I too have had my share of frustration on the green. For me, it is the puttee not the putter. I have only had 2 putters in my bag over the past 15 years. This is what has helped me: 1. I totally agree with your #1, invest in some lessons and spend some trying to learning to read greens. A gadget like the Sure Putt may help with this (I have not tried it), there was a review done in January '11, here is the link: http://thehackersparadise.com/home/?p=11784. 2. Buy a small pocket-size metronome, or download a similar app for your phone. 3. Make sure I have a small forward press to strike down on the ball (Chapter 1 of The Impact Zone). 4. Practice, practice, practice. The metronome (I got a free app for my iPhone) has really helped me develop a smoother stroke. My tendency is too rush everything, and swing too hard (with every club in the bag). My instructor suggested a specific timing (1 beat on the backstroke, 1 beat forward, strike the putt (beat), hold for the next beat, then look up). Each is that is about 1 second long, this is what use for 10' putts. Longer putts require a longer backstroke, so it might be 2 beats back, 2 beats forward etc. This has really helped me develop a sense of timing and have solid contact with the putter.