Golf Tips from the Pro

There is an old adage when putting, that a ball not made, should finish 18” past the cup. Many times, especially when the pressure to make a put is greatest, we make a mediocre stroke and our ball does not go in the hole, nor does it finish 18” past the hole. Instead, it approaches the hole at a dying speed and tends to veer to the right or left as opposed to tumbling in. These putts seem to defy gravity, but there is a reason we should putt with attacking speed. This phenomenon I call the “Volcano”. All day long players in front of you putt out. No one steps within 8” of the cup when reaching in to grab their ball. The turf on this periphery gets compacted; and the 8” around the cup remains the same. A putt hit without adequate speed seems to climb the side of this virtual volcano, but as you’ve already visualized, it simply falls to the right or left. Hit you putts with pace, and you’ll make more putts.