iPing putting app

[The_Pharaoh]

+5.6 today!

[Beachcomber]

Hey Pharaoh, since you're using this app regularly. Can you comment on this...

My tempo is 1.9/1.  Do you think it is better to have a shorter back swing?  Just curious since you (or anyone else who is) seem to be regularly using this iPing app.

I was talking to a guy the other day about my putting and he said you should say "Ernie Els" and have already completed the stroke by the time you said his name.  Just wanted to get some feedback on that.  That seems more like a 1:1 type of stroke than a 2:1.

I'm kind of at my witts end here... I had to go buy this iPing cradle because I'm sucking with my putting.  I played 36 holes and shot 86 (36 putts) and 83 (41 putts) on greens that were running close to 12 on the stint.  I also went and picked up a Winn Jumbo putter grip (blue) and replaced my old Ping grip on my Redwood Piper S 303.  At this point, I'm willing to try anything to get my putting to where it needs to be (Aimpoint is next - then an Edel fitting!?!).

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

Hey Pharaoh, since you're using this app regularly. Can you comment on this...

My tempo is 1.9/1.  Do you think it is better to have a shorter back swing?  Just curious since you (or anyone else who is) seem to be regularly using this iPing app.

I was talking to a guy the other day about my putting and he said you should say "Ernie Els" and have already completed the stroke by the time you said his name.  Just wanted to get some feedback on that.  That seems more like a 1:1 type of stroke than a 2:1.

I'm kind of at my witts end here... I had to go buy this iPing cradle because I'm sucking with my putting.  I played 36 holes and shot 86 (36 putts) and 83 (41 putts) on greens that were running close to 12 on the stint.  I also went and picked up a Winn Jumbo putter grip (blue) and replaced my old Ping grip on my Redwood Piper S 303.  At this point, I'm willing to try anything to get my putting to where it needs to be (Aimpoint is next - then an Edel fitting!?!).

It doesn't matter what your tempo is as long as it is consistent. I've given lessons to golfers with 1.4/1 and 3.0/1 and both putt very well. The key is to always be 1.9/1 or whatever and not change from one putt to the next. The reasoning is that having a consistent tempo will help you with your distance control. I'm usually between 1.9-2.1/1 and struggle when my tempo gets too quick. I notice this out on the course with long putts. I lose my rhythm and start belting the putts too hard.

I'm all for Aimpoint and the Edel putters look like a good bet.

[MiniBlueDragon]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

Hey Pharaoh, since you're using this app regularly. Can you comment on this...

My tempo is 1.9/1.  Do you think it is better to have a shorter back swing?  Just curious since you (or anyone else who is) seem to be regularly using this iPing app.

I was talking to a guy the other day about my putting and he said you should say "Ernie Els" and have already completed the stroke by the time you said his name.  Just wanted to get some feedback on that.  That seems more like a 1:1 type of stroke than a 2:1.

I'm kind of at my witts end here... I had to go buy this iPing cradle because I'm sucking with my putting.  I played 36 holes and shot 86 (36 putts) and 83 (41 putts) on greens that were running close to 12 on the stint.  I also went and picked up a Winn Jumbo putter grip (blue) and replaced my old Ping grip on my Redwood Piper S 303.  At this point, I'm willing to try anything to get my putting to where it needs to be (Aimpoint is next - then an Edel fitting!?!).

You need to figure out whether your putting sucks because you're not starting the ball on the intended line, or you're not putting to the correct pace, or you're not reading the greens correctly. Find out where the inconsistency lies and you can address the problem.

Saying "Ernie Els" I don't think will give a great deal of luck to be fair as it can be said slow or fast or slow and then fast etc. I always think of "the frog song" for my putting as it's always a consistent beat and the same pace in my mind (more or less). Maybe a music track with a clear beat that brings consistent pace to your putts will be good?

AimPoint is quite frankly amazing, however it will make little to no difference if you're constantly putting on the wrong line or constantly inconsistent with your pace. Practice both of those over and over and over again to get good with them and then AimPoint will blow your mind.

I have that Winn grip in black and it's lovely. It's added so much more consistency to my putting as it helps to eliminate any type of wrist action I've accidentally added to putts.

[Beachcomber]

50% GIR... 32 putts today for a 79. I only put my stats up because I really felt like my putting was solid. No 3 putts... And I worked with this iPing app this week and felt like I had the best putting round I've had in ~ 20 rounds. I highly recommend this app.

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

50% GIR... 32 putts today for a 79. I only put my stats up because I really felt like my putting was solid. No 3 putts... And I worked with this iPing app this week and felt like I had the best putting round I've had in ~ 20 rounds. I highly recommend this app.

Good going! Keep at it, it may be gimmicky but it serves a purpose. I use it now and again to ensure what I feel is real. The key for me though is to make sure I am as close to perfectly aligned as possible.

