Line up in the middle of the practice green for a long putt. By long putt, I mean 25 ft at least. Face your putt to the fringe of the green. Hit your first putt so that it goes off the green and a foot or two into the fringe. Hit your second putt so it falls a foot or two short of the fringe line. Now, hit your third putt so it lands somewhere between the first and second ball.

Once you get your third ball in the middle of the first two, hit about 3 more putts that all fall within the first and second ball. You should have the stroke down. Now to really get the feel for the putt, you must close your eyes for the next shot. Use the same exact putting swing you used for the previous few balls. Nothing will change except your eyes being closed.

The goal is to keep hitting balls that land between the first and second one while keeping your eyes closed. This will help you get that all important touch when approaching a normal putt.

If you look at any professional basketball player, they can all hit free throws with their eyes closed. It is the same motion and the have a feel for where the hoop is. The same concept applies in golf.

A very simple analogy to improve your green reading skills is to pretend you are dumping a bucket of water on the green. In order to find the slope of the green, just imagine which way the water would flow.

Once you determine the slope of the green, pick the line of your putt. Set the club square to the marking point, not the cup. Keep your feet perpendicular to the club face. You want to pretend you are hitting a straight putt to your marking point. It is important to treat all putts as straight putts.

Once you have your marking point and are set to hit the ball, find a closer marking point on the green about 2-3 feet in front of you. This will help minimize error over hitting a long distance putt.