PGA Tour star labelled ‘the best putter in the world’ shares his number one tip for amateur golfers on the greens

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There is a reason Patrick Cantlay once labelled Denny McCarthy the best putter in the world without exception.

Denny McCarthy is actually yet to win on the PGA Tour during his career. However, some will probably suggest that it is only a matter of time before he does get across the line, particularly with 2024 proving to be the first time that he has played all four majors in the same year.

And of course, the biggest strength within his game is on the greens. McCarthy finished first for strokes gained putting on the PGA Tour in both 2019 and 2020. Meanwhile, he was first for putting on tour in 2024, according to the tour’s website.

Patrick Cantlay told The Golfer’s Journal last year that McCarthy is unquestionably the best in the world in that area of the game. So there are not many players who would be better to take advice from.

Denny McCarthy shares his number one tip for amateurs when putting

Of course, most amateurs are searching for that secret on the greens which will elevate their putting; eliminating many of the three-putts as well as making them much more prolific inside 10 feet.

And when asked for the number one tip he would give amateurs about putting, McCarthy suggested to Subpar that focusing on putting the ball in the hole when you are standing over a putt may not be the way to go.

“I’d say pick something close by to aim at and then focus on that, something close by, not near the hole, something you can track closer to you and use whatever that is. I’m not very mechanical so I’m not going to throw out a mechanical tip, I’m just going to say visualise the arc around the spot essentially. And I like it typically to be closer to me than the hole,” he said.

“It’s easier for me to aim at something closer to me than farther away. It’s worked really well for me, it should work well for a lot of people, but some people don’t see things the same way as me. But I would say use something close to you to aim at and track the arc around that.”

The common putting advice Cam Smith labelled a myth

While McCarthy is the best putter on the PGA Tour, many golf fans will suggest that it is Cam Smith who is number one on LIV Golf. The Australian has what appears to be the most aesthetically-pleasing putting stroke, which inspired his win at the 2022 Open Championship.

And interestingly, Smith suggested in a LIV Lessons video that there is a myth about putting which he benefitted from moving away from.

“Probably the best advice I’ve ever received, I used to hold the putter quite softly and that led to maybe some not so good activation and setup stuff, so I actually got told to hold the putter a little bit tighter, and as silly as it sounds, activate the right muscles. And from there, the putter just swings on itself so stop holding the putter so soft, it’s a myth,” he said.

Putting is obviously the part of the game which should be easiest to get right technically – particularly for amateurs who will not have the same access to the technology which helps with the full swing.

However, anyone who has stood over any sort of meaningful putt over the years will know that all the best advice in the world can count for little when any sort of pressure starts to creep in. Nevertheless, plenty will take encouragement from learning what the likes of McCarthy and Smith tend to do.