Josh’s Tips & Tricks: Holing Out

Intro

Hello golfers. Welcome to this week’s tips & tricks. I hope you’re playing well as the season starts to come to an end. A really simple tip this week that could really save you lots of silly little shots. Holing out for lots of people can be scary and lots of shots get wasted by amateurs inside 6 feet of the hole. This stat for the tour pros is crazy and they very rarely miss inside of this distance. If you have missed putts recently inside of 6 feet (like Rory in The Open) then pay attention.

Holing Out

Take a look at the following video of my holing out a few putts on the mat in the pro shop and then I’ll explain something that I try to do to limit the chances of missing inside of 6 feet. This bit of advice then can transfer into the longer putts.

Notice in the video how I never actually turn my head to look and see where the ball has gone. Lots of people lift their lead shoulder and head as they make contact with the ball. This changes the club path, clubface angle, and angle of attack. All of these things will play a role in the direction and speed of the putt. When I’m holing out I try to never look and see where the ball has gone but actually listen to the ball dropping into the cup. The ball will only go in the hole with a good line and a good speed. If you have rolled the ball along the correct start line and with a good pace the ball will fall into the hole.

Practice

Before I play any round of golf I will try to hole out at least a dozen putts in a row. This will include lining up the ball to the centre of the cup (on a straight putt) and going through my routine. As previously mentioned I won’t be looking to see if the ball has gone in the hole but listening. I start about a foot or two away from the hole and then gradually move a foot away from the hole every few putts until I’m up to 6 feet away. All I try to do is start the ball on line with a decent pace and then just hope to hear the noise of the ball falling into the bottom of the cup. If you hear this noise enough and don’t look up as you putt you will learn to trust it on the course.

Summary

Don’t get too excited when you’re putting! If your holing out is suspect practice from about 1-2 feet away and don’t look up. Try to hit the ball in the middle of the cup at a decent pace and then gradually move back away from the hole. If you practice starting the ball on line and get the speed correct you should have a much higher chance of holing putts and less chance of 3 putting. Hope this helps!

If you would like me to look at your putting technique or any other part of your game ClICK HERE NOW.

Catch you soon.

Cheers,

Josh