What are your keys for the shorter putts?

[titaniummd]

I am working on nailing a majority of my short putts (6 feet and in) and 6 to 10 feet.

I read here that many people sink nearly 100% of their 4 or 5 footers. I have found even short putts like 3 feet have been missed - especially, if not taking the time to 'read the putt'.

One of the things I have been try to do is place two clubs along a path of the hole and putt through them. I then progressively stand back, further and further until I am about 15 feet away. It has given me more confidence with regards to the backstroke/speed that I need to hole out.

However, without the rails, I realize my problem is incorrect aim/read. I was really underestimating the break on much shorter putts. I try to find an intermediate target and try to roll the ball over the intermediate target.

I find that I need to read the short putts just like I have to read my long putts.

What are your keys for making the shorter putts?

[golfchief]

Always read your putts no matter what the distance. Don't believe all you read about making almost 100% of the putts from 4-5 feet. thats just not true. people just like to make you think they are better than they are, this is an open forum so always expect alot of BS.

[GolferDot]

I find personally that missing the shorter putts is more psycological then mechanical. ALWAYS use the same routine no matter the length of putt, it helps you to keep concentration. I also find personally that if I am going through a bad patch of putting opening my stance helps, it makes me focus more on aligning the face of the putter to the hole.
I also use a putting drill, I take 3 balls to the practice green and start at 3 feet. I hit the first one soft into the cup, the second one frim and the last one hard. If I can repeat this drill from 3 feet 3 times, I move to 4 feet. It is a great confidence builder but also helps with reading the break of the greens.

[Dub]

One key for me is to stroke through the ball.

I had a tendancy to pop short putts and stop the putterhead just after impact....a timid act that would put the face in bad positions sometimes.

I make sure I stroke through the ball towards the hole. They go with authority and stay on course through the normal rough terrain that surrounds most cups.

[dave s]

golferdotcom's drill is solid. I've been using this starting with 2' putts. Yes, I have been known to miss those on occasion by not taking them seriously enough! I do 2', 3' and 5' putts religiously prior to stepping on the first tee.

This year, I have taken this drill to the next level by taking the 3 balls and hitting them into the left half, center and right half of the hole each time. This compensates for the short put with BREAK.

And as golf chief pointed out, most of us don't make 100% of 5' putts. Lord know I don't! Because of the work I've done on the practice green the last 2 seasons, my make rate at 5' and closer is more than acceptable to me. A miss from 3' or less is very rare for me, but at 5', the putt better be dead straight or it's 50/50 at best!

Definitely try the L/C/R method with your putter from short range. You'll really gain confidence on the green when faced with a short putt with break.

dave

[dragonflyin]

One great tip I received earlier this season was to have the hands slightly ahead of the ball when putting. During short putts, I especially make a note to do this. For me, this promotes a really dominant right-hand only (right-handed) stroke (left hand is on the club more to hold it). Also, I make a point to loosen the grip. This has worked wonders for me, and it has even helped longer lag putts. I used to miss a lot of short ones because I over-analyzed, and put too much pressure on myself to make 5-10 footers.

In terms of reading the putts, I find myself really looking hard for breaks in short putts. Which leads me to doubt the line. I'd be surprised how many short putts are dead center, but I would hit it inside right or left. Again… over-analyzed.

[Mr.Wedge]

Unless the break is severe on those shorties, I like to stroke them firm and take the break out of it. Trying to be too precise with subtle breaks of a short putt can contribute to stroke malfunction.

[Open-Faced Club Sandwedge]

Always read your putts no matter what the distance. Don't believe all you read about making almost 100% of the putts from 4-5 feet. thats just not true. people just like to make you think they are better than they are, this is an open forum so always expect alot of BS.

I agree; all you have to do is watch a professional tournament on TV, and you'll see that not even the best players in the world make all their 5-foot putts. Making nearly 100% at 4-5 feet is too much to expect if you're mortal. Making them more often than not is what I strive for (although I'm sure most everyone in this thread is a better putter than me).

Regarding hitting short putts with a confident stroke, I think something I learned on the pool table (I'm a much better pool player than I am a golfer) regarding soft shots is applicable here: don't take too long of a backswing, and hold the finish until the ball stops rolling. In pool and putting, too long of a backswing for a soft shot means you have to hold your stroke back as you hit the ball, which makes it impossible to hit the ball with confidence. A shorter backswing means you can accelerate the club (or cue) through the ball with positive force, which makes for a much more confident feeling stroke. Also holding the finish has an effect on what you do before you hit the ball. If your brain is prepared to hold the club or cue at the finish position, you're not going to turn or stop as you're making contact. You're going to swing positively through the ball and straight towards that finishing position, which is obviously what you want to do. Holding the finish has the added benefit that if you hit the shot poorly, you can see plainly where your swing finished, and have more information to diagnose what went wrong. -Andrew

[goblue107501]

Unless the break is severe on those shorties, I like to stroke them firm and take the break out of it. Trying to be too precise with subtle breaks of a short putt can contribute to stroke malfunction.

