Putting is an often underappreciated artform that is hugely neglected by most golfers in their practice regimin. When one considers that almost half of the shots during a round occur on or right around the green, it becomes evident just how important putting is.
When I teach beginners how to play golf, I take them to the practice green immediately and get right into the putting stroke. By doing this, they are starting out with the smallest stroke and getting instant feedback by feeling the clubhead contact the ball with very little chance of 'mis-hits' (thereby building confidence). They also get a quick understanding that golf is a game of feel, and many shots during a round will require much less than a full swing.
I start with explaining the putting stroke itself and the things I believe are sound fundamentals:
> The only motion the body makes during a good putting stroke is the rocking back and forth of the shoulders to get the club head moving on a pendulum (I believe in putting on an arc. Putting straight back and straight through entails some manipulation of the wrists and elbows).
> Any time something else is moving besides the rocking of the shoulders (i.e. wrists hinging, body rocking back and forth, hips turning), the golfer is introducing another one or two pendulums into the mix and thereby making distance control that much harder to obtain.
> The ball should be played right in the middle to just slightly forward in the golfer's stance. This encourages hitting the ball slightly on the upswing (the putter and the driver are the only clubs used that hit the ball on the upswing) and gets it rolling off the club face rather than bouncing. If you were to take your normal putting posture, take the ball and hold it right in front of your left eye then drop it straight down on to the ground, this is the ideal location to play the ball.
> Keep a light grip on the club (even lighter than with other clubs). Hold it just firmly enough so that the club does not sway, or drag during the putting stroke. This encourages 'accellerating through the ball' which is a neccessity. Often times the golfer will second guess how far they've taken the club head back, which leads to decelleration on the downswing and a botched stroke.
> Keep your eyes down until after you've putted the ball towards the hole. Any time the eyes come up early the putter is thrown off it's intended path and the ball veers away from the intended line. This is important with every club but especially the putter. Usually one is in such a hurry to see where the ball went that they lift their eyes and try to immediately watch the ball. A good way to help them keep their eyes down for longer is to tell them to 'look for the black spot that the ball leaves on the green after it is hit' (this is a trick your eyes play on you, because the ball is so bright against the green, when it is hit you can see a 'black spot', or an impression of where the ball was). Looking for this spot will help re-inforce keeping the eyes down longer.
> Use whatever grip feels comfortable. As long as the hands are at least touching (for standard length putters), the palms face each other, and the wrists are kept firm throughout the stroke, the golfer should go with whatever grip feels good in their hands.
> Have a shoulder-width stance and make sure that the body line is always parallel to the target line (this is a good time to briefly introduce the importance of alignment). Make sure they understand 'aiming to the apex of the break' (the spot where the ball stops moving one way and starts moving the other).
> Always play more break than you think you should. Most golfers don't play enough break and never even give the ball a chance as it ends up on the side below the hole (there is a reason why this is called the 'sucker side' and the other side, with the break, is called the 'pro side').
> Favor 'dying the ball at the hole' as opposed to agressively trying to make every putt. This will leave the ball close to the hole instead of way past it (this may seem obvious, but many instructors teach the aggressive approach with the theory that more putts will be made. Many more will be missed on the way back too though). If you can, at least try and miss slightly on the far side so it at has a chance to go in. I like the thought of the ball rolling in just fast enough to tap the back of the cup and rattle in.
> Picture a 'hula hoop' sized hole surrounding the cup for long putts, and have this be your target. This takes a lot of pressure off of getting too wrapped up in the line of the putt and allows the golfer to lag the ball up to the hole in a relaxed fashion. I like taking my practice strokes while looking at the hole for long putts, too, as this helps me get a feel for how hard I want to hit it.
After these fundamentals are introduced, the most important thing to teach about putting is: Distance Control Trumps Aim Control Every Time. This should be stamped on the grip of every beginner golfer's putter. Too often the beginner obsesses so much with reading the line that they neglect to focus on the distance of the putt, or 'how hard they need to hit the ball to get it to stop in a general area'. Therefore, when I begin the lesson on the green, I simply have the golfer putt balls from different distances on the green and instruct them to 'try and get it to stop in the fringe' (you first have to explain what 'the fringe' is of course). I continue with this drill for at least ten minutes, so that they can establish a good feel for distance control. Then, I do a couple more distance control drills with tees before having them try to hit towards the hole.
If an adequate amount of time is spent teaching distance control, the golfer will have a great foundation to build from and progress forward.
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