Putting help (need to start taking it seriously)

I've never had a putting lesson.  Everything I know about putting essentially comes from playing putt putt as a kid.  I've also never really practiced or worried about it too much, because my entire game sucked equally.  Now, it's becoming a serious liability.  Last round I played I hit three GIR that I then proceded to double bogey.  So assuming I'm starting from scratch (in terms of putting) how should I practice? I need a lot of help with distance control, starting the putt on the right line, etc.

Any tips would help, including stuff to do at home on a putting mat.

I too, have been working on putting consistency after a round where I opened up with a 41 (had a triple and double) then hit the first 5 greens in reg on the back nine but three putted them all. It of course ruined my mental game and I managed to only hit one more green that round and three putted it as well.

The one thing I found was that I wasn't maintaining constant grip pressure throughout the stroke and also had a little hip movement. I've been practicing on the steady grip pressure but found I needed to have a firmer grip throughout. When I tried to go with a light grip pressure, I started being inconsistent again. Put an emphasis on getting the clubface square at address as well as your alignment square. Then try to roll your putts over the first 3 feet of your intended line.

You could try putting a piece of masking tape on the flattest rug in your home (make sure the tape is straight) then try to keep the ball rolling on top of the tape.

Good luck.

I was watching a video on golf.com and one of the guys suggested using his putting practice metal yard stick that you could purchase for 35 bucks. His rationale was that by putting the ball on the stick and putting it, you'll see if your stroke was off because the ball would veer off to the left or right. I thought it was a great idea but instead of spending 35 bucks I went to Michaels and bought a metal ruler about 4ft and have been using that along with a new preputt routine and it is helping slowly but surely. Try that out to groove your stroke, it may help.