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The LAST Putting Lesson You Will Ever Need: 3 Simple Steps

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The LAST Putting Lesson You Will Ever Need: 3 Simple Steps

The fastest way for any beginner to lower their golf score is to make more putts. Period.

You can hit the ball in the woods off the tee, chunk your irons, and hack your way to the green—but if you can sink your putts, you can still save your score. Unfortunately, most beginners treat putting like an afterthought. They step up, whack the ball, and hope for the best.

A great putting stroke is actually a very simple, repeatable “mini arc”. If you build the right setup, the club will return to square every single time. Here are the 3 simple steps to completely transform your putting.

Step 1: Level Your Shoulders

The biggest mistake beginners make is treating a putt like a full golf swing. In a normal golf swing with a driver, your front shoulder points up into the air.

WARNING

Do Not Tilt Your Shoulders: If you tilt your shoulders up during a putt, your putter will travel aggressively upward as it hits the ball. You will end up “thinning” the putt (hitting the top half of the ball), which destroys your distance control.

Instead, keep your head straight down your spine (just slightly behind the ball) and level your shoulders out. Striking the ball with flat, level shoulders ensures a smooth, rolling impact.

Step 2: The “Primary Gaze” (Look Straight Down)

Again, putting posture is not full-swing posture. In a full swing, you are often looking down at an angle.

For putting, you want a “Primary Gaze”. You need to be leaning over the ball so that your eyes are looking straight down over the top of the golf ball.

This does two amazing things:

  1. It naturally rounds the top of your shoulders, allowing your arms to hang straight down like a pendulum. This naturally creates that perfect, repeatable swinging arc.
  2. It dramatically improves your green reading! When your eyes are directly over the ball, you get a much truer perspective of the slope and line to the hole.

TIP

The Forearm Checkpoint: Look at the shaft of your putter. The club shaft should form a straight line directly up into your forearms.

Step 3: The 1-2-3-4 Rhythm

Once you have leveled your shoulders and positioned your eyes over the ball, the hard work is done. Now, you just need to let the putter swing.

Many beginners freeze over the ball, get anxious, and try to force the stroke. To cure this, use the simple “1-2-3-4” counting routine to build an effortless rhythm:

  1. ONE: Look up at the hole.
  2. TWO: Look back down at the golf ball.
  3. THREE: Swing the putter back.
  4. FOUR: Swing the putter through (let it naturally collide with the ball).

Do not try to “hit” the ball or steer it. Just maintain your setup and let the 1-2-3-4 rhythm do the work. If you implement these three steps, your distance control will skyrocket, and your 3-putts will disappear!