By Kim Jeong-kyoo
Korea Times Golf Columnist

As with all other swings, to putt well you need to let your arms hang comfortably from and under the shoulders. This is one of the core ingredients for good posture.

You can allow your eyes to follow the ball to the hole but should maintain your spine at a constant angle during the entire stroke.

Strive for a stroke that is straight-back and straight-through for short to medium putts. This is true for all golfers despite the principle that golfers with upright posture need to stroke on a path that is from inside, straight and inside again.

During the stroke you need to keep your lower body quiet. You'd better make the stroke with your shoulders only by rocking them. To learn the rocking motion, place a 7-iron under your arms with the grip end pointing to the hole. Your goal is to let the grip end of the club move up, stroking the ball.

The only way to facilitate this is to stroke the ball by rocking your shoulders so your left shoulder moves down and up.

Also crucial here is to stay committed to the line you've selected before standing over the ball.

Critical to long putts is rhythm as it underlies the precise distance control. For short putts the direction is of the utmost importance.

For makeable short putts, starting with a square face needs to be your primary concern. It's necessary to square the putter face to your target line at impact. Setting the face square at address facilitates squaring at impact.

Place the putter head behind the ball and align its face to the target line. Then take your grip and stance without moving the putter face from its original position.

Short putts tend to create excessive tension, causing you to make a quick, jerky backstroke. For a smooth stroke you need to stay in motion at address. Tap the putter lightly on the ground and without opening or closing the putter face, start the stroke smoothly with a slight forward press. A smooth start promotes good rhythm throughout the stroke.

To make a square, solid putt you need to keep your body still during the stroke. In particular, you need to keep your head still. When you look up even a fraction too soon, your stroke will be affected. Don't peek and see the result prematurely. Keep your eyes down and listen for the sound of the ball falling into the hole.

For a solid stroke focus on hitting the farthest-back dimple of the ball every time you putt. Zero in on that particular dimple and hit it. Chances are you will strike the ball solidly with the putter moving in and looking at the right direction.

Your stroke will become more consistent as it facilitates solid contact. You can make a solid stroke every time by avoiding chopping down on the ball or overly swinging up through it, which can be done by focusing on the particular farthest-back dimple on the of your ball.

Importantly, solid contact means consistent distance control, which is critical to taking your putting level to the next level.

On short putts, superfluous body movements such as wrist breakdown need to be avoided completely for a solid stroke. However, on longer putts, your body needs to be free to react to the swinging of the hands and arms.

Locking your body and wrists creates an unnatural, robotic stroke with no feel for distance. It's essential that you should allow your wrists to hinge and your upper body to turn as you swing back and through.

Crucial to developing distance control is using the same tempo for every stroke. You need to feel the putter swinging back and through at the same pace. To even out your tempo count ``one'' on the backstroke and ``two'' through impact.