Charley Hull says this one move is the biggest mistake average golfers make

Charley Hull has played in enough pro-ams over the years to see all kinds of average golfers’ games. When I asked her what the biggest mistake amateurs make is, she knew right away: “They pick up their head when they putt.”

What’s great about this is that it’s so easy to fix.

“Keep your head down, hear it go in instead,” Hull says.

It’s understandable to be excited about seeing whether or not you made a putt. But I talked to Mai Dechathipatmai, a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher at KOHR Golf Academy in Massachusetts, about what can happen when you don’t wait until after impact to move your head. She says that when you’re peeking too early, you’re changing your posture and creating inconsistency in how you deliver the putterface to the ball. Picking up your head early makes it harder to keep a square putterface. And if the face isn’t square, it’s really hard to make putts.

But it goes beyond that. If you’re picking your head up early, it shows that your attention isn’t where it should be.

“Picking your head up too soon while putting isn't just changing your posture,” Dechathipatmai says. “It can also mean your mind is already focused on the outcome rather than the task itself. Sometimes, I putt with my eyes closed, simply feeling the contact and the rhythm. It helps quiet my mind and bring my attention back to the present. Because sometimes, we’re so eager to see the result that we lose touch with the process that actually leads to the desired outcome.”