Importance of Putting

“It’s ultimately what you do with a putter that is going to determine your success.”

-John Hughes, PGA Professional

If you think about it, each hole is designed to allow you to 2 putt in order to save par. That means putting ends up being about 50% of your round of golf. With that being said, most golfers tend to focus on the purchase of a new driver or set of irons, finding themselves hitting balls at the driving range for countless hours and still unable to make better scores at the course.

USGA statistics show the average male golfer shoots about a 99 and 2.2 putts per hole. Recreational and amateur golfers are well above these statistics while the pros are slightly under coming in around 1.8 putts per hole.

It’s safe to say you will find yourself hitting atleast 2 or even more putts on any given hole. You will find yourself hitting most of your par putts within 8 feet of the hole and this is often where golfers make or break their score. You might be thinking, “8 feet is such a short putt! I need to practice my longer putts.” Let’s take a look at the pros statistics and see how you match up.

• 8 foot putt: Made 49% of the time
• 7 foot putt: Made 56% of the time
• 6 foot putt: Made 65% of the time
• 5 foot putt: Made 75% of the time
• 4 foot putt: Made 86% of the time

The best golfers in the WORLD only make their 8 foot putts less than half of the time. It is important to realize these short putts make your entire score. The more you practice these distances the better your scores will be. Your primary focus should not be on your first putt but rather your second, which will usually be within 8 feet. This 4 foot to 8 foot putt range is where most golfers will see additional strokes added on their score if they are not prepared.

“If people are upset at being a 25-36 handicap, watch them putt. That’s the fastest area in the game to save five shots a round.”

-Dan Schwabe, PGA Pro

Psychologically, it is important to prepare in an environment as close to the real thing as possible. Hona Golf putting greens give you that real course feeling providing the same feedback on your putts as a natural green would. You hear it all the time in areas outside of golf. Practice how you want to play. If you go out and practice something in one way, that is how you will perform when its time. If you go and practice your putting on a green or carpet that does not match the speed, feel or ball roll of a real course, ask yourself, are you really benefiting from this? Psychologically when playing basketball, think of how important it is to see the ball go through the net to give you confidence in your shot. Same can be said for putting. Seeing that ball drop in the cup gives you that confidence moving onto the next hole. Hona Golf’s putting greens are designed to give you that full drop, allowing the ball to completely disappear. Take a few repetitions on Hona’s greens and find that confidence before heading to the course.

“Every score in golf ends on the putting green, but this is where players spend the least amount of time developing skills.”

-Mark Sweeny, Aimpoint Golf

Matt Benzin, Hona Golf.