Thursday, August 08, 2002
Golf tip with Don Pooley
Be cool, calm on long putts
Don Pooley won the U.S. Senior Open in Baltimore last month. He made his Senior Tour debut at the Kroger Senior Classic last year and will play in it again this year.
Long putts are difficult for both professionals and amateurs. There are three things you have to remember to be a good long putter.
First, concentrate on the distance. The first thing I do every time is step off to the hole to see how far it is. Then I stand out to the side of the putt and try to concentrate. Is it uphill or is it downhill? I'm working more on my distance rather than the line.
That brings up the second thing. Keep your mind uncluttered. What happens many times is that our minds get filled up with so many things about the putt that we forget what is important.
It's like driving a car. If you start looking at things along the side of the road, you forget what's important 1/2ndash 3/4 the car that's right in front of you. A mistake in your line can be 6 or 8 feet. But with distance, it can be 25 feet.
The third important thing 1/2ndash 3/4 just stay relaxed. This will allow you to concentrate on your distance. Take several practice swings to get the feeling, and go ahead and stroke at it. Good luck.
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Golf tip with Don Pooley
