garyt1957 Putting is, in my opinion, the easiest part of the game. Shorter distances, the ball doesn't have to fly. It's simple. People over complicate it.
For example, people always talk about distance control and that speed is more important than line, etc. Sure, speed is important, but you don't really have to think about it. Your brain has a built-in distance control mechanism. Try this sometime.....if you are walking down a straight hallway without any traffic, pick a doorway to an office that is 20-60 feet in front of where you are, close your eyes, and open them when you think you have walked to where the doorway is. You'll be within a couple of feet of it every time. Because your brain knows how far you had to walk to get there.
Same thing is true for putts. If you don't think about distance, it will take care of itself. Sure, some putts you will hit too far or too short. Don't worry about it. Allow all that information to enter your mind and move on. Over time your distance control will automatically get better. IMO, the more you think about/brood about/worry about distance control, generally speaking, the longer it will remain problematic. You have to TRUST your unconscious mind, and then it will do its thing. If you keep allowing the CONSCIOUS mind to interfere, you will keep having problems.
To me, good putting is about putting a good roll on the ball. Take a range ball to a putting green and move away from any targets. Put the ball on the green so the red stripe lines up with the sweet spot of your putter. Now roll the ball and watch the line. Keep doing this until you can make it so the red line stays in sharp focus for the entire roll, and your putting will improve dramatically. The focus should NOT be on the target or on making putts. It should be on the PROCESS of stroking the ball and making it roll smoothly.
Another thing that helps some people make more short to mid-range putts is imagining a spot on the green about 2-4 inches in front of the ball over which the ball should roll in order to go into the hole. When putting, try focusing on that imaginary spot rather than the ball. Don't even look at the ball. Just look at that spot and then make the ball roll over that spot. The idea is that you believe you can make the ball go over that spot because it's only 3 inches in front of the ball, and you can! The secret is that if you picked out the right spot, rolling the ball over that spot is all that is required to roll the ball into the hole.
Sorry for the long post. Putting is one of my strong suits and a favorite part of the game for me.