‘PUTTING IS PART TECHNIQUE, PART ART’

Six tips from David Howell, one of the game’s finest putters

1 Let your inner artist out to play

Putting is part technique and part artistry. To be really good at putting you have to be able to see the line, and there’s an art to that. But, added to that, you need good technique if you want to consistently start the ball on the line you’ve chosen, then roll it at the pace you need to make the putt. I didn’t have a great putting technique when I first came out on Tour. And I’ve never been that confident in my putting, if that doesn’t sound like too much of a contradiction. Yet I’ve nearly always been well up in the stats. I put that down to my ability to ‘feel’ putts. Which is where the artistry part comes in.

2 You’re born with the talent to putt well – but you can learn it too

It’s a talent you’re born with to a large extent, but you can work on it. Some people can throw pieces of paper into the bin and some can’t. So, yes, you either have that touch or you don’t. But you need a certain mentality to go with it too. You have to almost not care if you miss. You have to be confident you can hole the next putt if you do miss. There’s a lot going on.

3 Work hard and the luckier you’ll become

Putting is something I’ve worked hard on. I aim very well, for example. I aim where I want to aim on a regular basis. And I start the ball on that line very regularly. That’s an absolute prerequisite to good putting. And it comes from hours and hours of practice – clever practice that is.

4 Putt with your shoulders and keep it simple

I’ve got a very ‘straight back, straight through’ method of putting. I don’t like to see much face rotation during the stroke. I putt with my shoulders, which is the modern way, trying to take my hands out of action as much as possible. My thought is to maintain the ‘V’ formed by my arms at address, all the way from address to the end of the stroke. That all comes from my shoulders, keeping my head as still as can be. My mental picture is a metronome swinging back and through on a steady rhythm. I like my stroke to be one-paced, the same length both sides of the ball. I’ve never believed in consciously accelerating through impact.

5 It’s hip to be square

My shoulders are square, my forearms are square and I aim the putter square. My feet tend to be a little bit closed (aligned to the right). That’s not by design, but where your feet are ‘aiming’ is the least important part of putting.

6 It all comes back to touch and feel

I’ve used all sorts of things to help with my aim; mirrors to lasers and any sort of gizmo that helps me aim the face where I want the ball to go. Of course, that’s all a lot easier when the putt is straight. When there is a break, touch and feel come into play. Reading a putt is clearly hugely important. I like to think I do that well. And I do it with a natural instinct. Tiger Woods – like most players – uses the line on the ball to help with his alignment. I like that idea, too. But the danger is trying to be too precise. On every putt there are multiple lines depending on how hard you hit the ball. Which brings us back to touch and feel. Many of my putts don’t actually go in on the pace I first envisioned. But if you get close to what you feel, the ball will always have a chance to fall in the hole.