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On the Green — Short Putts

Putts inside six feet are the ones you must hole to save par and bogey. The technique is simple; the discipline is keeping your head dead still.

Putter face square to a short putt at the lip of the hole
Short putts inside six feet: the line is simple, the discipline is keeping your head dead still and accelerating through the ball to the hole.

Step by step

  1. Read the break and pick a precise start line — even a small left or right edge of the cup.
  2. Set up with a slightly narrower stance and your eyes over the ball.
  3. Commit to the line and make a firm, confident stroke that holds the break.
  4. Keep your head perfectly still and listen for the ball to drop instead of looking up.

Check yourself

  • Your eyes stay down until you hear or sense the ball is gone.
  • You make a positive, accelerating stroke — not a tentative jab.
  • You picked a definite start line and trusted it.

Common mistakes

  • Peeking — looking up early to see the result, which pulls the putt offline.
  • Decelerating and leaving the putt short of the hole.
  • Aiming at the center of the cup on a breaking putt instead of the high side.
Go deeper: Short Putt (Inside 6 Feet) form

A beginner refresher only — not professional instruction. See a PGA pro for swing changes.