Some Personal Discoveries

I've recently been spending a lot of time putting in the basement with my new Scotty Cameron Circa 62 model no.1 putter (black finish--ooh la la...) and have discovered a sure-fire way to consistently make a nice, smooth stroke through the ball. If I concentrate on having good posture and focus my attention on the tension I'm feeling in the muscles of my lower back, my arms can't help but swing freely away from and back through the ball, producing delightfully solid contact with the ball (almost) every time.
I've also been spending a lot of time hitting balls at the indoor driving range off of artificial turf into a teflon baggie some 85-yards away. Not the ideal learning environment, I admit, but I have made some significant "discoveries" there this winter as well. For one, if I begin to be even slightly self-conscious as to any discomfort or irregularity in the grip of my right hand on the club, I am almost paralyzed to the point of being unable to get the ball off the ground. Its scary, to say the least, because though I'm no professional I like to think of myself as at least a competent amateur player. And when something so minor and seemingly unimportant as the feeling you're receiving from one of your hands on the club is enough to make the swinging action almost impossible it gives you pause for a moment, at least long enough to realize that this game is actually really hard. To make those naughty thoughts go away I first try and concentrate solely on the grip of my left hand, and if that doesn't work I put down the club and go practice putting some more.