All great putters do this 1 thing over the ball, says top instructor

Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

The most dangerous golfers are deadeye putters. When someone can pour it in from all over the green, they’re never out of a hole. And when a great putter gets it rolling, the cup looks like it’s the size of a basketball hoop.

We’ve all seen it happen in pro golf, and likely in your weekend money games, too. There’s no predicting when a day that like will happen — you just have to hope and pray you’re on the right side of it.

Everyone has their own philosophy when it comes to putting, but one thing all great putters have in common is that they nail their setup. Having solid fundamentals before you even pull the trigger is essential if you want to putt with any sort of consistency.

GOLF Top 100 Teacher Dave Phillips has taught a handful of Tour pros, and watched hundreds more. Although he’s seen many different putting philosophies, there is a certain setup trick he says they all use.

What great putters share in common

When great putters are prepping for their turn, they’re always taking in information that informs how the putt is going to roll. Once they settle on the read, they keep their eyes on the intermediate target they want their ball to roll over.

“What they do is once they’ve picked their spot and read their line, they step into the putt, aim the putter at their spot and then keep looking at that entry point while [they] take [their] stance,” Phillips says. “This is a great way to let your body set your eyes to what they see.”

Many amateurs make the mistake of getting into a stance and setup that is square and never changing.

“They look up and don’t like what they see,” Phillips says. “And then rather than adjusting their body, they just adjust the face or move their body, and that leads to inconsistent putting.”

Phillips says he observes great putters moving and adjusting their stance right up until they hit the putt. And that happens because they are reacting to what their eyes are telling them.

“They’ll put it down and line up,” he says. “And then they’ll get comfortable, finally take a grip, take one more look and confirm it’s where they want to be and then they just go ahead and stroke the putt.”