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  • Why You Should Putt Aggressively

    • Why You Should Putt Aggressively

    Amateur golfers should putt more boldly than pros. In fact, I think you should never lag a putt - you should try to sink every putt you face. For several reasons.

    There are only four ways to miss a putt - long, short, left, or right (see illustration A). If you always get the ball to the hole, you eliminate one way. Besides, research has proved that the putt that has the best chance of going in, is one that is struck with sufficient force to carry it 40 centimetres beyond the cup.

    Along with this goes the psychological side. Think about the last time you missed several putts in a row by hitting them dead in the jaws of the hole but leaving them just short (see illustration B). Pretty frustrating wasn't it? Such chronic shortness can get to you, whereas hitting the ball consistently past the cup is rarely as unsettling.

    Remember that if you hit the ball a bit too hard, you can watch the way it rolls as it passes the hole, getting an immediate read on the return putt, but if you leave it short, you have no such knowledge for the last metre of the putt. Also, on short putts, a bold, firm hit is usually best, as it tends to take the guesswork out of the break in the putt (see illustration C).

    Furthermore, a bold stroke is a confident stroke, one with built-in acceleration through impact, a stroke that works on any type of green surface, fast or slow, bent or Bermuda. Aggressiveness on the green is also an asset in match play. Out on the Pro Tour, if we sink a long putt it merely means saving one stroke out of 72 holes. In your weekend Nassau, however, a long putt will invariably win you one of the 18 holes, while having a jarring effect on your opponent (see illustration D).

    Finally, and perhaps most important, amateur players can recover from a short drive with a good approach, or from a short approach with a good pitch. But there is no recovery on the putting green. A putt left short is a stroke lost. So don't cheat yourself in the area where you have every capability to be proficient and every reason to be aggressive. Putt boldly.

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    Part I: Before You Swing

    • Clap Hands For The Grip
    • The Short Thumb
    • Look High, Look Low
    • Aim The Clubface First
    • Your Feet Can Fool You
    • Don't Toe The Line
    • Posture Is Natural
    • The Root Of Many Evils
    • One Spot For Every Shot
    • Suit Yourself
    • Get The Picture
    • Consider A Bit Of Flare
    • Open Up On Short Irons
    • The Right Height
    • Why Jack And I Hover The Club
    • A Game Of Inches
    • Get A Countdown
    • Step All The Way Back

    Part II: The Long Game

    • Pulling The Trigger
    • The Left-elbow Lead
    • The Extension Bench
    • R.P.B. For Long Drives
    • My Swing Doesn't Change
    • Three Wrongs And A Right
    • Read Your Wrists
    • It's A Horse Race
    • Hit The Second Ball
    • Tempo And Rhythm
    • How To Hit It Off The Deck
    • On Long Irons
    • For Battles In Britain
    • The High Shot
    • How To Make It Suck Back
    • The Spinless Shot
    • Shotmaking Made Easy

    Part III: The Short Game

    • Throw Yourself Into the Short Game
    • They're Just Shorter Swings
    • Fit The Swing To The Shot
    • Hit Your Short Shots Hard
    • One of the Few Laws
    • Master The Method, Vary The Clubs
    • Chipmaking
    • Blast from Bermuda, Putt the Rest
    • Deaden Impact with a Putter Grip
    • How To Miss It Close
    • The Knockdown Punch
    • The Seven-Fingered Shot
    • The Sand Wedge Putt
    • Putters Aren't Just For Putting
    • Why You Should Putt Aggressively
    • I'm An Apex Putter
    • Trust Your Technique
    • Keep Your Eye on the Back
    • Hold the Hold in Putting
    • Know The Breaks
    • The Ultimate Nerve Test
    • Part IV: Bunkers And Trouble Play

      • Four 'Musts' In Bunkers
      • It's Just a Splash
      • Play Detective
      • Double the Distance in Sand
      • The Long Distance Runner
      • How To Make It Sit
      • Take a Stab at Short Shots
      • Seve's Softee
      • Slice An 8-Iron
      • How to Play the Hardest Shot
      • The Best Two Hours You Can Spend
      • Slash Your Way Out of Jail
      • Grass Knowledge
      • Debunking Flyers
      • How's It Growing?
      • The Lazy Lob
      • Living With Divots
      • Go Ahead, Have A Blast
      • Lean Against The Slope
      • Tips For Playing In Rain
      • Into A Hard Wind, Take A Light Grip
      • Don't Fight Crosswinds

      Part V: Managing Yourself And Your Game

      • Know Thyself
      • Pace Yourself
      • Get The Stiffest Shaft You Can Handle
      • Be Bold with Your Strengths
      • Pep Talks
      • Go To The Movies
      • Why I See the Apex
      • Suit Your Shot To A Tee
      • The Secret Weapon
      • Look For 'Bad' Lies
      • Play The Hole Backward
      • On A Tight Tee Shot, Get Loose
      • Walk Smartly
      • 3-Way Yardage
      • Yardage Is Only the Beginning
      • Between Clubs, Go with Your Tendency
      • Gauging the Greens
      • Don't Be A Sucker
      • Read Greens From Afar
      • My Practice Practices
      • Have A Post-Round Agenda
      • Shake It Off
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