American Dave Stockton was regarded as a great putter during his playing days by many in the golf industry, so here are his thoughts of the essential qualities which separate good putters from the rest of us.
No.1 -- Stop trying so hard. Putting requires the same amount of thought as signing your signature. If you start thinking too much, you will start freezing up. You write your signature in your subconscious and you should try and replicate this in your putting stroke. The typical putter is putting with the left side of his brain instead of the creative right side. Putting is feel.
No.2 -- Just step up and roll it. Think about throwing a dart at a dart board. Putting is like throwing a dart. That hole is our bull's-eye, and the ball is in your hand. All it's going to do is go in there. It doesn't help you to try. If you're putting, don't try. You want to putt with feel.
No.3 -- Take fewer practice strokes and stay in motion to avoid tension.
No.4 -- Pick a spot an inch in front of the golf ball -- literally one inch -- and feel like you're pushing the ball through that spot.
Out of Bounds: A pessimist golfer is one who thinks everybody is as nasty as themselves and hates them for it.