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A Masterful Way to Improve Your Putting

By Brendon Elliott, PGA
Published on

Tsubasa Kajitani of Japan putts on the 18th green during the final round of the Augusta National Women's Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club on April 03, 2021 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

“We are live at the 18th green at Augusta National Golf Club and If this putt goes, they will be slipping on the Green Jacket...”
Let’s face it, if you are a golfer, in any form or fashion, you have played this scenario out at your home course, the local mini-golf track or even on your hardwood floor in your living room, numerous times.
In recent years, Augusta National decided it wasn’t enough to afford only the best male players in the world that opportunity each April. In 2013, boys and girls ages 7-15, through the Drive, Chip and Putt initiative were given the opportunity to roll one in on 18 at Augusta on the weekend. In 2019, with the introduction of the Augusta National Woman’s Amateur, the game’s best female amateurs were given this same opportunity on the hallowed grounds of Augusta National Golf Club.
Now, the question I pose to each of you — Does your putting stroke have what it takes to roll one in under the same pressure those at Augusta will feel over the next week?
With my students, I sometimes use acronyms to help instill concepts or drive thoughts home. In honor of the return of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, or ANWA for short, I would like to play off that ANWA acronym to help you become a better putter...especially under pressure...
Aim
Natural
Watch
Attitude
Aim
Your aim is a critical pre-stroke concept. The problem I see with many golfers however is what they are aiming at. Far too many become fixated with hole and nothing else. In most cases, we are rarely hitting a dead straight putt. That fact will never be more evident than what we will see over the next 9 days at Augusta National. To be a great putter, you must learn to become a great green reader. The best putters learn to focus on the apex point on their intended line to the hole. When you can learn to focus on that point in your putt, the one that is the highest point of the break, you are well on your way to becoming a better putter.
Natural
We often hear from players on the PGA or LPGA Tours that they wished they felt more free or natural with their putting stokes. While technique is important in putting, namely set-up, path and tempo, many golfers become crippled by those concepts. What suffers is the ability to have a free-flowing stroke where the club-head can freely release. When you practice your putting, and while keeping key concepts like set-up, and path in mind, try to make that final thought one of making a free released and flowing stroke toward your intended target.
Watch
There are many things that the great putters do that have really nothing to do with the putter at all. A great example of this is the idea of watching approach shots land on the green and seeing how they react and roll out. This can give you a great deal of information before you even step foot on the putting surface. In addition, learning to observe the topography of the course as you walk up to the green can also aid in making you a better putter. With its rolling terrain, Augusta National is the perfect example of a course that you would want to be “eyes wide open” on as you play.
Attitude
We all know how critical the mental game is. Part of this is the attitude we keep as we play...and especially during the times we are scrambling and not at our best. Of all the aspects of the game, putting really seems to be that area where attitude is everything. It is no coincidence that the best putters in the game would be the first to tell you that they are the best. It is not because they know they are statistically at the top but more so that they genuinely believe that they are the best. Even on their worst day, they still believe they are great putters and know that putts will inevitably fall if they keep making confident strokes.
To recap...as you work on your putting in practice or as you roll the rock as you play, remember the acronym, ANWA... Aim, Natural, Watch, and Attitude. These concepts can truly help make you a better putter.
Brendon R. Elliott, PGA

Sorrento, FL

Brendon Elliott

Director of Instruction, Freelance Golf Writer

[Brendon Elliott, PGA](https://brendonelliott.com/), is an award-winning PGA Professional, player-development coach and nationally recognized golf writer with three decades of experience in the golf industry. As of 2026, he has been a PGA Professional for 17 years and has earned more than 25 PGA Section and Chapter honors for his work in coaching, education and player development. In 2017, he received the PGA of America National Youth Player Development Award. ## Coaching Competitive Teenage Golfers Through [BE A GOLFER](https://beagolfer.golf/home), Brendon specializes in working with competitive teenage golfers who want to improve their performance, better understand their games and prepare for the demands of high school, junior tournament and college golf. His primary focus is [Remote Coaching](https://beagolfer.golf/remote-coaching), which allows him to remain actively involved in a player’s development regardless of location. Rather than relying on occasional lessons or isolated swing fixes, Brendon works with players throughout their competitive journey. His coaching covers much more than the golf swing. Players receive ongoing guidance in structured practice, short-game development, putting, course management, tournament preparation, performance analysis, goal setting and the mental and physical habits required to improve over time. Using video analysis, virtual coaching sessions, performance data and regular communication, Brendon helps each player understand what to work on, why it matters and how to make meaningful progress between practices and tournaments. Brendon accepts only a limited number of in-person students in Central Florida. His priority is building long-term [Remote Coaching](https://beagolfer.golf/remote-coaching) relationships with competitive teenage golfers and their families. The goal is not simply to help a young player hit better shots. It is to help that player become more prepared, more accountable and more capable of navigating everything competitive golf demands. Brendon’s career has included serving as a head golf professional, general manager, college golf educator, career development director, academy owner and longtime junior golf leader. He founded Little Linksters Golf Academy in 2008 and led the organization for more than 16 years before selling the academy in late 2024 and launching [BE A GOLFER](https://beagolfer.golf/home). ## Golf Writing and Media Brendon is also a nationally recognized and prolific golf writer and storyteller. He is the Senior Golf Writer for [Athlon Sports](https://athlonsports.com/author/brendon-elliott) and has written extensively about professional golf, instruction, player development, equipment, golf history and the people shaping the game. His work has also appeared with PGA.com, GolfWRX, PGA Magazine, MyGolfSpy and several other prominent golf media outlets. Through [One More Roll Golf Media](https://onemorerollgolf.com/), Brendon provides editorial content, feature writing, consulting and media services throughout the golf industry. His background as a coach and educator shapes the way he writes, while his work as a writer strengthens the way he coaches. He understands how to explain complicated ideas clearly, ask better questions and connect the technical, strategic and personal sides of golf.