Golf is a complex sport, but putting is arguably the most important part of the game. It’s what separates the pro from the amateurs, and it can make or break your score. However, it’s also one of the most difficult skills to master, so the Wall Street Journal shared 6 steps for helping your putting become more successful.

Develop a Focus Trigger

It can be easy to get distracted on the course. There are tons of sensations, from people to noises to weather, so it’s best to help yourself get your head in the game. Devise a mental trigger to help take your mind from wandering to focused. Many golfers use their ball marker on the green as this trigger because it indicates that it’s time to start forming a game plan.

Have a Game Plan

Once you’re focused, you’ll need to zero in on a strategy. Determine where you want your putt to end up, which doesn’t always have to be in the hole. If you’re far out, you may be aiming for within a foot or two of the hole. If you’re closer, how far past the hole are you going? That’s right, aim beyond the hole because your putt will never go in if it doesn’t make it to the hole.

Visualize the Putt

You’ve got your end-goal in place, now it’s time to see the “line” in the putt. This means visualizing the path the ball will take to satisfy your game plan. Are you going to hit it a little harder to minimize the curve of the ball or will you hit it a little softer to ride the contours of the green? Envisioning the path the ball will take can help you plan how to execute your strategy.

What If You Can’t See the Line?

For some, this skill comes with practice and time. Yet others struggle because they physically can’t see the subtle contours in the green, leaving them to putt “blind.” The greens can have very little contrast, which makes seeing the slopes and divots difficult. But EyePromise® can help!

EyePromise is the #1 eye vitamin choice of eye doctors and professional athletes, including pro golfers Colin Montgomerie, Padraig Harrington, and Lee Hodges. Its key ingredients, dietary zeaxanthin and lutein, build in the eye and help to sharpen up visual functions like contrast sensitivity. This helps you read the greens easier and see the line in the putt. Montgomerie explained,

“If you can see that line, it’s amazing how simple the game becomes.”

Learn more about how EyePromise can help improve your golf performance.

Sharpen Your Swing

Now it’s time to start practicing the putting motion. Step alongside the ball and make a few routine putts the exact way that you’re going to hit your ball. Get comfortable with the movement. Does it feel right? Is it helping you commit to your strategy and visualization? If not, it may be time to rethink it or practice a little more.

Finalize Your Alignment

You’ve practiced your putt; now it’s time to step up. Plant your feet beside the ball with the proper stance necessary to putt it the way you’ve been practicing. Steady yourself. This step should be the easiest one after completing the above.

Execute & Evaluate

Now, it’s time to actually make the putt. Putt just like you’ve practiced, follow through, then assess the situation. If the ball went in, what went well? How are you feeling? What are you thinking? Associate these thoughts and emotions with this outcome and commit them to memory. Attaching emotion to this outcome will help with recall and allow you to repeat this step more easily next time.

If the ball didn’t go in, what went wrong? Was it hit too hard or too soft? Was there a dip in the green you didn’t see (*cough* try EyePromise *cough*)? While emotion shouldn’t be attached this this kind of negative outcome because it could cause you to freeze out of fear the next time you’re in this situation, it’s important to understand the downfalls so as not to repeat them.

Using these techniques, you can start seeing improvements in your short game and, who knows, maybe we’ll see you on the PGA Tour! However, if you’re looking for even more of an edge, EyePromise eye health performance supplements are the place to start.

Learn more about how our supplements can improve performance.