Article #47
Teacher: Lord Berry
To meet this week's teacher, or to purchase a copy of MUNIE ~ The Jitterbug Collection, go to www.bobbysteiner.com
Years ago, shortly after I picked up the game, somebody said to me, "If I could make every putt inside six feet, I'd be happy to miss every one outside six feet. I think I'd be a better player."
At first, I didn't think it could be true. Surely, nobody is so bad at short putts that they'd benefit from such an agreement. Then, I studied it.
I kept track of every putt I made, each one I missed, and the respective lengths of all. I studied, too, the miss/make ratio of my playing companions, and found the results telling.
With only the odd round as the exception, the majority of golfers would benefit from the aforementioned deal with the devil.
So, I thought, isn't it foolish to spend so much time worrying with long putts when missing the short ones is more expensive?
Starting then, I restructured my practice routine, and for years now have spent ninety percent of my time practicing putts inside six feet-usually, four feet and in.
I'm not prepared to say I've practiced so much that I never miss a short putt. The inconsistencies in the greens make that goal unattainable. I will make clear, however, that I go entire weeks without missing a putt inside six feet. Additionally, due in part to the fact that I practice making putts (as opposed to missing putts, which is what people who spend all their time on long putts practice), I enjoy a well above average performance in the area of eight, ten and twenty feet. So, I've found the deal to be even better than first proposed, that is, I still get to make some of the long ones too.
There's one other part to all of this worth mentioning. Having practiced so much, I've come to understand that I will miss once in a while, and am at peace with it. When I miss, I don't feel the need to overhaul my technique or change the way I stand. Rather, I see a miss as one errant attempt I'm glad to have out of the way. I'd liken it to the basketball player, who though he misses the first free throw of the night, pulls himself together to make the next ten in a row.
Enough about my study habits. You might examine your own.