Putting, the “Winning Edge”
by Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett was born in 1960 and qualified as a PGA Professional in 1979. His operations are based out of Portugal having taken the post of National Coach to the Federation of Portuguese Golf and Director of Training to the PGA of Portugal. Since then he is now owner of three progressive Golf Learning Centres under the name BGLC and recently was made Head Coach to the PGA of Brazil Professional Coach Education Programme. As an R&A Golf Development Consultant and Member of the PGA's of Europe Education Committee, Tony is also involved with developing the game in nations new to golf. In 2005 he was elected PGA Advanced Fellow.

If you’ve ever wondered whether there exists a simple start-up guide to putting that provides all the answers to our most important questions, then Putting, the “Winning Edge” by Tony Bennett is just that. In the short time it takes to read through his thoughts on the subject you will gain an insight on all the key philosophies and techniques that will enable you to best focus your efforts on immediate improvement and make you the real Winner!

Let’s start with some simple questions

	How many of we so called established golfers are better putters than we were when we were young?
	Do you make as many putts in a round as you want?
	If you consistently totalled thirty putts per round would your score go up?
	If you had a putt of two metres to win a tournament and you could choose anyone in the world to take it for you, would you pick yourself?

If you answered No to one question then you are probably in need of a little fine tuning, if you answered No to two or three then you certainly need some help with your putting and if you got straight No answers then this article is just in time for you.

Although golf swing left a lot to be desired, as a young player I was extremely good at getting the ball into the hole; in fact it was very common for me to need only 24 -27 strokes with the putter during eighteen holes. It was not that I was a naturally gifted putter but rather the result of thousands of hours of practice on the green which helped develop an efficient stroke and the confidence of youth that ensured every putt was given a chance to go in and if in the unlikely event that the ball missed was finished off with the minimum of fuss. As I worked to improve my long game I neglected my short game and especially my putting, “you don’t appreciate something until it is gone” is the famous quote. After some time my long game improved, but amazingly to me the scores remained the same, so it doesn’t take an Einstein to realise that I was taking more putts!

I now devote my working life to coaching and I’m privileged to help some very good young and I suppose not so young players (they know who they are); in order to help my players I spend many hours researching the very best ways to help them improve their games. On the next few pages I will offer you some of the keys that have helped those that I have assisted to win at all levels from European Professional Tours to local club tournaments and everything in between.

The putting zone has been called many things: to some it is the “game within a game”, to others the “money game” and to many others it is simply the “difference”. I believe that we can safely divide the putting zone into five distinctly different yet connected parts. The points below are not in any order of importance and I might suggest that for one player technique may be the most important factor, while for another it might be one of the other points. Therefore this list is objective and serves only as a guide to the individual parts of the putting zone, once read and understood you will inevitably have a more subjective list.

The Tony Bennett 5 Key Putting Essentials

	The technique of swinging the putter backwards and forwards efficiently with a movement that is repeatable.
	The ability to “read” greens for speed and line while taking in any grain that may be present in the grass and the effect of the elements.
	The “inner game”, what and how to think in order to allow the best possible opportunity for technique to work.
	The heart or if you prefer the desire that is required in all competitive environments
	The equipment that is being used and why the club must fit the golfer.