It’s All On The Line Meadowwood Professional’s Putting Techniques Bring Purpose To Your Game

Golfers will stand on the driving range and bang balls for hours. But when it comes to practicing putting, most settle for a couple of jabs on the practice green - if they happen to pass it on the way to the first tee.

That’s a huge mistake, according to Bob Scott, the head professional at MeadowWood Golf Course and one of the area’s top instructors of short-game techniques.

In this instructional series installment, Scott demonstrates several drills that can add fun - and purpose - to your putting practice.

For starters, Scott explains a method that can help put you in the proper position over the ball before you make your putting stroke. To set up the drill, see photo 1. For right-handed players, the left eye should be directly over the ball (the opposite is true for left-handers). Rest the putter handle directly below the right eye. Once the ball is addressed, Scott says, the hands should hang comfortably, directly beneath the shoulders.

In photo 1, Scott demonstrates an easy way to check your alignment and make sure you keep your putter face square throughout the putting stroke. Place two golf clubs parallel on a level spot on the practice green about 8 inches apart. Point them toward the hole and place a ball between them about 3 feet from the cup.

When the putting stoke is made, the head of the putter should stay between the two clubs during take-away, impact and follow-through. It is especially important, according to Scott, to keep the head still and putter face perpendicular to the clubs throughout the stroke.

Photo 2 shows how you can take some of the drudgery out of practicing 3-foot putts. Find a hole on a sloping part of the practice green and surround it with golf balls. Then move around the circle, putting each ball at the cup.

This drill, according to Scott, allows you to work on putts that break right and left to various degrees, as well as straight putts.

Photo 3 illustrates a drill that can help you visualize the path of a hard-breaking putt.

Begin by rolling a ball toward the cup from a spot on the practice green that will produce a severe break. Note the path the ball takes to the hole, then station balls along that path about a foot apart. Start with the ball closest to the hole and putt each at the cup, keeping in on the path of the previous balls you have putted.

These drills, Scott said, might not produce the same excitement as driving a ball 250 yards on the practice range. But they will save a lot more strokes once you take your game to the course.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 3 Color photos