Making putts is more about the setup than it is about the stroke.

It’s easy to distinguish good and bad putters judging by their setups. However, what most golfers fail to understand, is that every player has the ability to putt just as well as a pro golfer. You don’t have to be the fittest, the strongest, or the most flexible out of the bunch to become a putting machine, but you do need a good set up. Not too worry, Handara Resort is here to address a few golf hacks.

Our professional golf instructors at Handara Golf Resort agree that 90% of golf errors occur before you even begin to swing. We’ll run you through the several errors many golfers make and address the elements of a good setup for better putts, and give you helpful golf hacks revolving this topic.

4 most common setup mistakes

We’re all going to mistakes; it’s the only way to learn and move on. Luckily for us golfers, golf isn’t a sport that demands perfection. So, here are 4 most common mistakes you could be making during your setup:

• Putting weight on the heels- If you’ve setup the weight on your heels instead of putting weight on the balls of your feet, your swing will travel flat around your body. This also results in the lack of balance that your body will compensate by lifting your arms that will create an unwanted backswing. This can be corrected by simply shifting the weight from your heels to the balls of your feet to regain balance.
• A faulty grip- This common mistake is where you grip the golf club with the palm of your hand instead of your fingers. This restricts the movement of your hand and prevents it from gripping in its natural position. As a result, the clubface will open as the arm stretches out during the downswing and instead of hitting, slicing the ball. To avoid this, stop your body earlier during the downswing to ensure the clubface meets the ball as crisp as you want.
• Poor posture- If it’s one thing golfer’s have always struggled with during a game, it is posture. Another common mistake is bending the back during setup instead of leaning the body forwards from the hip. The body can only turn around to its maximum potential if the back is straight, and pushing your body away from your hips allows your body to rotate freely.
  

• Aiming to the right- 90% of players aim to the right of the target thinking they are aiming straight. They must then make up for this by opening the shoulders towards the target at setup and not rotating the body entirely in the backswing in order to hit the ball. Open shoulders and a short body turn makes the club head swing in from the outside and across the line of the ball that leads to a slice. The solution to this is to aim at the target with a squared shoulder.

7 steps to follow for a good setup

• Putting posture- The putting posture you adopt should put you in a comfortable and balanced position that will allow your arms to move freely without resistance during your stroke.
• Putting alignment- Keep your shoulders, hips, knees, and feet in a straight line and parallel to your aim line.
• Putting stance- The putting stance varies from person to person. But the conventional stance is shoulder-width, feet parallel to your aim line, and with your toes pointing straight ahead.
• Position the ball- There are two major components to your ball position that denote where your ball should be located relative to your toe-line and stance.

• Grip- The most common putting grip is the traditional reverse-overlap.
• Grip pressure- Grip pressure will affect how you putt and it makes sense to find the one that will best serve your putting stroke.
• Putting triangle- Just in case you forget, make an imaginary triangle that is formed by the line of your shoulders, arms, wrists, and hands. Maintaining the shape of this triangle is important to your putting stroke.

Handara golf and resort Bali provides golf lessons and golf hacks taught by some of the island’s best golf instructors that are more than willing to give you golf tips that can improve your golf habits. Learn and practice your favorite sport with us while absorbing the best of Bali. For more information about our golf lessons and golf course in Bali, do not hesitate to contact us.