HELLO Baguio Golf enthusiasts!

In this, my fourth installment, I am going to discuss the shortest swing in golf. And that would be the putting stroke. The putting stroke in its simplest form is just a short golf swing!

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Getting the golf ball into the hole in as few shots as possible is how you score in golf, but in most cases when I go to a driving range all

I see are golfers hitting drivers and irons, trying to hit the ball as far as they can. If I look over at the practice green, no one is practicing their putting!

The reality is a six inch putt is worth the same as a three hundred yard drive ... one shot. It is my belief that it is much easier and faster to learn how to play the game by starting close to the hole and working your way back, until you are making full swings with the longer clubs.

The two most important things a golfer needs to think about before stroking a putt at the direction you want the ball to roll and the distance you want it travel. Of the two, the distance is more important. The term used to describe distance is called weight.

A golfer can have the proper direction figured out, but if the weight is misjudged; the putt will not go into the hole. On the other hand, a golfer can misjudge the direction, but have the proper weight and still sink the putt! Reading a putt is the ability to figure out the natural slope of the green and the curve the ball will follow as it rolls on the grass.

These two aspects take practice. The grass on a quality golf green is cut very short, and sometimes even compacted to make it as smooth as possible, very similar to a billiards table, on a slope. Some greens have very severe slopes built into them and the player might have to aim the ball several feet away from the hole!

The best way to putt with confidence is by first assessing how much the slope will affect the ball when it is rolling. Once you think you know the curve or ''break'', the easiest way to stroke the ball with confidence, is by picking a spot or defect on the greens surface one or two feet in front of your ball and directly on the line you have chosen to roll it.

The rational is that it’s much easier to align the putter at a spot two feet from you, than the hole itself. Once that has been taken care of, all the player needs to think about is how hard to stroke it... that’s the weight!

I hope these tips can help you if you already play and if your thinking of getting started in the game, do yourself a favor and ask your teacher to teach you ... from the hole back!! If you have any questions or comments, I can be contacted through email at dazemitchell@hotmail.com or through Baguio Country Club.