I Spent 9 Holes Watching the Top Women Golfers in the World. One Thing Stood Out.

This week I had the privilege of attending the Scottish Women’s Open at Dundonald as a guest of VisitScotland.

Of course, I watched some wonderful golf. But as someone who has spent a lifetime studying putting, and competing at all levels of the game (including the Scottish Women’s Open as an amateur) I found myself watching something else. For good company and additional insights I went with my friend Alison Davidson who recently won the Scottish Senior Open with her trusty Frankly Frog putter, and has a stellar record of elite amateur golf having played in the Curtis Cup, and won the British Amateur Championship.

I wasn’t just watching putts.

I was watching people.

What struck me most wasn’t their technique. It wasn’t the putters they used or how long they stood over the ball.

Both Alison and I agreed it was how they owned their space on the putting green.

There was no sense of rushing. No feeling of apologising for taking their time. They moved with quiet purpose, read each putt carefully, and when they stepped into the ball, everything seemed to flow naturally.

They had a rhythm.

Not a rhythm they were trying to create, but one that came from feeling completely comfortable in the moment.

It made me think about what so many club golfers do.

We rush because we don’t want to hold anyone up. We worry about what other people are thinking. We hurry through our routine, almost trying to get the putt over with.

When we do that, we lose something important.

We lose our connection with the hole.

Great putting isn’t just about making a good stroke. It’s about arriving at the ball with a calm mind, trusting what you’ve seen, and giving yourself permission to own that moment.

The next time you play, try this.

Walk onto every green with intention.

Read the putt without feeling hurried.

Take your time—not longer than you need, just long enough to feel ready.

Then let the putter swing with the same rhythm you’ve created in your mind.

You don’t have to be playing in a major championship to behave like someone who belongs on the putting green.

Every golfer deserves that feeling.

And when you stop rushing, you may discover that your putting becomes smoother, your distance control improves, and, perhaps most importantly, you begin to enjoy putting again.

That, to me, is what loving putting is all about.

Valerie x

 

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