Putting Speed

The interesting thing in golfing is the shorter the club length goes, the more it demands sensitivity in the golfer’s touch. When it comes to putting, sensitivity of the speed is the ultimate factor.

Just the other day, all the putts that I tried to make, I continuously lipping them out of the hole, the ball just refuse to drop in. It followed the right path, the right line, but it would circle around the edge of the 3 inches hole and roll out in the direction where I least desired it to go. I figure it did not drop into the hole for two reasons: 1. The putt was not accurate enough and the ball touched the edge a bit too much. 2. I had introduced too much force on the ball and the speed did not dissipated when it reached the hole.

If the ball had carried just enough speed when it reached the hole, it would have dropped into the hole as gravity would pull it down.

“Never up, never in” is always a common slogan in putting, yet to satisfy this, the first condition has to met where it has to be accurate enough. Here is the catch, if the ball carries enough speed to pass the hole as “Never Up” suggested, the path will not be right as it might has less break along the line because speed overcomes gravity. Thus, condition 1 will not be satisfied where it needs accuracy. If condition 1 is not satisfied, then “Never Up, Never In” will not be true because there is no chance for the ball to get into the hole at all when the path is off and more than enough “speed” is introduced.

I say to successful read a putt, first determine the speed, and then read the break. Only when the speed is right, only then the path could be accurate.