ABOVE: Watch Patrick Reed’s clinching putt at the Masters. Reed sticks to his routine. He does not take long to stroke the ball even though this putt is to win the green jacket! This a good lesson for all golfers.
You can’t win the Masters without putting well.
As Golfweek reported, Patrick Reed putted better than usual for him:
“Coming into the Masters, Patrick Reed ranked 75th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting with a 0.163 average, which means that over a 72-hole event he would be expected to earn an edge on the green of just over a half-shot. However, on some of the trickiest greens in the world, Reed’s strokes gained: putting average at Augusta National last week was 1.98, which was third-best in the field.”
Peter Sanders, the founder of Strokes Gained Analysis and a golf statistics guru who has coached PGA Tour players, made an interesting observation about Patrick Reed in the Masters.
“I was struck this weekend by Patrick Reed’s solid putting routine,” Sanders wrote at GolfWRX.com. “Further, I believe that this precise routine, and the discipline with which he stuck to it, were the difference in his one-stroke victory at the Masters.”
On Thursday through Sunday, Sanders noticed that Reed’s putting routine “was identical and fairly quick—[nine]seconds from the first step toward the ball until striking the putt.”
Only nine seconds.
That’s not long. In fact, that’s less time than it took world’s fastest human Usain Bolt to run the 100 meters and win Olympic gold again and again and again.
Compare that to other major winners such as Phil Mickelson. Lefty’s putting routine averaged 17 seconds when he won the 2004 Masters, according to Sanders.
Patrick Reed’s Putting Routine
He stands a short distance behind the golf ball and faces the hole, sizing up the putt, looking at the line.
Still behind the ball and facing the hole, he makes two practice strokes.
He steps forward and addresses the ball, placing his putter behind the ball. (NO PRACTICE STROKES.)
He glances toward the hole, returns his gaze to the ball, and hits the putt.
It sounds and looks simple because it is. But I imagine Reed has invested countless hours creating and practicing a putting routine that would work on golf’s biggest stages and in the biggest moments of his career.
Sanders added: “Bottom line, I believe that Patrick’s strict adherence to his pre-shot putting routine enabled him to hole all of the meaningful putts in the final round that proved to be the ultimate one-stroke margin.”
Recap
Develop a dependable and efficient (not lengthy) putting routine.
Practice and hone your putting routine until you could do it in your sleep.
Trust and stick to your putting routine in all situations—especially when you feel the pressure.
Neil Sagebiel
Latest posts by Neil Sagebiel (see all)
- Playing Other Sports Can Help Improve Your Golf Game - November 17, 2018
- VIDEO GOLF INSTRUCTION: Dave Pelz on Hitting Wedge Shots in the Wind - October 5, 2018
- 2018 Ryder Cup: Team USA Still Lacks Team Mindset - October 1, 2018
