Sometimes, the smallest swing makes the biggest difference.
Great Golfers Aren’t Born, They’re Built on the Greens
Ask any of the legends, and they’ll all say the same: you win or lose on the green. That’s where nerves, touch, and pure confidence collide.
At The Club at Hammock Beach, our golfers aren’t just chasing birdies; they’re chasing mastery. And that starts with understanding the fundamentals of putting finesse.
These five time-tested principles, shared by the club's Golf Professional Walter Messer, are what the best players in the world rely on every single round. Simple, strategic, and easy to apply, they’ll help you unlock your putting potential, one confident stroke at a time.
Rule #1: Speed Determines Direction
How fast you roll that ball decides where it ends up.
Here’s the truth most golfers overlook: the speed of your ball directly controls how much the slope of the green will influence its path. A faster-moving ball spends less time on the surface, so it’s less affected by subtle breaks. A slower-moving ball, however, will respond more dramatically to every contour and tilt.
On downhill putts, the ball moves more slowly as it loses momentum, meaning it will break more than you expect. On uphill putts, you’ll need a firmer stroke to fight gravity, and the ball will hold a straighter line.
Once you start seeing this relationship between speed and break, green reading becomes less about guessing and more about understanding the physics of your stroke.
Rule #2: Pick Your “Flat Putt” Target
Here’s where people get tripped up. Don’t try to picture the whole rollercoaster your ball’s about to ride. Just pick a spot where, if the green were perfectly flat, you’d aim. That’s your target. Let gravity handle the rest.
It’s a bit like pool. You don’t think about every wobble; you just aim for the pocket. Same instinct. Trust in that spot, roll it true, and watch your confidence on the course soar.
Rule #3: Putt with Purpose; Always Aim to Make It
Mindset matters. The difference between a hesitant stroke and a confident one often comes down to intent.
Forget about “lag putting” If you can consistently stop the ball a foot short, you have the precision to give it a chance to drop.
Approach every putt, whether it’s 3 feet or 30, with the mindset that you’re going to make it. The more you expect success, the more you’ll feel it.
Rule #4: Visualize and Trust the Process
Downhill, left-to-right, lightning-fast, those are the putts that put golfers on edge. Most novice players are safe, aim a mile left, and pray. But that’s not you. At least not after today.
Use that “flat putt” trick. Find your mark halfway to the cup that feels straight, even if it’s way off the hole. Trust that line. Let the green do its thing. Suddenly, that nightmare putt isn’t as scary. You’re just rolling it to your spot, nice and easy.
Rule #5: Keep It Simple and Stay Consistent
Putting doesn’t happen overnight, not even for Tiger Woods, but progress does.
This isn’t rocket science. Keep it simple. Read the slope, dial in your speed, focus on your target, rinse, repeat. The more you do it, the smoother it feels, and the more putts start dropping exactly where you want them.
See You on the Greens
Getting better at putting isn’t luck or magic. It’s about not overthinking things, playing with a bit of swagger, and sticking to what works. Next time you tee it up at The Club at Hammock Beach, give these rules a try. Trust your eyes, commit to your stroke, and don’t stress out if you miss one. Or three. It happens to even the best players.
Who knows, maybe the cup will start looking like a bucket soon. Join us on the course and discover how the right mindset can transform your short game, one putt at a time.