[Stretch]

Gave myself a checkup today with the newish putting setup: 38" putter, arms drawn up to the sides more, consciously staying connected. Nothing wrong with the numbers or the roll. First four went in, last one horseshoed. Feel like I really should be making more putts out on the course -- either my aim is off or my reads are off or my stroke is failing under pressure.

[Beachcomber]

Ok... So a month ago - I was so frustrated with my putting that I wanted to throw my putter in the trash.  Not so fast!!  Here is a quick update on what I did.

1.) Purchased the iPing cradle ($30) - and downloaded the free app onto my iPhone.

2.) I re-gripped my putter - going from the standard pistol grip found on the Ping Redwood - to the Winn Jumbo (~ $10).

3.) Purchased the Putting Alley ($49.95 + shipping $15) - see my review here: http://thesandtrap.com/products/the-original-putting-alley/reviews/4258

4.) Read Unconscious Putting by Dave Stockton & Matthew Rudy (available on iBooks or Amazon for download at $12.99)

So I've invested a little over $100 to try and find what the hell was wrong with my putting stroke.  I'm happy to say that after hours and hours of practice per week... I've been mainly putting on the 'Putting Alley' on the 1/2" alley side until I make 100 putts (usually takes me about 30 to 35 minutes now to complete)... I really am putting like a machine now.

Here is my latest iPing putting handicap after testing it tonight at the practice facility:

Now I know some have said that they felt this wasn't a great putting aid... But I'm telling you... This combined with some of the other items I've been using to get me in the right frame of mind has been amazing.  My birdie putts aren't really up all that much... But my scrambling % has been a lot higher the last several rounds.  I'm really excited to see this type of improvement in my putting.  I highly - HIGHLY recommend these tools.

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by Stretch

Feel like I really should be making more putts out on the course -- either my aim is off or my reads are off or my stroke is failing under pressure.

How many 10 ft putts do you have in a round? Your PHDCP is from 10 ft, but you'll find you have many more longer and shorter putts during your average round.

Take the handicap test from different distances too. See if you are still +4.2 from further out.

[darkhunter139]

I really want to try this but I don't see how I will be able to get a consistent tempo adding the extra weight of the phone/cradle and removing it often.  For those of you using it do you find this to be a big problem?

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by darkhunter139

I really want to try this but I don't see how I will be able to get a consistent tempo adding the extra weight of the phone/cradle and removing it often.  For those of you using it do you find this to be a big problem?

It's 150 grams and yes that does make a difference, but not so much that you can't trust the results. I'm pretty sure my results are similar with or without the extra weight.

[Beachcomber]

Originally Posted by The_Pharaoh

It's 150 grams and yes that does make a difference, but not so much that you can't trust the results. I'm pretty sure my results are similar with or without the extra weight.

I agree.  You can notice a difference... Especially if you practice a lot of putting with it on... Then take it off.  You'll pick up the subtle differences in taking it on and off.

But it helps you understand your putting stroke, and then builds confidence.  Plus it helps stimulate your brain when practicing as just sitting on the green and banging putts over and over can get monotonous.  This helps eliminate some of that - and keeps you focused on improving your PHcp.

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

But it helps you understand your putting stroke, and then builds confidence.

I know the iPing is not everybody's cup of tea, but I'm loving it! Prior to using it I wasn't 100% sure what I was doing, although I suspected I was opening the clubface on impact. Knowing I was doing this consistently between 0.5 and 1.5 degrees while maintaining a very straight path has given me tons of confidence out on the course. I was already a very good putter, but having this extra knowledge has helped me improve even further. Initially I tried to get the face to 0 degrees at impact but only succeeded in closing the face too much and my putting went downhill. The moment I accepted my natural tendency and started aiming further left to counteract this I started holing more putts.

[daxc]

So I'm starting to use the iPing a bit (practiced for about 45 minutes on my lunch break today) and I just want to make sure I have this right. The only thing this is going to help me with is consistency, right? Meaning, my slight arc (5.1) and closed face (.4-1.7) and tempo (1.7-2.0) are pretty much the way I putt and iPing will help me keep up with that number? I took a measurement, ended up at something crazy like 15.1 consistency, then hit 10 foot practice putts for a long while, then took another measurement (11.4). I think I should probably take a putting lesson to make sure that I'm not doing anything just horribly before I work with this thing too much, right?

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by daxc

So I'm starting to use the iPing a bit (practiced for about 45 minutes on my lunch break today) and I just want to make sure I have this right. The only thing this is going to help me with is consistency, right? Meaning, my slight arc (5.1) and closed face (.4-1.7) and tempo (1.7-2.0) are pretty much the way I putt and iPing will help me keep up with that number? I took a measurement, ended up at something crazy like 15.1 consistency, then hit 10 foot practice putts for a long while, then took another measurement (11.4). I think I should probably take a putting lesson to make sure that I'm not doing anything just horribly before I work with this thing too much, right?

