| There are numerous ways to putt successfully, but they usually work for some of the pros all of the time and all of the pros some of the time.
You probably fall into the second "stroke changer" category. This is true because of the pure fact that in putting, the actual physical technique is very basic and therefore readily changed without thought of consequence. Could you imagine changing your swing with the same drastic deviations that plague your putting? You would never find the consistency needed to play this frustrating game.
I would like to break down putting to its most basic form. The technique of putting requires the golfer to use a flat faced club and to strike the ball in such a fashion that it roles into the hole. Don't you wish that it was really that simple? Well, it is! If you can see the lay of the land and you understand that gravity will pull the ball down the slope and not up, you are half-way there. This part results in seeing the most practical path that the ball will take from where it lies to the hole (step 1). Then, you must get a feel for how fast you should swing the putter in order to make the ball roll on that line to the hole (step 2). Step 3 involves picking the ball out of the hole without injury to insure continuation of the round.
As far as technique goes, I always suggest to my students that they keep it simple. I have a suggestion that may help you to achieve this. When you look down at the face of your putter to line up a putt, your goal is to set it up nice and square with good direction. This is usually achieved by making sure that the flat face of the putter is perpendicular with the ground.
Now I want you to try and putt with the shaft. Rather then attempting to guide the putter head, swing the putter while focusing on the shaft. You should bring the shaft squarely through the ball, which will result in the putter face also being square. To give this technique more significance, take your putter and swing it like a pendulum. It is much easier to judge when the entire shaft it vertical to the ground than it is to see where the face is. Provided that the club doesn't slip in your hands, this technique will be helpful. However, please take note that I have not changed your stroke. And if you are a stroke changer, just think of how well you would be putting if you hadn't changed your stroke in the first place.
Good luck in golf and life, and remember...
The grass may be greener on the other side, but you might rip your pants trying to get there.
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