Putting

The Putting Alignment Mistake You're Making (And How To Fix It)

January 06, 2017

If you struggle with putting, the issue could be your alignment. Well, you could have a lot of issues, but let’s just deal with alignment right now. Swing coach Darren May says that a lot of golfers aim too far to the right when they’re putting. This means that when they come through for contact, they have to cut across the ball to compensate. The cut-across move is an ugly one. It sends the ball rolling with sidespin, making it really tough for you to make any putts. You need a square putterface at impact to make good contact.

In order to do that, May says you should feel like you’re hitting draws with your putter. “In reality, the putter will track from slightly inside the line to straight along the line through impact,” says May.

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May says a good way to practice this is to lay down alignments sticks (or golf clubs) aimed at a hole about six feet away, set just a little bit wider than the width of your putterhead. You want the front end of the stick furthest away from you to be at the ball, and you want the back end of the stick closer to you to be at the ball.

“This allows for an in-to-out stroke path,” says May. “Hit some putts from this practice station, being careful not to bump into either alignment rod. You'll groove an inside-to-straight stroke, just like the pros.”