X2. Less than three or four feet the ball never leaves the cup (except in those extreme circumstances) and it is always hit pretty hard. From a short distance, most of the time if it hits the cup it will go in.

[ks8829]

I try to stand taller and make sure that I am swing with my shoulders and eliminate any movement from my hands or wrists. I also check my grip pressure and grip position, I also use a left hand low for about 3 years.

[kc8kir]

I always focus on putting to a spot on the grass. For really short putts, that spot is right in front of the lip. For short putts, it is usually halfway between the ball and the cup. For long putts, I pick a spot about 2 feet in front of the hole, allowing for break. The idea is to turn every putt into a straight putt in your mind and give yourself a precise target. I think a lot of people miss short putts because they focus on the entire cup (or nothing at all) and just expect the ball to go in. Use a precision approach and watch those short putts dive into the cup. I really started improving my putting once I focused on:

A) Reading from behind where binocular vision is most accurate

B) Picking definite spots to roll my ball over

C) Moving the ball back to center in my stance, instead of off my left toe.

D) Trusting my aim once I stood over the ball (for me straight means I feel like I am aimed a bit left - sounds like the full swing doesn't it?)

Thinking about it now, my short game is really the only reason my scores have gone down.

[Redbird]

on short putts i just hit it firm so as to not let the break get a hold of it so much

[Mr Eagle]

Im another one from the hit it firm striaght down the throat school, its a bugger when you miss though

[biscuity]

Left hand always in front of club
Dont break left wrist
Short backswing
Accelerate through the ball
Make sure ball rolls 3 revolutions toward the cup
Hold the followthrough

And don't beat yourself up mentally if you miss. The greens we play on are way bumpier than the one the Pro's play, nobody can make them all.

[FortAsel]

I trying to be the best putter in the world from 3 meters and in (thats about 10 feet) I always play this game when I want to see if I improved. I pick 10/20 distances within 10 ft and place 10/20 balls over those distances. Try and make them all. The best score I've done was about 17/20, but My average is 11/20, which for what I want is not enough.

[TommyD69]

My only thought on short putts...

"If your gonna hit the ball that hard... Don't give the hole away!"

[sonicblue]

With all due respect, there is absolutely no mechanical difference between your stroke/mechanics on a 3' putt vs. a 6', 10' or even 15' putt. Whether you want to hit it hard and take break out, e.g., is a question on every putt, and depends on many factors. As someone else mentioned, short putts are COMPLETELY mental, IMO. The optical illusion of having read a putt from behind, the having it look different when you get up to it sideways, is very strong on short putts. IIRC, this is the "parallax effect," or something, and you have to fight the urge to second-guess yourself.

As with any putt, I will give this advice: read the putt from behind, both sides if you can. Don't spend even as much as 60 seconds; your first read is likely the best you're going to get. Once you pick the line/spot, you have to trust it! Take a practice stroke or two to feel/visualize the speed, then address the ball and go.

I realize this is a leap, but I bet I can safely say that many of us amateurs miss short putts for one main reason: we are ultimately undecided when we make the stroke . Either you have not truly picked and trusted your line, or you just don't really know how hard to hit it.

Putting is, at its heart, a robotic motion. A full swing is long and rhythmic, requiring weight shift, multiple body parts turning and some pretty advanced timing to hit a ball long and straight. Putting has none of that. Imagine yourself addressing a putt. The first step is to move/pivot your body to align the putt. Once that's done, it's done and all that's left is for you to determine how hard you'll hit it. Simple as that. You pull the putterhead back a few inches, release and roll the ball. There's no draw, fade, sidehill lies, divots, etc... to worry about. Read. Align. Trust. Hit. There, I just invented the RATH of putting!

Here's a drill: go to the putting green, no particular target. Throw a ball down and address it. As of that moment, the direction you will hit the ball is already determined. You wouldn't intentionally push or pull a putt, your goal is always to hit it square, so your stance immediately dictates direction. Now, hit the ball. How far is up to you, just hit it. Do not look where it goes. Without moving your feet at all, put another ball down in the exact same place.

Your goal is twofold:
1) Take direction/line out of your mind. You haven't moved your feet. If you set up the putter square (as you always should), your line is - by default - exactly as before, so forget about it.

2) Feel the exact same speed as before. Once you align, this is the only thing you can control, so focus on it intently. With line out of your mind, this shouldn't be too hard.

Hit the putt. How close did you get? Try hitting five in a row, same stance, without ever watching where they go. How closely can you get all five? Was it only speed that separated them, or did you push/pull some? Once you trust your alignment and can feel speed, you can make putts from any distance.

An alternative to this drill which can help with alignment is to read a putt, but purposely aim 2" outside the cup. See if you can consistently roll the ball 18" past the hole, and over that spot 2" outside. Sometimes removing the "stress" of having to make it can free us up. Ultimately, you have to learn how to put it in the hole, of course...

[bzotta]

The key for me with short putts is tempo. What works for me is to count to 4. On one, look at the hole. Two, back down at the ball, three take the club back and on four you should be coming through the ball. I used to miss short putts all the time, and my coach told me to do this and I immediately made 75 straight 4 footers.