Need help putting...

[Husband]

I shot a 91 today at Greensmere. Pretty well on par with a typical day for me. Here's the kicker:

47 putts

I can't putt to save my life this year.

As silly as it sounds, do they offer putting lessons? I'm doing something wrong.

It was a great day, minus on the greens. I was putting for eagle 3 times, including the par 4 17th on the Black course; I hit the green in one.

[jvincent]

I have to ask, how the hell do you end up with 47 putts?

I have to assume that you are leaving a lot of your first putts either very short or very long.

[Hank Hill]

Wow, that is 11 x 3 putt and 7 x 2 putt. Are you holding your putter upside down?

[Husband]

It was ugly. My driver and irons were bang on. I hit 9 GIR, which for a bogey golfer is amazing.. the flat stick wasnt so flat, I guess.

Does anyone seriously offer lessons? I have 0 confidence on the green this year.

[justsomeguy]

I know that Warren Grant offers putting clinics at both Greensmere and Manderley:

http://www.warrenstotalgolf.com/Clinics.html

[Big Johnny69]

It was ugly. My driver and irons were bang on. I hit 9 GIR, which for a bogey golfer is amazing.. the flat stick wasnt so flat, I guess.

Does anyone seriously offer lessons? I have 0 confidence on the green this year.

I can help you. Not sure where you live, but if you're willing to travel to Kanata/Carp I'd be so inclined to offer up my help. By no means am I a pro, but I believe putting to be one of my strengths and would gladly offer you my insights. Send a PM and we can discuss.

[habsfan]

there is such a thing as a putting lesson, and i took my free clublink lesson on the putting green at hautes plaines,1st lesson Iever took.He adjusted slightly my pitching technique at the same time, one thing he emphasized was routine and confidence around the greens, u gotta envision your chipping/putting line and hit it, its helped me out, my problem lies between my ears, no pro can fix that

[HTN2]

Minimize the damage, you can concentrate on one thing at a time to try and do this.

Firstly, get a putter that HELPS you line up your putts better, then concentrate ONLY on speed, practice it by using four balls in a line out from the hole with the balls at about 4 feet apart each...

If you're on line OR hit your putts the right speed, you're likely to be close to the hole, so help yourself with equipment that helps you get it on line more easily(like a three ball putter or some other design which takes advantage of our natural tendency to line up like objects better than dis-similar objects ie. circles to circles and squares to squares...) then concentrate on getting the speed better.

I've been a terrible putter for quite some time, the first time I broke 80 I had 40 some putts...I'm better now, because of stuff like having a putter which helps me, and working more on speed...

Picture yourself tossing the ball to the hole, try to putt with that feel. Most people, can toss a ball close without any practice at all, but put up all kinds of barriers to that natural instinct once a putter is used...

Putt Like the Pro's by Dave Pelz is good, as is The Putting Bible by him as well, it will inform you completely of the technical side of a good stroke...

[Husband]

I appreciate the help guys! Big Johnny69 I'll send you a PM sometime soon.

I have an Odyssey 2 ball putter that usually does me well, but lately I find that I think my wrists are breaking at the last minute and I push or pull the ball out of nervousness.

Last year my putting was killer... usually 30ish putts a round.

[Hank Hill]

Hmmm. Reading back, you say you are a bogey golfer but hit 9 GIR, maybe the difference is that you were hitting greens but often a good distance from the hole, therefore in 3 or dare I say it 4 putt territory (as the confidence gets shattered). Normally I bet you hit about 3 or 4 greens a round, but you chip or pitch it into 1 or 2 putt territory. It is typical of golf that improving one part (your irons) can have a detrimental effect on another (putting, confidence on the greens).

Looks like you should go find a practice green somewhere and practice lagging the ball to 3 feet, really work on speed. Once you get your feel back and confidence you may even find you hit your irons closer as you are under less pressure to put the ball into 2 putt territory.

Last year my putting was killer... usually 30ish putts a round.

See, you are already a good putter, you just need to get your feel/confidence back.

Good luck.

[Weazl]

Agreed. Putting is usually one of my strengths and it comes down to confidence and feel.

