The Ominous 3 Foot Putt

photo credit: Kevitivity   When faced with a 3-foot putt do you look for imaginary slopes, hit it softly and try to “baby” your putt into the cup?  If you do, you are not alone.  The short putt can intimidate even the best putters.  Doug Sanders, lost the British Open by one shot by missing a 2 footer.  Ben Hogan missed a 3 foot putt to lose the 1946 U.S. National Open.

Unfortunately, there are no magic formulas, every golfer should develop a method to deactivate the nervousness that accompanies short putts.  Practice this exercise:  Place 4 balls, two feet from the cup, on each side of the hole.  If you miss one start all over until you make all 4 putts.  Do the same at 3, 4 and 5 feet.