Line, speed and read

Top 50 Coach James Jankowski explains how to improve the three keys that make a good putter

- James Jankowski

Every putt you face on the course can be broken down into three fundamentals - the line, the speed, and the read. To put it simply, you have to read the putt to accurately identify your desired line and speed, and you need to be able to start the ball on your intended line, with a ball speed that matches your intention. This feature will show you some ways to improve in all three areas to give you a better chance of holing more putts.

Start the ball on line

1 Make sure you're seeing straight

Changing your eye position (over the ball, inside or outside) and head position (head tilt and neck bend) can change your perception of what is straight. To test where you see straight, set up this drill (right). When does the tee/ coin look on line with the hole? For many, left eye over the ball, head tilted square, and eyes looking directly at the ball is a good position. I would start there. If the tee/coin matches up to the hole, that's your set-up position. If not, try changing eye position until it does. Changing head tilt and neck bend can also help. You want to see a straight line from ball to target.

2 Create a T-shape

Aim is crucial to consistently holing short putts. You can check your aim with alignment sticks. Place one stick aiming at the dead centre of the hole and position another perpendicular to that. Now take your set up and set your putter head right up against the stick square to target. If it feels open or closed, that will show you what a square putter face should look like. Are there any references on the putter that look square? The leading edge? The lines? Pay attention to them. If you want to hit putts, simply replace the stick with some tees to reference square and fire away.

3 Square face and centre strike