Putting Downhill

As a beginner, you should be taught to keep the ball below the hole as often as you can.  This means you should be leaving your ball in a position on the green which leaves you with an uphill putt.

The reason for this is because you can be confident in attacking the hole with your putt knowing the ball is not going to race away on the other side of the hole should you happen to miss it.  However, despite our best efforts it is not always possible to leave the ball below the hole and sometimes you will walk onto the green to find you have a downhill putt.

Many players panic at the sight of a downhill putt and it can easily leave you making a three-putt if you do not get it right first time.  Thankfully, we have some great tips today which will help you to make successful downhill putts.

Firstly, unless you are close to the hole, you need to forget about the potential of making this putt first time.  Instead, think about making this putt in two and focus on getting the speed of the first putt right, so you are left with something manageable for your second putt.

It may sound a little defeatist not to attempt to hole the putt first time but you will feel more confident playing for two putts rather than piling on the pressure of getting the putt in one and seeing the ball travel beyond the hole.

In terms of playing the shot, you must try and stay still throughout the stroke and while this is important for any putt, it is especially so for the downhill putt.

When putting downhill, many people are tempted to look up early because they are anxious to see where the ball is going.  Moving your head before you have made the putt can cause you to miss your intended line and send the ball off target.  When practicing your putting, try keeping your head still until you hear the ball drop in the hole.

Look and assess any potential break on the ball when putting downhill.  As the ball will be travelling more slowly on a downhill putt, the break will have a more significant impact on the ball.  If you are playing what looks like a downhill putt with a large break, make sure you give the ball plenty of room to work back towards the hole.

Do not always assume every downhill putt is going to be fast.  Think about the greens you have been playing on during your round, perhaps they have been playing slow that day.  In which case, you may need to hit your putt a little harder than normal to get the ball close to the hole.

The best thing you can do, is try a downhill putt on the practice green before you begin your round and this will give you some idea to the speed of the greens that day.