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Here is some footage of how the pros practice breaking putts from video I took at Augusta. To set up your aim line, follow these steps.
1. Set up a putt no more than 12-15 feet in length.
2. Stick one end of your aim line in the ground just behind your ball (in the same spot as if you were marking your ball).
3. Stretch the other end of the aim line even with the cup on the line you believe is correct.
4. Stretch the original end of the aim line back behind the ball giving enough room to make a stroke.
5. Roll a putt, then based on the result, adjust the aim line for more or less break.
* Most people under read the break, so it is recommended that you put a "blocker" such as another ball or club just on the high side of the aim line. This will stop you from pulling or pushing the ball to a higher line.
* Aim lines can be found at www.pelzgolf.com
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Short Putt Success
by Jeff Ritter
As seen in the Arizona Republic
Drop Anchor
Short putts are all about accuracy. That means keeping your body quiet and steady as you stroke. To remedy excess body movement, "anchor" your weight on your front foot, feeling nearly your entire weight pressing into the turf.
Take Dead Aim
The right attitude makes all the difference. Watch Tiger putt the short ones and you'll see a player who treats a short putt like an NBA player treats a slam dunk. Take "Dead Aim" and knock it right into the back of the cup.
Hit and Hold
Club face control is your number one asset to getting your ball rolling on your intended line. Get in the habit of "holding your finish" so that the putter face square to your target line.
Yip Yip Hooray
Next time your putter misbehaves, try strapping it up. . .
By Jeff Ritter
One of my greatest teaching experiences was working for world-renowned short game and putting instructor Dave Pelz. My most enduring memory with Dave would have to be my first day of work. I rolled up to the Pelz facility only to see the likes of Tom Kite, Lee Janzen, Curtis Strange and Billy Andrade practising. Then I heard the scream of a sports car engine ripping down the entrance to the short game school. It was Peter Jacobsen in a shiny new Ferrari with sunglasses on and the radio cranking. It was like Pimp My Ride colliding with X-Factor, but for golfers! After a few great years with Pelz, I left with enough putting information to help anyone and accepted a position with the Golf Digest School just outside New York City. One afternoon, a gentleman shows up for a putting lesson. He’s wearing a bright green cardigan, a pair of slacks without a belt and white shoes. The perspiration stains on each garment emphatically tell me that this is definitely his “golfing uniform.” In addition to his unique style, the most intriguing thing to me is the nine putters he’s brought with him. He has the standard types like the Ping Anser, but he also has one with a head like a can of beer and another in the shape of a pickle. He’s clearly a man searching for something. His complaint is simple. “I have the yips.” He explains that it is so bad the only way he can enjoy golf is to play to the green and pick-up! I’m confident though, that whatever he throws my way, I can handle. My first order of business is to remove the source of his anxiety: the hole. I see if he can putt a ball across the green without a yip. He can’t. Next, I ask him to putt a ball across the green with his eyes closed to remove the anticipation of impact. Still, there is no progress. Sensing a difficult case, I grab a long putter. At first he is averse to the notion, but then after a little persuading he agrees to give it a go. To my dismay, he makes a stroke that looks like he is shooing a mouse out of a kitchen with a broom. |  Image by: Nishant Choksi www.nishantchoski.com
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After a few more standard remedies we are suddenly 45 minutes into our one-hour lesson and he hasn’t improved a lick. I grab a metronome to help him tune into a beat with his stroke to smooth things out. We continue working, but still there is no progress. It is now Berhard Langer time. He clamps the putter to his left arm by grasping the shaft tight with his right hand. Still the yip is so great that the shaft is literally ripped from his arm. On the verge of accepting defeat, I rack my brain for answers and remember one bit of wisdom passed from father to son that is undeniably true; duct tape can fix anything! Before he can get a word out, I slide the grip up against his left forearm and spiral the tape from wrist to elbow. I have in essence created a perfect pendulum. Anyone who has ever duct taped a hose on a car’s engine knows that this stuff is awesome. His arm and club are now as one, not only for this moment, but possibly forever. As he begins to putt, I can see his muscles trembling beneath the tape trying to break free, but the tape is working. A few minutes pass and a miracle happens. His wrist simply gives up. Like a boxer who has had enough, it just throws in the towel and concedes defeat. He begins to make perfect strokes. He puts his right hand on his arm to assume the previous clamp-style grip. Now he looks like a golfer as he continues to excel. I kneel down to reflect on my victory and see him smile. He is clearly pleased. Unconventional, yes, but it works! He then suddenly realizes that he is late for an appointment and begins to quickly gather his things. After a few unsuccessful tugs at the tape, he grasps for his money clip and as if peeling an orange one handed, rips off a hundred bucks and is out the door. He jogs through the parking lot as a small crowd begins to follow. His putter still taped to his arm, he hops in his car, tugs at the tape one more time, and then slings the club and his arm onto the dash as he drives away. It was definitely one of the oddest lessons I’ve ever had. | |
Putt For Dough
Slip your putting into gear before the wheels fall off you round...
