In the last column we talked about reading greens. Now let's talk about what occurs after we have determined the read.

The goal of every putt you hit is to start the ball on the desired line and at the correct speed. This gives the you the best chance to hole each putt you hit - but, even if this goal is accomplished, there are still other factors that can affect whether the ball goes in the hole or not.

The condition of the green, including any present footprints (which is why it is so important to walk with care on the greens) and ball marks (which is why we should repair all ball marks), as well as wind can all have an effect on a perfectly stroked putt.

Having chosen the starting line of the putt, the speed control of the putt and the read of the green, the player now must execute a stroke that will cause the putt to roll as desired. Easier said than done, of course, even when talking about the best players in the world.

However, it's not uncommon to see a TOUR Professional today go four rounds of a tournament and not miss a single putt inside of five to seven feet (see Tiger Woods' performance at the 2007 PGA Championship, for one example). Considering all the factors that go into putting, from reading the greens to executing the proper stroke, this is an amazing feat of skill over a relatively long period of time, under difficult and ever-changing conditions.

If I could stress one thing to you today over anything else, it would be this: average players will do more to lower their scores by putting more like the Professionals than by hitting longer drives. Keep that in mind when you are heading to your local practice facility and considering how you want to spend your time.

With that said, let's talk about a good practice drill to improve this most important scoring skill. Take four balls and go to the putting green. Place a ball in four different positions three feet (or one putter length) away from the cup. Now line up and putt each ball. If you miss, replay the putt from the same spot. Then repeat the above exercise from four, five, six and seven feet away from the cup. This will give you a "par" of 20 putts.

At the end of the exercise, add up the actual number of putts it took you to complete the 20 attempts (and yes, you can miss more than once from the same spot). In a four-round event players face 50 or more of these length putts. To be at TOUR level, your score would have to be somewhere between 20 and 25. Keep track on your progress so you can see how this would improve your score on the course.

Week in and week out, the winners on the PGA and LPGA Tours are determined by who makes their putts consistently through four rounds. With practice, along with some expert help from a PGA Golf Professional, you can work toward the putting consistency that you will need to lower your scores and perhaps win some tournaments of you own.

As always, if you need help in locating a PGA Golf Professional near you who offers instruction programs, clinics or league play, turn to www.PlayGolfAmerica.com, your local golf search engine.

Until next time, here's to better golf!

Rick Martino is Director of Instruction for The PGA of America. He teaches at the PGA Learning Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and is ranked among the Top 50 instructors by Golf Digest Magazine. The author of the PGA Manual of Golf (Warner Books/$34.95), Martino can be reached at (800) 800-GOLF or by email at pgalearningcenter@pgahq.com.