Fifty years in, Tiger Woods has already given golf fans a lifetime of unforgettable moments. From timeless tips that still shape our games to iconic performances forever etched into golf’s history, his effect is undeniable.
With so many Tiger stories circulating through clubhouses and practice ranges, a few inevitably slip through the cracks. One of them found its way to me recently during a putting lesson, and it was too good not to pass along.
Tiger’s key for distance control: “Putting to a picture”
If you’ve ever struggled with distance control on the greens, you’re not alone. Three-putts have a way of plaguing my rounds no matter how much time I spend on the practice green. In search of a lasting fix that would sharpen my feel and help me leave my first putts closer, I turned to Keith Bennett, an instructor at McCormick Ranch Golf Club. During our lesson, he shared some of the best putting advice I’d heard in a while. The tip he gave was a simple concept originally shared by — you guessed it — Tiger Woods.
In an old clip where Woods breaks down his approach to putting, he reveals a tip he received from his father when he was just 3 years old and first learning the game.
At such a young age, the concept of distance control was completely foreign to Woods, but his father found a way to make it stick. He told him to putt to a picture.
“What he did was, every look I take from the ball is a “picture,”” Woods says.
By holding that picture in his mind, Woods is able to focus on controlling distance using feel. To lock in that mental image, he takes multiple “photos” throughout his pre-shot routine.
In the clip referenced earlier, he explains that he takes three “pictures” during his practice routine: one before he takes his first practice stroke, one during his second and a final picture just before he pulls the trigger.
“And then all I do is think about putting to the picture,” he says, “And that really helps free up your mind.”
It’s such a simple method that I almost didn’t believe it could work. But another lesson I learned during my putting session was to never doubt the GOAT. By putting to a picture, my mindset shifted away from obsessing over mechanics and toward a freer, more instinctive stroke. With less focus on the technical aspects, my stroke felt smooth and distance control no longer felt forced. I was able to adjust to different lies more easily, and my stroke felt more fluid.
How it helps on pressure putts
Oddly, shifting my focus away from what I thought was most important turned out to be the key to making better putts, especially under pressure — a lesson that clearly resonated with Woods as well.
“When I’m down the stretch in tournaments, when I’m really nervous — it may not look like it, but I’ll tell you what, I get pretty nervous out there — I will go back to that, and I’ll say, “OK Tiger, just putt to the picture, just like pop used to say.”
Which goes to show that success on the course isn’t just about flawless mechanics. Sometimes, it’s about seeing the shot and having the confidence to trust that you can pull it off.
