Break 90 in 2025: Make more putts with these 3 tips

By: Maddi MacClurg

Putts account for about half of the total strokes in a round of golf, so statistically, it makes sense to focus on the flatstick if you want to drop your scores and have a big breakthrough this season. 

Luckily, there are only a few things you need to know to improve your stroke, boost your feel and eliminate three-putts. Check out the guide below to level-up your putting and tap into your true potential. 

Check your setup

When you hit the practice green, one of the best things you can do is to check your setup. It allows you to build a good foundation that increases your chances of making a consistent stroke every time. 

And, in a video with Titleist, Brad Faxon, eight-time PGA Tour winner and putting coach to Rory McIlroy, shared that it’s one of the keys he concentrates on with his students. 

So what does a good address position look like?

According to Faxon, every great putter has a four things in common: 

1. Proper stance and body alignment

Faxon breaks down body alignment, which you can check in a full-length mirror, into two sections: lower body and upper body. 

For proper lower body alignment, Faxon looks for ankles, knees and hips to be about the same width apart and in line with each other. He explains that a narrow stance can help encourage this setup. 

For good upper body alignment, he says he likes when a player’s nose, shirt buttons and belt buckle are in line. 

2. Weight and ball position slightly forward

“Most of the best putters in the world have slightly more weight on their left side or their lead side,” Faxon says. 

He says to imagine that your weight is divided 55-45, which is not a huge difference, but just enough to get you moving the putter level through impact. 

“You want to have a little bit more weight and pressure tilted towards that left side,” Faxon says, “If you get too far forward, you might hit down. If you get too far back, you might hit up.” 

As for ball position, Faxon says to play the ball slightly inside the lead heel. 

3. Getting forearms square to the target line

One setup key Faxon mentions is getting your body square to the target. You can practice setting up square by placing an alignment rod parallel to the target line. This will allow you to check that your knees, thighs, hips and shoulders are square.

Don’t stress if you aren’t perfectly square. Faxon says to get as close as you can, but that there’s one area you should focus on most. 

“It’d be nice if your knees, thighs, your hips and your shoulders are square,” Faxon says, “But what I really like to see the most is the forearms square to the target.”