Instruction
7 techniques to improve your putting alignment
Aiming a golf club to your target, in this case the putter, is like shooting a gun while looking at the barrel from the side. It would be so much easier if we could putt side-saddle like Sam Snead did. The rules of golf prohibit such action, however, so we’re left to find effective ways to align ourselves on the greens that abide by the USGA rules.
In my studio at Vidanta in Puerto Vallarta, I utilize the SAM PuttLab, which measures more than 20 different putting factors. With it, I’ve seen first-hand just how difficult it is to align the putter. And it’s not just average golfers. My studies have shown that even PGA Tour players struggle to aim the putter exactly where they intend.
So what chance does the average golfer have? With the 7 techniques I write about below, a much better chance than he or she does now.
Before we get to the techniques, I want to offer a SAM PuttLab screenshot from one of the better putters on the PGA Tour. Note that this player consistently aims the putter 2.5 degrees to the right of his intended target. His setup necessitates a change in face alignment on the way back and through impact in order to begin the ball in the correct direction.
Touring professionals have spent years honing and ingraining repeatable strokes, and it may not be best for them to change the way they’ve been putting. They’ve earned their stripes, so as long as they return the putter to a position at impact that starts the ball on their intended line, where they initially aim can be of little consequence.
Amateurs, on the other hand, should work to limit the amount of manipulations in their strokes. This will give them the best chance possible to start the ball on their intended line.
Ready to give it a shot? Here are my 7 best techniques to improve your putting alignment.
Put a line on your ball
It’s easy to understand why drawing a line on your ball and aiming it from behind can help your putting alignment. As we mentioned before, it’s easier to aim from behind the barrel than beside it. If you watch golf closely on television, you’ll notice a majority of top PGA Tour players use a line on their golf ball for this purpose.
Use a putter with a line
The more lines you have perpendicular to the bottom of the putter face, the easier it will be to line up correctly. Some people prefer one line, while others prefer multiple lines. Whatever you’re preference, there’s no question that the majority of golfers will aim their putter better if it has a line on it.
Use other clubs to form railroad tracks
As with your long game, placing a few clubs on the ground will help you to “see” what square, open, and closed looks like in relation to your target will help your alignment. Again, you don’t have to be perfectly aligned, but if you think you are lined up one way (say, opened), but are actually lined up another (say, closed), I can guarantee you’ll run into trouble.
Audit your right-hand grip
For whatever reason, I commonly see people’s right hand too much “on top” of the grip as shown in this photo. Remember, whenever your right hand is in opposition with your left hand, poor alignment will generally follow.
Make sure your shoulders are square
Use a club under your armpits, like I’m demonstrating above, to see where your shoulders are in relation to your feet and target line. Open or closed shoulders are an issue that are usually affected by your grip.
Be wary: Golfers with left-hand low grips tend to have closed shoulders at address, while golfers who use the traditional, right-hand low putter grip tend to have opened shoulders.
Monitor your right forearm
If the right forearm rides too high then you’ll tend to be too open to your target during your setup. Make sure your right forearm is in line with the club shaft and the left forearm at address. This will increase your odds of aiming where you want to aim more consistently.
Set up while looking at the hole and trust
When all else fails, just look at the hole, set your putter down, and fire. You’ll be aligned better than you think.
There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!
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brian watts
Feb 2, 2017 at 2:42 pm
Like the article. what putter is in featured in this ?????
Bob Pegram
Jul 15, 2016 at 5:46 pm
The touring pro who aims his putter 2.5 degrees to the right at address has an interesting statistic shown on the SAM Putt Lab screenshot. His consistency is 92 percent. In other words, although his alignment is way off, he does it the same way almost every time and so must have a compensating move that he does just about every time.
That same peculiarity explains the variety of full swings on tour. Everybody’s anatomy is different and so our tendencies vary. A lot of practice will tell us where to compensate (but starting with what Tom shows is a good foundation to build on).
The touring pro may have an eye alignment issue that he has learned to allow for.
Killer
Nov 25, 2015 at 2:06 pm
Putt with a string over your putting line. Great at home or even at the course when no one is around the practice green. Allows you to learn what straight looks and feels like. When you are ready to putt, think target, target, target, don’t sweat the small stuff, everything else!
Scott
Nov 24, 2015 at 9:49 am
thanks Tom, something to work on this winter
Steve
Nov 22, 2015 at 8:49 am
Nice edit taking negative reviews away
Andy W
Nov 21, 2015 at 2:47 pm
Great article on getting the ball rolling on the intended line at hopefully the proper speed. But what if your “intended line” isn’t the correct line to hole the putt? The idea is to actually make putts, right? Or at least have a chance. Best of both worlds happens with the P&SI-EGOS..
Christestrogen
Nov 21, 2015 at 10:02 am
Another A+++ article…..
You are on a roll…..pun intended
-Christosterone
Wallace
Nov 20, 2015 at 5:06 pm
Tom, this is a great article with good information. Very few people can properly line up a putter. And it doesn’t have to slow down play. Just be ready and put the ball down the way you want it. I wish some of these people knew how hard a Trackman University course is. Keep up the good work and thanks for feeding this site with great content.
