Classic golfing expression

If you've played golf at any level, you'll have heard the expression: "Driving for show, putting for dough"

I was having a few putts on the mat in my kitchen this morning. I do this sometimes to improve my putting stroke. The old adage popped into my head and it still rings true. In fact, never has a more apt phrase been coined about the game of golf. Yet, so many avid amateurs like myself tend to dedicate little or no time to their putting technique. If you think about it logically, that makes no sense at all. Up until recently i spent zero time practicing my putting except maybe 3 or 4 rushed practice putts before i legged it to the first tee box.

You see i was making another error of judgement and arriving to the course just before my tee time. Another expression made famous by fellow Irishman Roy Keane comes to mind: "Fail to prepare, prepare to fail" This old chestnut is relevant across sports, work and indeed life in general.

Break it down

My brother in law on our golfing holiday in Spain last year

Let's consider golf now. Taking a par 72 golf course with four par 3s, four par 5s and ten par 4s, a PGA professional will generally hit approximately 12 drives, 25 to 30 irons/wedges/hybrids/woods and the rest are putts. 22 to 26 putts on the hottest of hot putting days. Usually though, they are looking at high twenties or low thirties. That's a lot of putts. They are very much aware of this fact. As such they dedicate a lot of time to putting and many will have a specific putting coach.

Now let's think about the average duffer like me and you. It's likely he/she has never played a round with fewer than 36 putts, if his handicap is above 16, like me. I am currently playing off 16.6. I would say it's not unusual to have 40 putts and over in a round. So when you are signing for that 91 stroke round, which you are reasonably happy with just think about the fact that 42% of those shots were with the short stick.

Why dont we pracitce putting?

So, we all use it more than any other club in the bag, yet, it is by far the least practiced with club in most amateur's bags. Why is this the case, when the reward for mastering the skills of putting are huge?The next time you head to the driving range, have a look at how many people are practicing their putting stroke? Very few I would say. The majority will be in a bay bursting their bucket of balls with their driver, happy in the knowledge that the guy in the next bay has noticed some of the big hits out past the 250yard marker. News flash lads, the guy in the next bay couldn't give a sideways shite if you hit it 30 yards or 300 yards. He is there to improve his own game and likely had not noticed what you are hitting or not hitting!

The range should be used to use every club in the bag and if you think about it, the majority of the time should be on your short game. Chipping and putting. That's where the scoring is. We've all nailed a drive into the middle of a fairway, only to walk away with a double or worse. That right there is down to a bad short game. The only way to improve it is just like every other sport, practice, plain and simple.

Practice anywhere

The funny thing about putting is that there is no excuse to not practice it if you are playing to compete and win prizes. You can literally practice anywhere you have a carpeted room or even a mat. Have neither? Don't worry, you can pick up a putting mat with a standard golf hole cut out for around €20.

Putting mat/carpeted room ✔
Putter ✔
Golf balls ✔
Appetite for improvement ✔

That's it. Those are the ingredients.

Driving it like Bryson

So forget about the 280 yard drive or the lovely draw on an iron shot. Rather than learning to drive the ball like you are Bryson De Chambeau, instead try to putt it like Jordan Speith in his Masters winning prime from 3 or 4 years ago.

Me winding up for a drive

Now go on, go practice your putting. Practice 6 footers over and over and over again. Then when you stand over these on the course, you just think to yourself, I knocked 20 of these in in a row yesterday. This is a piece of cake. Step up. Line up. Knock it in the hole. Write down your par on the card and move onto the next hole with a smile, not a wince.