Go minigolfing, go toa range with a putting green, use your carpet, but do something where you practice speed and feel for as long as you need too. It will help. Use the marks on the bal to line up your putts to. Once you find your line, bend down to line up your ball and put the markings on the ball pointing towards where you targetted, then the line is done you just need the speed. Good luck!

[goley]

To be a good putter you need to do three things

1. be able to read a green
2. be able to aim at your aiming spot
3. be able to control your speed

Go see a pro that can help you with those three things and instead of banging balls at the range hit the putting green. Also make sure you have a putter that has the right lie, lenght and loft for you.

[jvincent]

goley you must be an announcer for NBC because as they are famous for saying, "If he hits this putt online with the right speed, it will go in."

Of the three you mention, #3 is, IMHO, the most important and is the biggest flaw I see in truly horrible putters. Leaving putts 8-10 feet short or bombing them 8-10 feet by the hole all day is going to kill you.

[leftylucas]

i say get fitted first to make sure the putter is the right length and lie for your stroke, the rest is practice and confidence. No use making a good stoke on the putter and yank it left because of the lie angle?

[Fallys0820]

i say get fitted first to make sure the putter is the right length and lie for your stroke, the rest is practice and confidence. No use making a good stoke on the putter and yank it left because of the lie angle?

Although I don't really disagree with what Lefty is saying here, having the proper stroke would be far more helpful than being fitted. Once your stroke is sound, then worry about the length, etc.

Isao Aoki used to hit almost every putt with the heel of his putter and was quite a renowned putter.

I have only played 3 rounds this year, but my putter has kept me in most of them. As poorly as I struck the ball at Marshes, I putted really well. The two rounds I played at Meadows were pretty fantastic putting as well. I didn't make everything, but I have hit virtually every putt exactly where I thought I had to.

Let us know where you were having your difficulties and I'm sure we could straighten you out! (Long, short, off line, etc.)

Better luck in the future,

Fally
aka Scott

[leftylucas]

But how can you know you have the proper stroke if your putter set-up is making you miss? I agree the stroke is vastly more important but a fitting takes 15 minutes, costs $20 and then you have all the time to work on your stroke.

[fundonny]

So if you only had, say 30 putts, you would have shot a 74?????????

[Husband]

So if you only had, say 30 putts, you would have shot a 74?????????

Oh rub it in why don't you. Yes, it was quite simply the round of my life. Every drive hit fairways... most irons hit the green. It was a fun round of golf.

As far as where my biggest opportunity is, I'd say it's in the short putts (upto 5 feet). My lag putts were not terrible, and only a couple times was I putting further than 10 feet on my second putt. My problem is the "tap ins" lol They don't get tapped in

I think I have a mental problem. I think too much and the putter face moves around and does not strike the ball straight at impact.

Thanks a lot guys. I really think it's just a matter of hitting the putting green for a few hours.

[Husband]

OK, so here's a question:

Pretend the think lines are the putter face at the 3 main points of the putter stroke. Which colour most closely represents a proper stroke?

I don't think I've ever had anyone teach me this.

[sillywilly]

you need a superstroke grip or a belly putter

[sillywilly]

OK, so here's a question:

Pretend the think lines are the putter face at the 3 main points of the putter stroke. Which colour most closely represents a proper stroke?

I don't think I've ever had anyone teach me this.

i'm def the first one

[Weazl]

Silly's response to everything is " Getr a belly putter". Hey, yesterday I drove the ball into the woods all day, get a belly putter he would say. Joker!

[stevek]

Watched Fred Couples putt with his putter sideways on TSN at the skins game last night. He was putting from off the rough/fringe of a green and didn't want the grass to affect his putter alignment which in his opinion was more important than a wider putting surface. It proved the importance of perfecting a completely square alignment in your putter face and stroke.

I practice this by putting 3-5 foot putts left handed with the curved back of my putter. It forces you to make sure you have perfect alignment and straight line stroke. (Putting left or right shouldn't change your stroke)

I have found my putting has improved.

[TheBud]

I had a very similar game last weekend, 89 with 43 Putts........ Almost turned my Scotty into a helicopter...

My max this year before that was 34. Needless to say I've been at the practice greens all week.