Don
Nov 20, 2015 at 4:38 pm
There’s nothing more frustrating than waiting around while a golfer aligns, then re-aligns, the line on their ball before putting. This “tip” promotes more slow play than it improves a golfer’s putting.
TAKE THE DAM LINE OFF THE BALL. And, keep up the pace of play.
Bert
Nov 21, 2015 at 6:42 pm
+2 play weekly with a golfer who repeatedly does this; please attend the flag-stick while line up the line on my ball for my 10 foot putt. Then you remove the flag-stick and after they miss the putt, they go through the same routine again aligning up the stupid line on the ball. I doubt they ever read the contour of the green, grain, or just how the ball will roll. The USGA and R&A should have addressed for the 2016 Revision. It’s slow play and torture to those in the same group.
Stretch
Nov 20, 2015 at 4:00 pm
A lot of shanks for a direction for the average player to help improve.
Having been a land surveyor I cannot line a line on the ball perfect enough to satisfy a need for extreme accuracy.
Lining up body angles does help the arms swing the shaft in plane with the aim line. How ever the most important body part to get lined up is the eye line. The best example is Jack Nicklaus who had every body line way open and the body mass behind the ball. This let him shove the putter down the line as well as bottom out at Impact which put the magic roll on the ball.
Rich
Nov 20, 2015 at 3:35 pm
When I see a player with a big line on the side of their ball playing in my group, I know I’m in for a slow day on the course. Our club champion does this and he is the slowest player on the greens I have ever seen. EVERY putt gets lined up with the stupid line! It’s painful!
Bob Jones
Nov 25, 2015 at 3:36 pm
I played with a guy who was bent down like forever tweaking the line on his ball, and it was a 60-foot putt! The ball ran two feet left of the hole and ended up ten feet past. Oh, well…
Jang Han
Nov 20, 2015 at 1:08 pm
Good tips from the melon head guy!
alanp
Nov 20, 2015 at 12:42 pm
thanks for the article. there is alot of merit to your last point. next time do an article on how not to be a negative person and suck at life. seems like thats all these people know how to do
Scott
Nov 24, 2015 at 9:53 am
+1
Chris
Nov 20, 2015 at 10:38 am
Good info here! And that is a really nice looking putter!
Jimmeh
Nov 20, 2015 at 2:37 am
Something else that might work is making sure your dominant eye is on top of the golf ball. That way when you look at your intended target (hole, line etc) there is no visual distortion from your (right eye in my case) being a couple of inches away
McPickens
Jan 4, 2017 at 7:09 pm
YES!
snowman
Nov 19, 2015 at 11:40 pm
What I’ve had some success with is looking TOWARD the hole (rather than zeroing in on the hole itself) but at the same time trusting my feet to set into proper position and then aligning my shoulders to my ‘foot line’ and starting the ball on a path that is parallel to my shoulder/foot alignment (make sense?). Eyes/brain/feet all work together to magically give you a good start line.
WP
Nov 19, 2015 at 7:38 pm
I personally find that having a line on the ball and my putter is A LOT worse than looking at no line/logo and a putter with a simple dot on top. I’ve tried the line technique and besides the fact that it never looks the same from a stance as it does when you aligned it, all the focusing on “lines” removes all feel from the process. Different strokes for different folks I suppose…
mike
Nov 19, 2015 at 8:52 pm
WP,
I agree with you 100% I’ve used many putter with different sight line and none worked. This year i went to a putter with just a Dot. My putting has improved 90% went from a 13 hcp to solid 8 hcp. I don’t put any markings/lines on my ball it’s worked for me so far.
Kevin
Nov 22, 2015 at 5:16 pm
Use the line and trust it. Easier to aim the ball from looking behind and it’s a different perspective when you look down at it. Aim it and then trust that line!
Sek
Nov 19, 2015 at 4:51 pm
What his putter model/Brand?
Thank
Aaron
Nov 19, 2015 at 6:38 pm
Looks like a blacked out TM Spider mallet. Maybe their new spider mallet.
Sek
Nov 19, 2015 at 7:18 pm
Aaron…Thanks
Dylan
Nov 20, 2015 at 9:32 am
it’s a ghost tour monte carlo. all blacked out
golfpro92
Dec 10, 2015 at 9:09 am
It’s a spider mallet 2.0. Wish I knew where he got that finish done!
Tom
Nov 19, 2015 at 1:44 pm
Seems like it’s worth tryin.
Steve
Nov 19, 2015 at 1:29 pm
Yes put a line on the ball, align it with the line on the putter, square shoulders, shaft inline with back forearm. Wow how do you think of this? This is going to change putting forever, all this new information.
dwc
Nov 19, 2015 at 1:45 pm
Come on man, don’t be that guy
prime21
Nov 19, 2015 at 2:17 pm
Too late, he WILL ALWAYS be THAT guy. Maybe someday Steve will bless us with an article that provides the secrets of golf, until then, he will simply remain the troll he is, waiting for an opportunity to unleash his attacks from his Mac, safely hidden from reality in his childhood bedroom where he still resides. Nice article Tom, EVERYONE could learn something from it.
Justin
Nov 19, 2015 at 1:47 pm
You missed the whole point. Did you read the title? It’s techniques for monitoring and figuring out if you are properly aligned. Most people don’t know what causes their shoulders to be open or closed or the causes of other faults.