A Lesson Learned: Heath Slocum and distance control on putts

August 30, 2009 -- Isn't what we saw this past week at The Barclays what we all love about golf? It's dramatic, it's unpredictable and it's full of great stories within a story. Heath Slocum, a guy who barely qualified to play in The Barclays, who hasn't won a tournament in four years, seems to make everything in sight and holds on to win the first event of the FedExCup series.

Even more surprising, his "out of nowhere win" comes at the expense of the world's no. 1 player who just couldn't seem to buy a putt when it really mattered the most. (Does this sound eerily familiar to what we saw up here at Hazeltine at the PGA Championship a couple of weeks ago?)

Heath Slocum's ability to control his putting led to his first win in over four years. (Photo: Getty Images)

Heath Slocum said after his round that he owed this win to feeling very comfortable on the greens, that his distance control all week was outstanding. Contrast this with many of the players, including Tiger Woods, who stated they never felt at ease on the greens and seemed to uncharacteristically struggle with their flat stick at various times. The knowledge that you can two-putt from anywhere, that most of your par-saving putts are simple tap ins, actually takes pressure off the rest of your game where you don't have to be as precise, and inevitably, you'll strike the ball better. So though it may be a surprise that Heath Slocum came out on top, it is not a surprise at all that the player that felt the most comfortable putting would win the tournament.

As Slocum found trouble off the tee on the 72nd hole, he knew that his lie in the fairway bunker would not allow him to reach the green in two. But there was no despair or anger, all he needed was a chance to make a putt for the badly needed par. His second shot was fine, his third shot - from 102 yards out - was probably not as good as he would like. But it was good enough. And his ability to make the clutch long putt is what we can all look to as a way to improve our own game.

Slocum had a putt that no one can honestly say they expect to make regularly, especially under such intense pressure of the final hole where knowing you miss means you take on Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els and possibly Steve Stricker in a playoff. But Slocum blocked out all of the incidentals and focused on two tasks. All puts are really about two tasks - hitting the ball in the right direction and hitting the ball with the correct speed. And of these two, the correct speed is by far more important. Rarely do you miss a putt ten feet left or right of the hole, but often you can send one by or leave one short by that much.

All week, Slocum held to his plan on the greens. He focused on the line, he didn't take too long and he made solid strokes. I noticed there was not a lot of second guessing on his part, where he stood over the ball and kept looking back to the hole - like so many of us tend to do when we're doubting.

Be confident, be comfortable and stay in the moment. I promise, if your ability to hit putts the correct speed improves, your scores will go down dramatically.