How to Putt Better: 7 Putting Tips for Improving Your Game

For new players and novices, learning how to putt better is one of the fastest ways to lower your handicap. Turning three-putts into single strokes will improve your score and give you confidence in your short game.

However, it can be difficult to find putting tips that work for you. Putting techniques in golf can range from the practical to the highly technical. Tour pros all have their own unique pre-shot routines once they get on the green. In this article, we break it down for you with six putting tips that are guaranteed to make you a better player. Stop wondering how to get better at putting — settle into your game with these universal techniques.

1. Improve Your Posture to Improve Your Putting

Addressing the ball with the proper posture is one of the easiest putting tips to follow. Your putting stroke mostly relies on your hips and to produce the energy needed for any given shot. Keep your back straight and your shoulders square to the ball to eliminate unnecessary or unwanted movement. Your center of gravity should be balanced evenly on each foot. Practice moving your hands by rotating your hips and letting your wrists guide the clubface to find the best posture for you.

2. Align Your Stance

Learning how to get better at putting can seem daunting at first. That's why our list begins with two of the most universal putting techniques in golf. In addition to your posture, your stance alignment can make or break your short game. The face of the putter needs to be in proper alignment with the ball and the direction in which you want the ball to travel. The Putting Arc MS-3D features a mirror that allows you to check your shoulder position and alignment in real time.

3. Control Your Speed

Shot speed is paramount to success. The amount of break you get is relative to the velocity of your golf ball as it glides across the green. When you are learning how to putt, getting better at managing your shot speed will help with your approach. Practice putting to a rhythm or count in your head similar to a golf video game's swing mechanics. Count off 1-2-3 as you pull back, make contact and follow through. Then, for longer shots, add an additional step. Count 1-2-3-4 to help you control your distance and velocity on your putts.

Another major part of your speed is your actual putting stroke. Having a consistent stroke that you can adjust to match your speed requirements for each putt is a quick way to improve putting ability. The Putting Stick is designed to greatly improve your putting stroke.

4. Use Proper Grip

Grip, grip, grip. Most putting tips will talk about the importance of grip, and there is a reason for that. Hand placement on your putter needs to be firm, but you don't want to grip the club too tightly. A firm grip and locked shoulders will let you rely on hip torsion to propel your golf ball towards the hole.

5. Read the Green

One of the most advanced putting techniques in golf, reading the greens takes hours and hours of practice to master. Most players use horizon lines to see how much a green tilts left and right. When golfers begin playing, they often underestimate how much a green will break. Our own equilibrium works against our ability to discern slight elevation differences. Disrupting your eye line by holding your putter vertically in front of your field of view can help you read undulations on the green.

6. Repetition and Practice

You don’t have to overthink it. Those wondering how to improve their putting skills can follow a pretty simple formula when it comes down to it. Repetition and practice are the two great differentiators between high- and low-handicap players. Improve your putting mechanics by working on specific areas of your game with drills that focus on muscle memory and repeatability. Putting mats are perfect for getting in reps without having to go to the course or range. The Home Putt portable golf putting mat is one of our favorite mats because you can take it with you and work on your putting wherever life takes you.

7. Improve Your Putting with Putting Aids

We saved our favorite putting tip for last. If you’re an overachiever and want to take your putting training to the next level, putting aids are an amazing way to improve your game on the green. We have a a wide array of the best putting training aids to improve your game with the flat stick. All of our putting tools and trainings are designed to improve putting performance.