Golf putting tips: see one straight line

published 27 July 2014

Golf putting tips: see one straight line - Golf Monthly Top 25 Coach Paul Foston gives his tips to mastering long, breaking putts

Golf putting tips: see one straight line

It's a trend among modern-day golf course designers to create large, heavily undulasting putting surfaces. And to putt well on vast greens, you need a solid putting technique. Facing a long birdie putt with six feet of break is not uncommon, but the situation will catch you out if you aren't thinking clearly.

The big mistake many people make is to get drawn into aiming too close to the hole. All you can ever do is hit a straight putt. You aim at the apex of the curve and from there gravity takes over. However, as the ultimate destination is the hole, it can be all to tempting to let your focus drift.

Read more top putting tips

To highlight this, I've placed four tee pegs in the ground just inside where I expect the ball to bend. In this instance, I'm looking to narrowly miss the last tee - what happens after that will depend on how accurate my initial read was.

This drill will help you focus on what you can control, a single small point on the putting green that lies on a stright line away from you.

My advice is to think of this as not one long, breaking putt but a shorter, straight putt. Lock in your focus on that point and try to make as solid a stroke as possible.

Of course, to get the read and then putt right you'll need a good feel for speed control. But if you can develop that and see see breaking putts as straight ones, there is no doubt you will hole out more often on the greens and avoid dreaded three putts.

Tour tip: On the practice green, lay down two alignment sticks aiming parallel to the apex of the curve. This well help you commit to the straight-line putting theory by setting all the correct angles at address.

In his current role, Neil is responsible for testing drivers and golf balls. Having been a part of the Golf Monthly team for over 15 years and playing off a handicap of 3, he has the experience to compare performance between models, brands and generations. For 2022 he thinks the main trend in drivers is: "In a word, consistency. Whilst all the brands are talking about ball speed (and the new drivers are certainly long), my biggest finding has been how much more consistent the ball flights are. Mishits don't seem to be causing the same level of drop-off or increase in the spin numbers. This means that more shots seem to be flying the way you want them to!" As far as golf balls are concerned the biggest development is in the, "three piece, non-Tour, urethane-covered section. For regular golfers, these models offer superb performance at both ends of the bag without denting your wallet quite as much as the premium Tour-played options."

Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he is now the brand's Digital Editor and covers everything from Tour player interviews to gear reviews. In his time at Golf Monthly, he has covered equipment launches that date back well over a decade. He clearly remembers the launch of the Callaway and Nike square drivers as well as the white TaylorMade driver families, such as the RocketBallz! If you take a look at the Golf Monthly YouTube channel, you'll see his equipment videos dating back over a decade! He has also conducted 'What's In The Bag' interviews with many of the game's best players like Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm. Over the years, Neil has tested a vast array of products in each category and at drastically different price-points.

Neil is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus Fairway Wood: Titleist TSR2 Hybrid: Titleist TS3 Irons (4-9): Mizuno JPX 919 Forged Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 46˚, 50˚, 54˚, 60˚ Putter: Odyssey Triple Track Ten Ball: Titleist Pro V1X