Missing putts to the left

In this edition of Tips Form the Pros, I will explain the reason that most players hit their putts to the left.

First of all, alignment is the most important thing.  Always line up the putter face at your target first and then set your feet parralel to your target line.
If you are hitting putts to the left, it might be because your the putter face is lined up closed.

If you feel that you are lined up properly and still hitting putts to the left, then you are closing your putter face at impact.

The first thing you can try is to move the ball back in your stance to help you get the ball started on line.

If that doesn't work for you then try this drill, I saw this drill on the Golf Fix the other night and I really liked it.

  Place a ball about 5 inches in front and to the inside of the ball your putting.  The illustration below should illustrate that well.

On the follow through of your putt, make sure that the putter is coming up through the stroke  so that you miss the ball that is in the front. In the illustration on the left, you can see that the putter swung over the ball keeping the face more square to the target.  In the illustration to the right, the putter stayed to low after impact causing the putter to close and hit the ball that was in the front.


 
Try this drill next time you practice and I guarantee you will start more putts on line and the ball will roll better towards the target.

Good luck and have fun! 

Chad Powell
Assistant Golf Professional
chadpowell@pga.com