Statistically, putts account for about 40% of the strokes taken in a round of golf. Mark Broadie has proven that the impact is less than 40%, and does not differentiate the performance between two players. All of that being said, we can agree that putting is a big piece of the puzzle when it comes to shooting lower scores. If we could quantify what percentage of putting performance is attributed to putting setup, what would we come up with? I argue that putting setup accounts for as much as a third of putting success, which means it should get the appropriate amount of practice time.
The EyeLine mirror is a great way to go through all of the details of setup and ensure that you are setup to putt consistently. The EyeLine mirror allows you to ensure the sweet spot of the putter is lined up at the center of the ball and the putter face is square to the target. You can check to see that your eyes are over the ball, and that both eyes are above the target line so that you can see the putt properly. With the use of the large EyeLine mirror and an alignment stick on the ground, you will be able to see if your feet, knees, hips and shoulders are aligned square.
Only when you have all of these details just right, can you be consistent especially inside 10 feet. Becoming a good short putter is just a matter of hard work. It may not sound like fun but if you put the effort into a consistent, fundamentally sound setup it will pay off with lower scores.
