There are two well known school's of thought when it comes to putting.1."Never up,never in" and 2."let the ball die at the hole." "Never up,never in"may work well on slow greens,but will be responsible for many three putts on fast greens. With the 'Never up, never in' the ball has only one door open...the front.The "Die at the hole"has three doors it can enter:Front and both sides.

A good putter learns to read the greens by contour,speed,texture of the grass and the grain.Knowing the effect these have on putts will help to improve the stroke.
It's important to know where the sweet spot is on the putter face.To find the sweet spot let the putter hang freely,holding it by the tip end of the grip with the thumb and forefinger,tapping the face with a ball until you find the spot where there is no vibration.

Improve your putting skills by practicing to a smaller target, such as another ball or golf tee placed on the green.It will make the regular cup seem large in comparision and should improve your accuracy.Practice putts from three feet from the hole until you hole ten in a row and then move back to six feet and repeat.

In reading the green scan the whole green as you are approaching it.From this distance you get an accurate view of the whole green as for contour.It will be easier to tell the break between the ball and the hole.Once on the green sight from both sides and from hills and towards water and lakes.Waling on the green will tell you the firmnest or softnest of the green as well.

Check the grass while sighting the line.The ball will travel faster on fine or close cut turf when the grain is with you.A cross grain will curve the ball in the direction of the grain.Also, check the area around the cup.That is where the ball will have the most break at the critical moment of your putt.Speed affects the break.Your first judgement on speed and break is usually the best.The longer you stand over the ball the more tension builds up.Once you make up your mind don't second guess yourself.