Richie Ramsay reveals common amateur putting mistakes

If you’re an amateur golfer, you’re probably making a few errors on the greens.

In fact, a lot of us are making more than a few mistakes. These can range from using the wrong equipment into various errors in our technique.

Some mistakes, however, are more common than others. Richie Ramsay has played in his fair share of pro-ams and has seen his fair share of amateur golfers.

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As a result, he’s also seen his fair share of missed putts. Often, it’s the same issues cropping up on the greens.

He told bunkered.co.uk the three most common faults he sees with the putter.

Amateurs under read putts

“Firstly, green reading. They tend to under read putts, especially on the long ones,” the Scot explains. “If they think a putt is only breaking a little, they might not give it enough break.”

As we know, this will then lead to putts missing on the low, amateur side, where the ball is only breaking further away from the hole.

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Amateurs don’t start the ball on line

“Lining up the ball is a skill in itself,” Ramsay says. “I work on just lining up the ball to aim in the right spot. If you’re able to line the ball up and start it on the right line, then it’s going to help you massively.”

You might think getting the line on the ball pointing in the right direction is easy, but your eyes can be deceiving. Get someone else to have a look at where your line is pointing. If it’s not in the right place, you’re already struggling.

Amateurs don’t judge pace well

“Pace control is a funny one. People get so nervous about their pace control,” the four-time DP World Tour winner explains.

“It sounds funny, but golf is one of the few sports where you’re not actually looking where you’re going. People need to trust in their ability.

“I’ve played with footballers who can take down a ball and kick it to someone who is running down the other end of the pitch, and the ball will drop down at their feet. I say to them, ‘you have great touch and great feel, you need to utilise that on the golf course.’

“I’ll give them a few tips on just being a bit more free flowing and not thinking too technically.

• Are you standing too far away from the ball?

“If you watch Steph Curry throwing three pointers. He gets the ball from his team-mate, looks at the basket and shoots without thinking. He’s not thinking, where’s my hand position, how far do I need to take it back, how far away am I?

“That comes with practice, but the minute someone spends four or five seconds over a putt, I just see their mind starting to wander and I get worried about what they’re going to do.”

Lewis Fraser As bunkered’s Performance Editor, Lewis oversees the content that’s designed to make you a better player. From the latest gear to tuition, nutrition, strategy and more, he’s the man. A graduate of the University of Stirling, Lewis joined bunkered in 2021. Formerly a caddie at Castle Stuart Golf Links, he is a member of Bathgate Golf Club where he plays off four.

Performance Editor