Kelly’s Putting Rules
Speed. Aim. Spot. Commit.
A simple putting system from the Kelly Morrow Golf Academy designed to help players aim better, control speed, and putt with more confidence.
Putting Best Practices
Good putting starts with speed. Great putting starts with aim.
After more than 30 years of teaching, Kelly Morrow has developed a simple belief about putting: speed is the first major skill to develop, but the ability to aim the putter may be the most important skill of all.
Almost every player has an aim bias. Left to our own devices, most of us aim the putter less than perfectly. The key is learning how to work around that bias with a simple process called spot aiming.
Rule One
Speed is the first skill.
Before a player can become a great putter, they must learn to control distance. Speed control determines whether misses finish close enough to avoid three-putts and whether the ball has the right pace to enter the hole.
A good putting stroke has balance. The putter should swing back and through close to equal distance. The goal is not to jab, hit, or accelerate wildly through the ball.
Speed Control Key:
The best putters allow the putter to move at a steady pace through the hitting area, rather than forcing acceleration at impact.
Rule Two
Aim small. Miss small.
Spot aiming is choosing a small mark, discoloration, or imperfection on the green to help you aim the putter on your intended line.
One Hand Length
Choose a spot about one hand length in front of the ball.
On Your Line
The spot should be directly in line with your intended aim point.
No Adjusting
Once you address the ball, do not twist or adjust the putter face.
Every Putt
Spot aim on every putt, even putts longer than 50 feet.
Spot Aiming Details
Make the spot visible and believable.
The spot needs to be clear enough that you can trust it. If you cannot find one exactly one hand length ahead of the ball, it is acceptable to choose a visible spot within two hand lengths.
If the most visible spot is slightly off your intended line, you can aim off the edge of it instead of aiming directly at the center.
And if you address the ball and the line feels wrong, back away and start the routine over. A good routine should create commitment, not doubt.
Kelly’s Reminder
Do not negotiate after address.
Read it. Pick the spot. Aim the putter. Commit. If it does not look right, back off and start over.
Never short inside 20 feet.
Putts left short from inside 20 feet have no chance. Give the ball enough speed to reach the hole while still respecting the comeback putt.
This does not mean reckless speed. It means committed speed.
Have realistic expectations.
Golfers are often too hard on themselves. Even the best players in the world do not make everything.
Judge your putting by the quality of your process: speed, aim, routine, and commitment.
Putting Perspective
Tour-level putting is harder than most golfers think.
Inside 5 Feet
Expect to Make More
This is where routine, aim, and confidence matter most. A clear spot helps quiet the mind.
6 to 20 Feet
Start Line Matters
The farther you get from the hole, the more important it becomes to match read and speed.
Long Range
Lag It Close
From longer distances, success means controlling speed and eliminating three-putts.
The best way to improve is not to hope you make more putts. It is to build a better system before you ever pull the putter back.
Kelly Morrow Golf Academy
Technique through repetition. Skill through variation. Performance through simulation.
Kelly’s Putting Rules are designed to give players a repeatable system. Learn to control speed. Learn to aim the putter. Learn to commit to a spot. Then test it under pressure.
Better putting does not come from guessing. It comes from having a process you can trust.
Want to become a better putter?
The Kelly Morrow Golf Academy helps players build simple, repeatable systems that transfer from practice to the golf course.
Call (740) 454-4900
