putting

That sounds like a stupid question, doesn’t it? Doesn’t everyone look at the ball when putting? 

Well, no. 

Jordan Spieth looks at the hole when putting

Jordan Spieth looks at the hole, rather than the ball, when hitting a short putt. 

“I think that the most important fundamental in putting is understanding where your putter is aligned,” explains Spieth. 

Golf’s most influential psychologist, Bob Rotella, thinks more golfers should follow Spieth’s example. 

“In almost all sports, you look at your target, not the ball,” says Rotella, who has has coached the winners of 74 major championships. “If you’re passing a ball, shooting a basket, firing a gun, you’re not looking down at your hands or the ball; you’re looking at the target.”

A study of 40 amateurs with handicaps ranging from eight to 36 showed that looking at the hole helps you leave your long putts closer to the hole (averaging 28″ to the hole compared to 37″ when looking at the ball) as well as your short putts (leaving an average 9″ tap-in when looking at the hole, compared to 12.5″ when looking at the ball). 

“I’ve tried it with countless golfers of all levels, and I’d say 40-60% of them putt a lot better when they’re looking at the hole,” says Rotella. “Those that don’t, it’s because they’re too worried about missing the ball. If they gave it a proper chance and get used to it, they’d putt better as well.”

If it works, why don’t more people do it?

“Whether they realise it or not, most people would rather miss short putts than face the social pressure of doing something that’s seen as strange,” says Rotella. “That’s why Spieth deserves so much credit; he wasn’t worried about what people would think. He knew that if he did it and it worked, others would copy. It was the same with the belly putter, the 60-degree wedge, and the claw grip – when they first came out, people thought they were strange, but when they work and people win with them, they quickly become mainstream.”

Lexi Thompson putts with her eyes closed

World number four Lexi Thompson started putting with her eyes closed as a practice drill towards the end of last season. It worked so well that she decided to start doing it on the couse, in tournaments. 

“It feels like I’m burning a hole through the golf ball with my eyes sometimes,” says Thompson, of the tension she used to feel looking at the ball. “I basically just feel it in my stroke and take a deep breath,” she says of her new focus. 

Russell Knox looks ahead of the ball when putting

A putting tip found online helped 30-year-old Russell Knox secure his first win on the European Tour. 

“I was really struggling,” says Knox. “The first couple of rounds in Malaysia last year, I didn’t play very well and I putted horribly. I went online and Googled ‘How to improve my putting’.”

“I was getting a little tight and tense over the ball, and I saw a tip from Dave Stockton that said, ‘Look a couple of inches in front of the ball’. I started just staring at that point instead of staring at the ball while I was making my stroke. It was amazing how much it freed me up. It took my focus off my stroke a little bit and alowed my arms to release easier. For some reason, everything went in.”

Where do YOU look when putting?