Lucas Bjerregaard: Hole out with confidence

If you go to a tournament practice day, you will probably head straight to the range. You might then go on to the course and watch the guys playing a few of the nicest holes. What you may not do is go to the putting green – this is a mistake. We spend ages on there, and for good reason – it is where good scores are made. This is how you can knock some shots off your own scores.

CLEAR YOUR MIND

It is really important to stay focused on the putt and not start thinking about the next tee or where your score is. A couple of deep breaths should signal all your focus is on the short putt you’re going to knock in – the next drive can wait for your attention.

TWO TEE DRILL

It is really important to start the ball on line, and here’s how you can work on doing that. Set up two tees about two to three feet in front of your ball – you can choose the distance between them depending on your level of skill. Start wider if you want, but as you get better, move them closer. Be able to do that and you will hole a lot more putts from close range.

PICK YOUR SPOT

Speed is not that important on shorter putts, so the fact you can start it on line is crucial. On longer putts I pick out a lighter or darker piece of grass but on shorter putts I align the line on my ball to the line where I want it to start. Aiming correctly is so important. How much attention do you give it right now?

AND FINALLY… 

Find a putter you like the look of; that is the crucial aspect of putters. I use Nike’s Method matter, which has the very traditional look that I’ve always liked. I’ve tried others, but keep coming back to that one. How the putter looks to you is crucial.