Overcoming Poor Putting
Steven Bowditch, ranked 339th in the world of golf, had never won on the PGA Tour, until recently. He shot a final round 76 to win the Valero Texas Open. It wasn’t a pretty final round, but he’ll take it.
What’s interesting is how he slammed his putting performance for the entire week.
How do you shoot 8-under par with poor putting?
“My putter has been not very good at all this week in general, so it’s always tough. You gotta chip it really close,” Bowditch said after the round. He said that the putter is harder to control under pressure. “The putter is probably the worst one with the nerves to try and deal with, I guess.”
“That’s really the first time I’ve really been putting average or bad, especially when leading in a golf tournament, so that was something new to me,” said Bowditch.
What happens to the rest of your game when you struggle to make putts on the green?
Most golfers compensate by trying to hit or chip the ball closer to the hole.
“I just felt like I had to get it as close to the green as I could and then rely on my chipping.”
When you start missing routine 3-footers, that’s when the negative thoughts can come flooding in-especially over the next short putt.
“Will I miss another short putt,” you say to yourself over the ball…”
“After I missed another putt on 13, that up and down, a 3-footer straight up the hill, I was deep inside my own head with bad thoughts. And to get through that was probably the turning point, I thought.”
In golf, and especially with putting, making too many changes is the enemy.
Many players I work with will rotate between changing grips, putters, stroke, and their routine. They blame poor putting on equipment or a faulty stroke, but never look at how their mind gets in the way.
Golfers will do anything to find something that’s more comfortable.
“I tried changing my routine, and I change a lot of things each week with my putter, and it still didn’t feel very comfortable.”
Bowditch even changed his putter after the Thursday’s round. He was hitting the ball so well he wanted to go back to a comfortable putter.
“I wanted to go back to a putter that I was completely comfortable with. At least with that one I knew what its tendencies were and was comfortable with,” he said after the win.
Good thing his ball striking and chipping was on that week. It’s rare on the PGA Tour that a golfer shoots 76 the final round and wins. I guess he did receive help from the players who were chasing him.
If you struggle with your putting, contact Dr. Cohn today about his mental game programs for golfers.
Related Golf Psychology Articles
- How Danielle Kang Overcame the Yips
- Does Your Putting Change on the Course?
- How to Overcome Anxiety Before Golfing
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