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Correct These Putting Stance Errors To Help Your Players Succeed

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A solid tee shot, a well-placed approach shot, and/or a skilled chip can all put a golfer in a place to score well, but if he or she has trouble with putting, the player's score can quickly climb. Golf camp is a perfect opportunity for young golfers to work on their putting. As an instructor, you can teach specific drills, but it's also valuable to simply have your golfers set up on the practice green and take some shots. You can then walk among them to identify issues. Putting problems often begin with a poor stance, especially for younger and inexperienced players. Here are some putting stance errors that you'll want to correct.

Uneven Shoulders

When you stand in front of a player in his or her putting stance, you should look at his or her shoulders to assess if they're level. You should ideally be able to draw an imaginary line across the top of them that is parallel to the putting green. Some players have a habit of dropping one of their shoulders, and while this might initially feel natural, it can lead to inconsistencies with the player's putting stroke. While telling the player to hold the position, you can gently adjust his or her shoulders and see how the player feels in the proper stance.

Overly Strong Grip

Many golfers believe that their putter should work somewhat like a pendulum — that is, gently swing back and forth while making contact with the ball at the midpoint of the swing. This motion requires the player to hold the putter delicately; he or she still needs to maintain firm control of it, but many players err by gripping the putter too strongly. The result can be missing the delicate touch that is required to make a short putt. Look at your players' hands; generally, it will be easy to tell how strong each player's grip is. If it's too strong, encourage the player to relax a little.

Poor Foot Position

Although professional golfers can sometimes use unorthodox foot positions depending on their putting lie, a putting stance should generally have the feet in an even position. If you're standing to the side of the player, you should be able to draw a line from his or her toes toward the hole. If one foot is significantly ahead of the other, this can easily cause the putt to move off line. Correct this issue by having the golfer step forward or backward with either foot.

For more information, contact a company like College Golf Camps.


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