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Question:

“The one aspect that throws me off the most is missing ‘makeable’ putts. It immediately translates into poor tee-shots on the next hole. To be more precise, it is misreading the break or poor thinking in regard to speed and line that upsets me. I am sure you have some appropriate advice.”

Answer:
My response to this golfer’s question can give you a different perspective and help you to improve your golf as well.

As for your “misreading the break or poor thinking in regard to speed and line”, when you really get mechanically and mentally good, YOU will not be reading or thinking because you will do it all by feel. Train your mind to trust your GUT feelings and allow them to make your decisions for you. Then, you will no longer have a reason to be “upset” because when your gut is off, it won’t be off by much. The next step is to patiently allow your gut time to make the necessary adjustments to get closer until your putts fall in.

Missing gives your gut the feedback it needs to make the appropriate adjustments. So missing is good because it helps your gut learn how to make future putts. Getting upset destroys your gut’s ability to learn from the feedback. Would you prefer to drink a glass of water or gasoline? Is it better to be patient and learn from your misses or continue to get upset and keep missing?

This is what makes Tiger so good. He goes deep inside and reads his gut. He knows from experience that when his gut is on, he makes a lot of birdies. He also knows that he would screw things up by putting his two cents into the equation or getting upset, which would diminish his ability to feel his way around the greens.

So don’t take it personally when you miss a putt. Be honest about your capabilities and just do your best under your present circumstances until you become good enough for your putts to fall in on there own. Above all, don’t assume that you are good enough to make your putts until you really are good enough.

For those of you who want to expand your horizons, read “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. If you can’t find it at your local bookstore, you can get it through amazon.com. These four agreements will give you another way to read the green, if you catch my drift, and help you break away from the layers of past incorrect programming on your tape.

This same mindset will allow you to quickly adjust your putting to fast or slow greens. If you find the speed of the greens different from what you expected or are used to, don’t try to force your putts to go in or get upset. Just be patient and allow your gut to use the feedback to make the necessary adjustments until your putts start falling in.