[justsomeguy]

OK, so here's a question:

Pretend the think lines are the putter face at the 3 main points of the putter stroke. Which colour most closely represents a proper stroke?

I don't think I've ever had anyone teach me this.

Either #1 or #2 is good (#4 looks identical to #1 BTW).

Picture #1 would be the Stan Utley method of inside-to-square. Its not my choice but many people prefer it. My take on it is that it involves swinging the putter with the arms around the body similar to a regular swing, and it relies a lot on "feel" to get the proper speed for the putt. A heel-shafted putter seems to be better suited to this style.

Picture #2 is the Pelz method of straight-back-and-thru, AKA the "pendulum" style. Its what I use and it is generally more common. The arms and hands remain fairly passive - you basically move the putter by rocking your shoulders. The speed is usually determined by the length of your backswing, but personally on longer putts I prefer to keep the backswing to a maximum of 6" and putt by feel with my hands. A centre-shafted putter is better suited to this style.

Personally I don't make a ton of putts because I'm not good at reading greens, but OTOH it is very rare for me to 3-putt. I'm very good at judging the correct speed - which IMHO is 10x more important than judging the correct line - so I consistently range from 30-34 putts per round even though I have a very sub-standard short game. So if I were you I would really concentrate on speed first, and set an intermediate goal of going through your rounds without a 3-putt.

[goley]

I would say #1 would be the correct stroke.... of all the data taken by many teachers/ putting labs nobody putts straight back and straight through with a perfectly straight putter face... Go find a bench and put the bottom of the shaft of the putter up against the bench and try to keep the shaft in contact with the bench. You will see that the putter head will make a small arc and the faces should stay square to the arc. Good luck.... Oh yeah confidence is also important...

[little brit]

Given I have the same problem as you, I will watch this thread with interest I have had many rounds scoring between 86 and low 90s with well over 40 putts. I have tried everything.

Funnily enough, my game has been pretty off this year as I haven't been out much, but my putting has really improved. I have been making some ridiculously long putts. I seem to have more trouble with the short ones, the yips I am sure. Weird.

[breaker]

Putting for me has been great this year, but the rest of my game has gotten worse with every round...... Yesterday I 1 putted 9 holes (3 over 10 feet and one 40 footer). Only 3 putted once. Thing is, I ended up shooting 118. Ughhh....

As for your putting... the one tip that helped me the most is to keep your head perfectly still. Of course you need to read the green and find a point to aim at ( the close to the ball the better), but DO NOT MOVE YOUR HEAD, stare down at the balls starting position until well after the ball has left the face of your putter.

GOOD LUCK!

[haligolfer]

I read Stan Utley's putting book - his technique helps for feel. He preaches a stroke that arcs, as opposed to straight back and through. I am much better at distance now, about the same on line.

And keep your head still...

[Slicer&Dicer]

Dear Husband:

The two most important things of putting are the same as any other golf shot, club head path (i.e. the stroke) and the face angle at impact.

Before taking lessons or checking your fit, I'd say go find somewhere (a putting green, your carpet, office) where you can do a relatively straight putt of 1 ft, 2 ft 3 ft, 4 and 5 ft.

If you cannot make these straight putts reliablly (or hit a fake putting hole or whatever your target is), then you most likely have problems with your path (i.e. stroke) or face angle or the putter is not fitted for your properly OR you have issues aiming correctly at a target and need to train your eyes. And if you cannot reliably make a two ft. straight in putt, then tap ins will always be a problem.

Here are some tips that have help.

1) Practice 1 ft tap ins till you make 10 in a row from a realtively straight putt. Might sound silly to most, but you need to do this reliably before you can make any tap in breaking putts reliably. When successful, go on to longer lengths. Practive these so that you can make them but not just so that they barely fall into the cup, make them fairly agressive - You need to get the ball to the hole. If you can't make these putts, go see someone for help ASAP. Watch the pros putt these short ones on TV, they don't just barely touch them, they are aggressive unless the speed and slope are extremely quick. Being tentative on these short putts only allows them to go offline, according to Dave Pelz we need to make a stroke to make the putt go approx 12 inches past the hole inorder to keep the putts on line over foot marks, ball repairs, etc. However, on short putts this might be a little over kill but we still need to be firm. You can hit a short putt fairly hard and if it is in the middle of the cup it will go in. Experiment with this and you might be surprised.

