Kevin Edwards ’96 has been working in the golf industry for more than 30 years and has been a PGA Professional for 21 years. One of his greatest achievements is being inducted into the Lehigh Valley Golf Hall of Fame in 2017. Edwards also has been coaching the Moravian College golf team for the past 12 years and has earned coach-of-the-year honors twice. One of the most important parts of the golf game is putting. “The two areas where most players need help is distance control and making short putts,” says Edwards. We asked his advice.
A great drill for practicing distance control is to putt to the fringe. The fringe is usually about 3 feet wide, so if you can consistently get the ball to stop in this area you are getting a great feel for the speed of the green.
When faced with a longer putt, change your goal to getting within 3 to 5 feet of the hole; this will make your lag putting much better.
The most common reason players miss the short 3- to 5-foot putt is they move their head to watch the ball go into the hole. This brings your shoulders up early, which makes the face of the putter come through in an open position, causing you to push the putt.
My favorite drill to correct this is the penny drill. Take a penny or other coin and place it on the top of the golf ball. Keep your eyes on the coin as you hit your putt. By practicing the penny drill, you will train yourself to automatically keep your head still while putting, which improves your body position and your stroke through the putt.