By Jeff Ritter
Green reading is often a point of contention for most golfers. This is a big problem, as even a perfect stroke is of no use if you can’t get a feel for the slope. To get a better “read on things”, first remember that almost all greens are designed to slope from back to front. This mean that a ball to the right of the hole will often break left, whereas a ball which lands on the green left of the hole will likely break to the right.
Take a quick walk around the hole and take notice of any changes in your balance. Once you determine the direction of slope, imagine a smooth arc flowing from the ball to the cup. I often picture a running stream, an arcing highway stripe or even a Lamborghini bending to the cup! What the mind conceives the body can achieve, thus the master of images is then the master of golf. | 
Image by: Neil Duerden |
No-Frills Putting Drills (Part 1)
by Joel Bush. 
Posted in Public. Tagged with drills, practice, putting, short game.
Nine easy ways to lower your score (1-4)
Wouldn’t it be great if putting was as simple as it sounds, where every round was as automatic as the clinic Aaron Baddeley put on at Harbour Town this year (97 putts over 72 holes)?
Jeff Ritter, director of instruction at the ASU Karsten Golf Academy in Tempe, Ariz., believes putting isn’t complicated. And to help solve your putting woes, he has put together his No-Frills Putting Drills—nine straightforward, no-nonsense exercises intended to be practiced on your own, without the aid of an instructor. Practice these drills and, before you know it, you’ll actually look forward to working with the flatstick.
1 - Metronome
Have you ever noticed how smooth a touring pro’s putting tempo is? It’s as if his or her stroke was a pendulum swinging back and forth—rhythmic, free-flowing and uncomplicated. This kind of uniform movement eliminates any “herky-jerky” motions that might adversely affect a putt’s length and direction.
A great way to develop Tour-quality rhythm and tempo is to practice with a metronome. Simply place the metronome on the ground and time your stroke so it matches its “tick-tock” sound. On the “tick,” your putter should be at the end of your backswing, and on the “tock,” it should be at the end of your followthrough.
A metronome has adjustable speeds, a feature that makes finding the appropriate tempo a snap. Once you find the speed that matches your natural stroke, continue to practice matching your tempo to the metronome until you can consistently reproduce it.
The next time you play, I suggest grooving your tempo while making a practice stroke. It’s easy. Just repeat to yourself, “tick-tock,” as you putt. When you step up to the ball, your rhythm will be right for the putt at hand.
2 - One-Hander
Some players like to feel as though one of their hands is guiding the stroke through impact. For example, Tiger Woods wants his dominant right hand to control the stroke, so he frequently practices with only that hand on the handle. Whatever your preference, practicing with just one hand is a great way to unlock the feel and flow of a pure putting stroke.
Hold the putter with one hand only and make a stroke. At first, the sensation of a one-handed motion might feel unusual, but as you practice, you’ll find it’s actually fairly natural. As you practice from a variety of distances, don’t be afraid to put a little wrist action into your stroke, as it promotes a true roll. Also, allow yourself to be loose—a tension-free stroke usually produces the best results.
