythm of your swing consistent (as it should be for all shots) and just vary the distance you pull the putter head back. There is no need to do all 12 shots if you lock in to the distance quickly.

Pick a medium distance. Somewhere around the 10 to 12 foot distance would suit. In truth, pick a mid-distance which you personally experience regularly. For better players with greater pitching accuracy this distance could be shorter. Again, try to take up to 12 putts and aim to get within a meter of the hole, and preferably not short of the hole. The accuracy of the putting line is important with this drill – you want to see some putts going in. Move on if you lock in the distance and accuracy quickly.

Lastly, pick some short putts within 3 foot (~1 meter) of the hole. You will want to get a confidence boost here of a high percentage of putts going in so that you can confidently take on these shots on the course.

Even if you play the same course regularly, be sure to still do some drills to gauge the green speed as factors such as the green’s soil water content, the time of the day and the time since the greens were last cut can adversely affect the ball speed.

By: Roderick Dunne

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Today its slowly becoming commonplace to see tour professionals putting with their eyes closed in tournaments. In fact a growing number of players use this golf putting technique in practice. Another common trick is to look at the hole rather than at the ball while putting. The golfer Johnny Miller used the technique at the 1994 Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The technique is widely believed to be helpful to golfers with yips.

Medical research has indicated that golf players with yips have rapid eye movements (REM) during the stroke. It is the eyes which transmit necessary information to the brain. Golfers who use the eyes closed or focused on the hole technique receive information about the club head, putter momentum and stroke path through the hands.

Why do players adopt this golf putting technique and what are the advantages of using the closed eye technique for golfers? These techniques are most commonly used by golfers who struggle with their stroke during their golf putting practice. When a player is low on confidence, he can get relief by focusing on the hole rather than the ball or by closing their eyes completely. This technique leads to mental clarity, almost like getting physically away from the pressure of the situation. Moreover it allows the golfers’ own confidence and feel for the course to take over and dispatch the ball to its destination.

Here is a golf putting tip with closed eyes technique. Place three balls 10 feet from the cup, and three more each at a distance of 20 and 30 feet. At 10 feet putt the first ball as you normally would with your eyes open. As you putt the second ball, start as you normally do with your eyes open. Before you actually putt, close your eyes. Try and focus on the feel of the putter head during the stroke. Mentally guess where the ball will end up once it stops rolling. Repeat the procedure for the third ball from 30 feet and close your eyes just before making the stroke. Repeat the procedure at each three-ball station. When you incorporate this golf putting drill into your practice routine, you will steadily develop a better feel on the greens.

Can individual golfers use these techniques? As far as individual golfers are concerned, experts believe it’s probably not a great idea for an individual golfer to close his or her eyes during play. However the recreational golfer can certainly use the closed eye technique in their golf putting practice routines. This golf putting technique should help golfers develop better feel in their putting stroke.

For More information on putting, check out this collection of putting tips: Golf Putting Technique

By: John Davenport

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So, you have decided to read about the most frustrating part of golf. There is nothing worse than a round of golf that includes hitting fairways and greens in regulation, but ends with 2 and 3 putt greens on multiple greens. This will drive your score up and is never fun. There is a way to fix your putting and you can cut many strokes of your game with the following putting drills.

The first drill that is used by many professionals is the tee drill. Take your ball and place it about 3 feet from the hole, then put your putter behind the ball. Now you are going to place a tee in the ground on each side of your putter. Practice putt after put from this distance by keeping your putter head in between the two tees and you will see improvement. This drill teaches your muscles to keep your putter head straight and helps keep you from pulling and pushing putts.

The second putting drill is one of the best ones out there. Take a tee and place it in the ground in an area that will allow for a straight putt. Then, place a ball at 3 feet, 5 feet, 7 feet, 10 feet, and 15 feet. Now start with the ball closest to the tee and putt it at the tee. Putt each ball at the tee and repeat the drill over and over. This drill helps you concentrate on hitting a smaller target than the hole and makes you more accurate with straighter putts.

The last drill that will help your putting improve is called the “Around the World” drill. You will need 5 golf balls and you will want to place them between 3 and 5 feet from the hole all around the hole. This will give you a putt from five different sides of the hole. Practice this drill until you can sink each putt twice, then move your golf balls back to 7 to 10 feet and continue this drill.

There are so many different ways to improve your golf game, but you can easily cut 5-7 strokes off of each round by improving your putting. Imagine being out with your buddies and watching them in awe as you continually sink putt after putt.

By: Benjamin R. Ehinger

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