Pressure on the Green

Last night I was watching the Connecticut – Syracuse Men’s Basketball game, which was tied at 65 with less than a minute left.  Syracuse had two of its players sent to the free throw line, each of whom sunk their free throws and sealed the victory for the Orangemen.  Connecticut, on the other hand, had settled for a long three when down by two instead of taking their time and going for the tie.  This game is an example of how dealing with pressure and knowing your abilities usually decides the winner of a contest.

The same thing can be said for a round of golf.  The player who knows they can sink a putt will be able to take a less aggressive stroke at the pin and put in a ten to fifteen footer instead of risking strokes to get within tap in range.  By taking time to practice putting, whether that is on an indoor putting green, or on the green at a course or driving range, allow you to make putts with much greater effectiveness and will cause you to win a lot more pressure-packed rounds than before.  Next time you watch a close game, or match, look for who deals with the pressure in a more controlled manner.  This person or team likely will be the winner.

The Importance of putting

To score even par the “regulation” way you hit the green in one two or three shots and are allowed two-putts. Two putts x 18-holes equals 36 shots on a standard par 72 golf course.

Short putts and long putts can have a drastically different stroke even though your using the same club. From an 18-inch tap-in to a ninety foot snake of a double breaker.

Read more about developing a putting strategy that you can take to the course and the practice green