Steve Lyons illustrating putting

If your putting stroke from 6' and in tends to be tentative and your misses are usually short or break below the hole, try putting a lid over the cup. Here's how you do it.

First, you will need to establish a path for your ball to travel based on three points: Where the ball lies, the hole, and a spot about 18" past the hole. Using these three points, and allowing for any break, visually create a path for your putt to travel that extends past the hole. The cup now becomes just a point on that path and not the final destination.

As part of your pre-putt routine, actually visualize the cup with a lid on it and as you make your stroke your goal is to roll the ball over the lid. The key to making this technique work is to really develop a sense of the hole being just a point over which the ball must travel on its route down the visualized path rather than the balls final destination.

With a little practice, this mental approach will create a more confident stroke and start sending your putts assetively into the back of the cup.

Steve Lynes is the Head PGA Professional West Woods Golf Club. He has been a P.G.A Member since 1993. Head Professional at West Woods since 1995 and in 1993 has been awarded the NGF Outstanding Junior Golf Program Award. You can reach them at 303-424-3334 for further information.