Golf Putting Tips - 4 Tips for Mastering the Long Putt

Even if you've only been around golf for a short period of
time, I'm sure you've heard the phrase "drive for show and
putt for dough." It's become a golf cliche because of its
inherent truth. People love watching and hitting a long
drive but it's masterful putting that keeps your score low
and helps pro players win golf tournaments. So how do you
improve your putting and take strokes off your game?

Sure, it's fun to watch Tiger hit long bombs off the tee,
but it's Tiger's short game and putting prowess that keeps
him head and shoulders above the rest of the players on the
PGA Tour. If you've watched Tiger play awhile, you may
have noticed that he's not the most accurate driver off the
tee. But his putting more than makes up for it.

A lot of courses today don't make it too difficult to get
on the green in regulation. But if you do, you'll most likely
be facing quite a long putt, making it a challenge to two putt
many holes. And if you consistently three putt, you can forget
about ever posting a low score on the golf course.

So what golf putting tips can you use to leave that long putt
close enough to the hole to give you a good chance of two putting?

1) You'll need a longer putting stroke from 40 feet away compared
to a 5 or even 10 foot putt. In order to make this more natural,
take a wider stance when you address the ball.

2) Visualize the putt. See if you can estimate the actual time the
putt will take to reach the hole. Don't forget to visualize the
speed and putt line of the ball as well.

3) Take this visualization and translate it into your putt stroke.
Figure out how long a stroke you'll need to give the ball enough
speed to reach the hole.

4) While putts inside 10 feet are crucial to your golf game, make
sure to practice longer putts of 30 and 40 feet as well, every time
you practice putting.

Use these golf putting tips for long putts to help you put your long
putts closer to the hole on a more consistent basis. If you can do
this, you'll cut down on your three puts and shave strokes off of your
game. And you'll do it without improving any other aspect of your
golf game.