2) Once you decide which line to putt on, be COMMITTED to that line!
I sometimes second guess myself during my backstroke. I don't see the line completely when looking down the ball line while croaching, so I don't line up a line (I don't use a line in the ball) as I only make my final decision on my putting line until I get over the ball. I do this because I find I see breaks in the green ahead of the ball better when I am standing over the ball. Then I sometimes second guess my line while I am stroking the putt which is major NO NO. Pick a line and stick with it, this is only a putt, you are not putting for a major and no one's life is as stake.

3) The general method of modern day putting is to rock the shoulders to move the arms and keep the wrists from breaking down. If your wrists break down, which I still do ocassionally when I get anxious over a putt, it can cause the face angle to change and make the putts off line so you have almost no chance of making a putt. You need to check for your wrists breaking down.

4) You might need help reading greens, seeing slopes is not that easy and I believe mostly comes from experience, although a local PGA professional should be able to help with this. You need to find putting greens that have slopes to practice. Also, one good way to practice this is to find a course and play late in the evening (at almost their last tee time), when not many folks are around. The idea here is practice on the greens as you play liesurely without holding up folks. Then you can read putts from one side of the hole, then the opposite side, look at mounds on the greens, then hit a putt and see what happens, but remember the harder you hit the putt the less slope it will take. Then you can practice several putts from a given spot on a green to see if you can make any of them or not and how far they finish from the hole.

5) If your lag putting is bad, then practice it. Often we complain about things and do not look for help or practice them because we don;t know how. Simply practice 10 ft, 20 ft, 30 ft lags putts and compete with yourself trying to get them within a 3ft range of the hole. I am not great at this but I don't expect my lag putting to ever really improve if I don't practice it.

6) If your first putts on greens are all from 30 ft away, then perhaps you also need lessons to get your approach shots closer which helps take pressure off the putter.

7) Establish some kind of putting preshot routine, practice it and use it when you play. You don't need to read every putt from every conceivable angle and then 5 putt from two ft, but you need to find someway of being fairly comfortable over the ball, take a deep breath or two, take a pratice putt or two, stay relaxed and hit the putt, Sounds easy but when putting for Eagle we tense up, why? Because we are not used to it! It's only a putt, if you miss it, so what. You need to stay relaxed (I think) more so in putting than in other areas.

8) There are really no GIMMES in golf. Some folks say "Oh yeah I usually break 80 or 70 but they take gimmes all the time, then when they play with someone who doesn't or in a tournament they shoot a lot higher because they are not used to putting the short putts.

9) A lot of folks talk about rythm and timing, etc. This applies to the putter as well. If you take the putter away too quick and then bring it back very quick, then chances are you are making the putter head go off the intended path at impact or the face angle is going off. A nice smooth back and forth is a lot easier to repeat then a jerking motion that is very quick. I have tried to adopt this to my driver and it really seems to have helped lately.

10) You might be taking the putter back way too far and then decelerating before impact so that you don't hit it way past the hole. Decelerating is a killer. On shorts putts, you just need a little back and accelerate smoothly through the ball.

11) You need to practice, play and practice. There are no short cuts in golf, in putting. If you play once a month don't expect too much from yourself, be realistic.

12) Don't wast a lot of time and money on different putters if your technique is bad, as no putter will help unless it has an auto pilot feature.

Also, I am not a great putter but I have improved this year I believe by trying to be comiitted to my intended line and trying to make a smoother stroke.

Sounds like you have a lot of potential for some great scores if you are able to make some progress with your putting.

Putting is a game of inches, sometimes the ones between our ears. Gain a little confidence and it can go a long way.

These are just some of my thoughts on the subject, there are books, videos, etc. and the folks here are very very knowledgable.

I truly believe that most if us amateurs really undervalue putting (including myself).

Putting doesn't seem as sexy as a well struck drive, but on the card it is just as important to make that 6 inch putt.

Good luck.