This is a classic sign you’re struggling with tension in your putting stroke. Here’s how to fix it

Self-diagnosis in golf can be difficult. Any number of things could be going wrong at any time—what a joy this sport is, right? But if you’re having trouble with distance control and consistency in your putting, tension may be the culprit. Maggie Hartman, a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher at Trent Wearner Golf Academy at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve, Westminster, Colo., says that an overly tight grip can lead to tension in the arms and up into the shoulders.

“What you see is the loss of good tempo and less consistency, fewer solid strikes,” Hartman says. “Maybe the stroke is really fast back or really fast back through rather than a smooth, pendulum motion.”

With inconsistent strikes comes inconsistent distance control. So if you’re leaving a long putt short on one hole and then blowing it way beyond the cup at the next, you could be struggling with tension.

When Hartman has students come to her with these issues, she eliminates the tension with a metronome. She uses metronome apps and YouTube metronome videos.

“Three to five minutes of putting practice with a metronome in their ear, whether they have the AirPods or are just playing it out loud on the putting green, can help a ton just for their brain to kind of start to find a better rhythm,” Hartman says. “Often, tension just comes from too many thoughts in their head, and they're not sure what to think about. That tension can also come from nervousness or anxiety, too. Focusing on the metronome entertains the brain so it doesn’t have time to think unhelpful thoughts.”

To take the metronome to the course, Hartman helps her students come up with a phrase that mimics the pacing of the metronome for students to say to themselves while they putt. She’s based in Colorado, so a lot of her students use "Denver Nuggets." They say Denver on the backstroke and Nuggets on the throughstroke.

Implementing a metronome in practice and a phrase on the course will help you relieve some of the tension in your putting, Harman says. You’ll notice better distance control and more consistent putting.