Do You Hate Putting?

At one of my Love Putting stops, a golfer came over to look at the van.

He pointed at the words Love Putting and said, very honestly, “That has really made me think. I literally hate putting.”

We both laughed, but he meant it.

And actually, I loved that he said it, because I think a lot of golfers feel the same way. Maybe they don’t always say it out loud, but you can see it. The shoulders go up. The breath gets held. The putter gets blamed. The green becomes the place where all the good work from the fairway can suddenly feel wasted.

I know that feeling too.

Putting can be frustrating because it looks as if it should be simple. The ball is just sitting there. The hole is right there. No bunkers. No trees. No water. Just you, the ball, the putter and a very loud mind.

That is where the real game starts.

For me, Love Putting is not about pretending putting is easy. It is not about being cheerful after every miss or forcing yourself to be positive when you are annoyed. That would be fake, and golfers know when something is fake.

Loving putting is more honest than that.

It is about changing the way we arrive on the green. It is about giving ourselves a chance before we have even hit the putt. It is about noticing the little stories we tell ourselves — “I always miss these,” “I’m terrible at putting,” “Don’t three-putt,” “Don’t embarrass yourself.”

No wonder the body tightens.

What would happen if we softened a little?

What would happen if, instead of walking onto the green expecting to fail, we became curious? Curious about the read. Curious about the pace. Curious about how the stroke feels. Curious about whether we can stay with the putt rather than jump ahead to the result.

That golfer at the van had already started. He had noticed the problem was not just technical. It was the relationship.

And that is exactly where loving putting begins.

Valerie x