There’s no better way to end a golf game than to sink the putt. But let’s face it: This can be one of the most difficult techniques to perfect for any golfer. However, there are some things you can do to improve your chances of sinking the putt.

For starters, hold the putter in a relaxed manner giving your shoulders room to move back and forth. Don’t get to uptight about it or else you’re going to impede the smooth flowing motion that should emanate from your shoulder stroke. Make your grip loose enough to hold the putter comfortably. You can tighten it up on the backswing. Set up your stance to the area where you can see the putting line best, but make sure you aren’t too far away from your ball.

Keep your shoulders square to the putting line. Ideally, your shoulders, feet and hips should be square to the line but since not all see the line the same way, there are various (and successful) ways of setting up to sink the putt. You can slightly open your feet or set up with your hips open to the target line. What’s important, however, is to keep the shoulders square to the line.

Even on longer putts, such as those 35-footers, don’t get tempted to add more movement to your stroke as doing so would not only make your shot inconsistent, it would not also give you a maximum degree of control for your putt. Make sure that your arms are in place all throughout the stroke and hold your finish until the ball has sunk in.

Practice with other targets than the golf hole itself. For example, you can use two tees so you create a gate in which to shoot your golf ball. Only a ball that’s hit perfectly will make it through. On the putting green, the hole will appear immensely bigger so you can target it with ease. Moreover, don’t commit the all-too common mistake of flipping your right hand at the ball upon impact. This makes you miss the putt by a long shot.

A final piece of advice: Thoughts count. Don’t sink the putt unless you’re thinking that it will go on in. Your thoughts are very powerful. Unless you believe that you can sink the putt, then you can’t sink it.