Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game improvement column that will help you play smarter and better golf.
With this year’s Royal Liverpool Open looming, Cameron Smith has his sights set on becoming the first repeat champion since Padraig Harrington in 2007 and 2008.
Sure, the 29-year-old Australian has a solid all-around game, but one of his secret weapons has always been his status, as he is generally regarded as one of the best players in the world. He showed it during his major title last year at St Andrews, where he set an unofficial PGA Tour record with a 255-foot putt during the second round.
But what makes Smith’s position so much better than his peers? He goes into detail in the video above, revealing some of his favorite tendencies that could also be replicated by even the most average golfer.
Cameron Smith posture tips
One of the first things you’ll notice about Smith’s putting routine is his confidence. Instead of reading the hit and taking some practice runs, he uses his keen intuition to get a sense of how the ball moves—and imagines it moving every time.
“I wouldn’t say I work a lot on my beat,” he says. “I don’t do a stroke, so I like to kind of visualize it and feel it a lot, rather than feeling it through body movement. I think I like to just visualize it.”
This is a unique approach, which Smith said uses a combination of AimPoint mixed with traditional green reading.
“I use my feet a little bit,” he says. “I think I’m kind of halfway between AimPoint and a traditional reader for the green. Just spend a little more time on the green and try to see that ball go on the top side of the hole.”
Smith makes sound setting as simple as riding a bike, saying the most important aspect for him is repeating the same setup before every stroke. This is where a training utility (mirror mode) to help him lock.
“For me, I like to do the same thing every time I’m on the golf course,” he says. “The first thing I do is hit my mirror on the green and make sure the setup is the same as it was before.”
So if you’re a player who struggles with swinging thoughts, tension and anxiety on the playing surface, it might be worth trying Smith’s approach – document the pre-shot process, lock up and visually see the ball.
“I don’t really know how to explain it,” he adds. “I take a really long look at the hole before I putt and I see that ball drop over the edge and I just hit it.”
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