Putting: Where to direct your attention

Mental and visual focus in your putting pre-shot routine is really “where you direct your attention in order to make the putt.”

The image below lays out the four focus points you could use in aiming and setting up for a breaking putt. Some people may use one or more of these. I use all four.

So, visualize the putt going in or the entry point, the curve or break it’s going to take, establish an aim line that is tangent to the break and look at the aim point at the end of that line.

Then set the putter down on the aim line. Point it right at your aim point. Grip the putter. THEN take your stance. Take one last look at the hole and make the putt.

So it sounds fairly simple, but it is extremely important and the key to consistent putting.

Let’s go into a little more detail using some training aids and visualizations. I will include photos of this all at the end. Visual training aids help you focus on where to direct your attention.

Wellputt mat: Establish the 10 foot putt

How would I set this up at home? I have the Wellputt putting mat right around the corner from my easy chair. That by itself has quite a few helpful aim lines, helpful suggested backstroke and forward stroke lines and a Good Zone that extends approximate 18-20 inches past the hole on one end. So now we have a place for the ball and a hole at the other end.

The ideal line / break and aim point

Then to take out human error in establishing the ideal line or break, I use The Perfect Putter. You need to set it where you are going to putt from. The device is a true roller and you just roll the ball down the ramp and it rolls to the hole.

You keep moving The Perfect Putter until you find a location where several balls roll in the hole. I have the laser version so you can aim the laser past the hole to establish an aim point.

I use another ball at home or a tee if I’m at the course for the visual aim point.

Establish the aim line

Now we need to create an aim line. To do that, I point the Wright Putting Dynamics Laser Optics V.3 at the front middle of the Perfect Putter. When you turn it on it creates the perfectly straight laser line all the way to your golf ball.

Then I remove the Perfect Putter.

This device turns on and off with a remote control so you can either use the line for reference and turn it off or leave it on all the time.

Home setup and photos

To set this up, I know my floor has a 1 degree right to left break. So to start, I need to aim 14-18 inches out on a 10 footer. (It turned out to be 14 inches ) I would start there.

It’s a good idea to use the Perfect Putter at different speeds to determine what speed is right for you.

So, 14 to 18 inches sounds like a lot of break. However, breaking putts give you multiple tracks above the hole based on your preferred speed.

Obviously, going to fast and straight at the hole could produce a low miss or you could go way past the hole.

Can you do this cheaper and easier. Yes. You can use an elevated string line. It would stretch from the ball going past the hole by about a foot. Then take putts under the line adjusting it as you go until you make one. Just keeping putting under the line.

All these types of devices show you where to direct your attention.

Note: I don’t like the elevated line line. I think it throws me off and I respond better to having a laser line on the ground.

I do use both, as line lasers can be hard to see in bright sunlight. The line laser works best inside, outside on a cloudy day or later in the day. The Perfect Putter point laser works fine even in bright sunlight.

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Follow the directions that come with the laser. Do not point a laser at yourself or anyone else. Point them at a non-reflective surface or at the ground.