W
hen you give your brain a clear picture of
what it is you are trying to achieve, it can
get to work on creating the appropriate
movements to deliver success. This is why
visualising is such a potent weapon on the
greens. Here are two ways you can improve your own
ability to picture the perfect putt.
V
VISUALISE
BY GARY NICOL AND KARL MORRIS
PACE CREATES LINE
When they picture a putt in their mind’s
eye, most club players prioritise line. In
truth the reason they don’t hole more
putts is because they are not getting
the pace right. PACE IS KEY AND PACE
IS KING. PACE GIVES YOU OPTIONS.
Pace determines line. In fact, we’d go
so far as to say that without pace, the
line does not or cannot exist.
The case for prioritising line over
length is ultimately a simple one. In
order for the ball to go in the hole, it
has to have a relationship with
momentum and gravity. If the ball is
travelling with too much momentum,
then gravity cannot take its effect. Too
little momentum and the ball won’t
reach the hole.
We are not advocating that line isn’t
important – of course it is. We are,
however, saying that the correct line
on any given putt is directly infl uenced
by the correct pace. So when you
visualise a putt, work on picturing its
speed fi rst and its line second, as a
consequence of its speed.VISUALISE A CHANNEL
Instead of picturing
one, thin line to the
hole, picture a 4.25 inch
channel. Suddenly your
line has gone from being
as thin as a razor’s edge
to as wide as the hole
itself. What would be
easier, putting along
the tightrope, or putting
down a 4.25-inch-wide
channel? You might fi nd
it helpful to think of your
line as a gutter.
Further, focusing on
such a thin line puts yourattention almost entirely
on line, whereas giving
yourself the entire width
of the hole frees up your
mind and your muscles
and allows you to focus
on pace.
Some 99 percent of
our students had never
visualised the line being
as wide as the hole. But
once they started to
see that wider, thicker
line, they were amazed
at how easy it is to hole
putts; you will be too.golf australia | AUGUST 2019 67