[Kim Haneul's FunFun Golf]⑨ 'Practice Stroke from the Middle'

Putting Distance Sense Know-how: Walking Around the Hole to Check Line and Distance
Practice Strokes While Watching the Hole, 'Hole In' Imagery Training
Blade Putters Preferred Over Mallets, Grip Thickness Standard

In golf, every shot counts as one stroke. Whether it's a 300-yard drive or a putt less than 1 meter, they are counted the same. Putting accounts for a large portion of the total strokes, nearly half of the standard par 72. Three-putting on the green is a moment when your mental game can collapse.

The most important aspect of putting is distance control. If you can get the ball close to the hole, you can achieve a good score. Amateur golfers often hit the ball without even walking to the hole. They believe the stroke has brought the ball close, but when they walk over, it is usually much shorter than expected.

It is necessary to walk to the hole to develop a sense of distance. Moving back and forth while walking also greatly helps with putting. When putting from distances over 10 feet, there is one thing you must remember: you should try a stroke from about the middle distance.

Some golfers make practice strokes while looking at the ball, but it is better to look at the hole when making a stroke to develop a sense of distance. To feel the distance, you need to stroke while focusing on the target. Once this becomes part of your routine, confidence in putting will grow. When practicing putting, image training that visualizes the ball rolling along the line into the hole is also necessary.

You should also be careful when choosing a putter. Blade putters with a straight design have a narrow sweet spot and are sensitive, but they are advantageous for developing distance control. If your distance control is usually poor, you should choose a blade putter over a mallet. Thick grips make it difficult to control distance, so a grip of normal thickness is preferable.

Sportainer and former 14-time winner on the Korea-Japan Tour

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.