Remember, a natural wrist cock is common in every ball sport, whether the motion is hitting, swinging or throwing. It’s no different with putting. Rigid wrists make it very difficult to develop the desired soft touch needed on the putting green.
 | 3 - On Track If you tend to push or pull your putts, your clubface or putter path is probably going to be off line at impact. Misaligned putterfaces cause your putts to veer off line by many feet, so keeping your clubface square at impact is paramount. |
4 - Speed Reader If you play a lot of different golf courses, you know that green speeds can vary widely from day to day and course to course. Obviously, it can be extremely frustrating when you’re not accustomed to the speed of new greens, particularly if they’re significantly different than those on the course you last played. A very effective but simple technique to combat this problem is to exaggerate your practice stroke. In other words, if you’re playing greens that are significantly slower than you’re used to, take your practice stroke from a greater distance than your actual putt. This will force you to ingrain the feel of a longer, more powerful stroke. On greens that are faster than normal, take your practice stroke from a spot closer to the hole than your actual putt. Then simply go back to your ball and use that same sensation to make your stroke. |  |
No-Frills Putting Drills (Part 2)
by Joel Bush.
Posted in Public. Tagged with drills, practice, putting, short game.
Nine easy ways to lower your score (5-9)
A common amateur pitfall is to make a long stroke that produces a short putt. A great way to inject some energy into your stroke—and add much needed acceleration—is to practice this tee-popping drill. Place two tees in the ground, as wide apart as a golf ball, so they form a gate. Place the ball so that slightly more of it is on the hole side of the gate and make a stroke much like you did in the one-handed drill, with a little wrist hinge in your backstroke. “Tap” your putterhead into the tees. Your impact will be halted, but the ball won’t. You’ll be amazed at the solid contact you get from such little effort.
 | 6 - First Down Hitting your putts the proper distance is more important than getting the correct line. (A two-foot, pin-high putt is always easier to make than a five-footer that has come up short.) A great way to hone your distance control is to practice this First-Down drill. Lay down two clubs, four paces apart, and start with a handful of balls a few feet short of the first shaft marker. Putt your first ball as close as possible to, but past, the first shaft marker. Your goal is to putt each successive ball past the previous one until it either stops short of your last ball or goes longer than the second shaft marker. If either one of these two things happen, start over. You’ll notice that when your objective is to get as many balls in a 12-foot space, but just a little bit farther than the preceding ball, your target focus will narrow and your distance control will improve dramatically. |
| 7 - Sweet Spot One thing all Tour professionals have in common is consistent ballstriking—a product of the ball hitting the center of the clubface. In putting, these center hits produce good roll and consistent speed. To encourage this solid contact, wrap two rubber bands around your blade so they straddle your putter’s sweet spot. Putts hit off the toe or heel will cause your ball to veer offline. Centered strikes will send the ball rolling down its intended target line. After you feel confident that you can make contact between the rubber bands on a regular basis, take them off and try to continue making contact on the putter’s sweet spot. If you feel a change in contact quality, it’s time to put the rubber bands back on and resume the drill. |  |
 | 8 - Short-Putt Blues In the era of long drives, it’s even more frustrating to miss short putts. After all, when a 280-yard drive counts as much as a botched three-footer, it’s twice as hard to feel confident walking to the next tee. A great way to feel self-assured from short distances is to place eight balls in a circle two or three feet from the cup. Walk briskly around the hole and tap in each ball, acting as if success is a given. You’ll be amazed at how many you make when you don’t overthink the little ones. If you really want to improve, start the drill over when you miss and don’t stop until you make eight putts in a row. |
| 9 - Eyes On The Prize Unlike most sports, golf asks you to look at the ball rather than your target. (Imagine how silly LeBron James would look if he stared at the ball when he shot!) Still, like throwing a ball to a friend, it’s often easier to make putts when you look at the hole rather than the ball. When you look at the hole, the information being sent to your brain keeps you focused on distance and direction, not on the mechanics that can misplace your concentration. When you do this drill, keep your eyes on the hole and stroke away. Begin with putts within five feet; after you assume your setup position, look only at the hole while making your stroke. Once you feel more comfortable with this technique, move back to eight or 12 feet and repeat the process. While you may not want to take this technique to the course, you’ll be surprised how effective it can be at improving your confidence and feel for distance. |  |
| It’s been well documented that a solid short game is the key to consistently shooting lower scores. A vital part of the short-game mix is the “finesse shot,” typically from within 100 yards of the green. On a finesse shot, your mindset must be quite different from that applied to the full swing. For example, when hitting a shot with a full swing, your goal is to hit the ball as hard and far as possible. When playing a finesse shot, however, your goal is to hit the ball short and soft. You can see this difference in attitude and approach when a player like Tiger Woods blasts a tee shot over 300 yards, then proceeds to float a soft, delicate pitch to within inches of the cup. Here are the five basic fundamentals that make up the common thread behind a player’s ability to consistently get the ball up and down. |  |
1 - Swing Length
A key to any well-executed golf shot is a golf club that smoothly accelerates through the impact area. Most recreational golfers, when trying to hit the ball a short distance, have the fear of hitting the ball too far. This results in the player quitting on the shot with an abbreviated followthrough. The key to acceleration, as well as maintaining a consistent rhythm, is matching the length of the swing on both sides of the ball. It’s important when learning finesse shots to experience and understand that the length of the backswing dictates how far the ball will travel. A shorter backswing results in a short shot, whereas a longer swing results in a higher, longer shot. It’s very difficult to hit short shots with long swings and long shots with short swings. Lastly, make sure the followthrough is at least of equal length, and you’ll be in perfect balance.
