Yes, the best in the world say “I see the putt before I
stroke it”. This is a common practice
for golf professionals at all levels, but all players can benefit from a drill
that can enhance your visualization skills before you putt. This pre-shot exercise will give you
confidence and make more putts, thus shooting lower scores and ultimately
having more fun playing the game.
Drill: You can do this
drill on the practice putting green. Find a hole, read the putt and take an assorted amount of golf balls and
line them up according to the break of the putt. See picture…..Use at least one ball for each
foot, example 10 golf balls for 10 foot putt and make sure to put a few balls
in the cup so that you can see a golf ball in the hole. Now take your putting stance over the first
ball and follow each ball individually until you see the ball in the hole. Then with your eyes, reverse the eye exercise
and follow from the ball in the hole back to the first ball. If you do this a few times, you will begin to
see the line of the putt. This is the
telestrator effect -the ability to see or crate the line of the intended putt. Then remove the balls and putt one ball from
the same spot, and see if you can visualize that same putt. You will actually see in your mind the line
of the intended putt. It’s a wow
experience for players who have never experienced this feeling. This drill will develop and enhance your ability
to read and visualize the line of your putts.
Remember, visualization is recreating an experience that you
can recall and then visualize the outcome of what may happen. Before you putt, the clearer the picture, the
more positive you are of your read, the better chances of you making a lot of
putts.
John Nelson is a South Florida PGA Hall of Fame Class A
Teaching Professional and Director of Instruction at the Golf Academy
located at The Country Club of Coral Springs, Coral Springs, Fl - www.ccofcs.com. Contact John at 954-752-4500 x 204, or email: jnelson@ccofcs.com.