2 - Small-Muscle Relaxation
Small muscles are considered those of the hands, wrists and arms. Far too often, players tense up these muscle groups in finesse situations. Tension causes the hands and arms to become overactive, creating a “hitting” sensation through contact. Hitting, rather than swinging, creates all kinds of problems in the form of poor contact and distance control. When playing finesse shots, make it a point to focus on keeping your small muscles relaxed and passive. This will allow the club to swing naturally in a smooth, rhythmic fashion. Imagine a scale running from zero to 10, where 10 is the tightest. Find a hand and arm pressure of 3 to build small-muscle relaxation.
3 - Body Motion
Many people feel if they don’t have to hit the ball a long way, then they shouldn’t use their body. As a result, I see a lot of people hitting only with their hands and arms. Wrong. The body plays a vital role in finesse shots. Getting the body involved provides power for the swing, allowing the hands and arms to remain relaxed and passive. Allow your body to pivot in response to the swinging golf club. To feel some body motion, toss a ball to a target 30 feet away. Notice how the body pivots in response to the tossing motion. Apply that same feel to your chips and pitches to build necessary harmony between your club and body.
4 - Rhythm
Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm, I can’t say it enough—it’s the glue that holds your mechanics together. Your rhythm should match your goals. If you’re looking for soft, controllable contact, then you should swing in a soft, even rhythm. Picture the rhythm of a swinging pendulum on a grandfather clock. One, two, tick-tock, back, through! Count out your rhythm as you swing to build a smooth repeatable pace.
5 - Ball Position
In the finesse game, creating different contacts and different trajectories requires different ball positions. When faced with a finesse situation, visualize the kind of flight you want to create, then select the appropriate shot, club and corresponding ball position. As a general rule, play the ball more toward your back foot on all short-range chips. This helps produce a lower trajectory and get the ball rolling on the green as soon as possible. For medium- and high-trajectory pitches, favor a centered ball position. And to facilitate sand-first contact when attempting a bunker blast, play the ball forward in your stance.
Regardless of the finess shot you’re playing, keep in mind these four principles and you’ll execute consistently to the best of your ability.
Getting up and down is one thing, but hitting a very high lob to a tight pin is another. Jeff Ritter explains the trick for hitting a high lob shot to an uphill pin and adds another shot to your short game arsenal.
(Originally Published in GolfTips Magazine)
PLACEHOLDER FOR VIDEO
Train with a Physioball to keep your lower back limber late in the round
It starts on the practice green. You feel your lower back tighten just enough to get your attention. After the turn, the discomfort is now affecting your concentration. By the final few holes, when you really need to make a putt, you feel as if your lower back is on fire.
The stress placed on the bones, joints and ligaments of the lower back can be so severe when putting that some players have switched to longer putters so they no longer have to bend at the waist.
For golfers who want to stick with a traditional putter and stroke, here are three exercises, demonstrated by teaching professional Jeff Ritter, that can relieve tension by strengthening the muscles of the glutes, abdomen, and lower back, especially the transverse abdominis. That muscle wraps horizontally around the ab muscles and attaches to the lumbar spine, acting as a natural weight belt. The exercises are recommended by Mark Verstegen, director of Athletes' Performance, a world-class training institute of Tempe, Ariz.
Do these exercises two of three times a week, with a minimum of either to 15 reps (one to two sets). Physioballs or other stretch balls can be purchased for less than $30 at most fitness stores.