Correct, the iPing's rating is based on your consistency. It helps you understand your putting stroke. If your rating is between 11.4 and 15.1 then you are not very consistent across the 5 balls at 10 feet. Check the details of each ball to see where the inconsistency lies. FWIW, I think you need to work on your tempo as there is a big difference between 1.7 and 2.0/1. The arc and closed face are OK.

[Dewdman42]

I just tried this app for 15 sessions or so and settled into a Phdcp that is floating up and down between 2.5 to 3.5.  I consider that pretty good, especially compared to the pros.  Ha my scores don't reflect that, so I know I need to work on other aspects more, such as green reading, lining up and distance control.

I think this is a very valuable training device if used the right way.  I do not think its good to groove in your putt strokes with this device attached, due to the weight.  You should do much much more practice with it detached.  But when you are ready to break down your swing and get into the nitty gritty of what you're doing with your stroke and what that results are, its extremely valuable to have it attached.  I was starting to get pretty good at feeling what I did before looking at the display.  But most importantly, I could do a putt that was outside my desired parameters, get the feedback that it was off, then think about what aspect of my stance or swing I needed to focus on in order to correct it, then take another swing and see/feel the result.  This is extremely invaluable, AS LONG AS, you know the fundamentals and biomechanics that are related to putting so that you can take the results and make proper changes.

Once you have worked on that for a while, then go out without the device and try to groove it in for a while without the device, but your awareness of the biomechanics and the results of those biomechanics will increase a lot by working with this device.

TEMPO

I don't even have to think about tempo,  mine is very consistent 1.8-1.9.  Consistency is all that matters here.

IMPACT ANGLE - my goal, 0 - 1.0 degree range.

I could get a feel for what it means to close my putter face down to zero, or actually for me I found around 1.0 degree impact angle to be what I could do most consistently.  But I could also tell that when I was lazy about certain things it was very easy to see higher numbers of impact angle.  If I wasn't using this device I don't think I would have even realized.  But having this device on got me to become much more in tune with what it "feels" like to hit the putter square or closer to square under 1 degree.  After a while I could tell without looking at the display when I over did it and went closed negative impact angle or when I was lazy and hit it open.  I guess for me about 1 out of 10 shots I tend to have an overly open face, maybe 1 out of 50 go overly closed.  But I can feel it now.

SWING PATH - my goal - around 4.0 - 5.0 degrees (considered slight arc)

The swing path is harder to feel what I did, but the device measurements told me.  But I could usually correct the next swing and I was getting better and better and consistently getting in that 4-5 degree range of swing path.  I became more aware of what I needed to adjust to impact this parameter.  Not as much feel as the impact angle, but somewhat there too.

BIOMECHANICS

One important aspect to using this device is to never ever under any circumstances try to manipulate the putter with your hands to adjust the results.  You have to think about proper putting mechanics and how those things effect things.  This isn't always obvious.  I discovered a few things while using this device and I believe my awareness of putting mechanics has gone up.  If something is wrong, then try to figure out what aspect of proper putting you're missing.  Fix that thing and try again, see the result.  For me, my follow through is sometimes jammed up.  We talk about making a triangle with our shoulders and arms.  I have a tendency sometimes to maintain that triangle for the backswing and then on the actual stroke the shoulder line blocks.  This causes me to hit too high on the ball for one thing, but I also found this had a dramatic impact on not closing the putter fact at impact.  If I make sure to follow through with my right shoulder, the face hits square and my strike more pure.  The device shows the open face results, then I think to myself, did I block the shoulder again?  Next stroke I correct that and wala, straight putt.

Swing path has a lot to do with stance and everyone has their own way they like to do it, there is no right or wrong.  But using the device helped me to figure out that I am most comfortable with the stance and swing of a 4-5 degree slight arc swing.  Once I realized that once and for all I could really think about where my eyes need to be over the ball to make that happen, which part of the putter grip to use, how far away to stand from the ball, etc.   It gave me data points to stop second guessing myself.   I know now I'm a 4-5 slight arc back swinger, so accept that and setup for that.

Very useful device.  I really think it can increase awareness.

But yes, its important to detach it after a period of nuts and bolts practice, then go out and groove the swing with this heightened awareness.

[2nd Swing Golf]

The iPing putting ap for the iPhone has what they're calling a "PHcp," or Putting Handicap, which is a measure of your consistency over a number of putts.  They formulate the number based on your stoke type, impact angle and tempo.  The app even includes the ability to compare an individual PHcp to that of various Ping Tour Staff, Like Angel Cabrera, Hunter Mahan and others.

I am wondering if any of you out there own one and if you've found it to be more useful, or simply amusing.  The app is free, but the cradle that's required for the app to work is about $30

[dsc123]

From Ping's website:

The iPING app is a free download from the App Store™ for the iPhone® 5, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and the smaller iPod touch® (4th gen). It is a free download on Google Play for the Samsung Galaxy S III android device. The iPING app works in conjunction with a PING cradle ($30 MSRP), which holds the mobile device and clips onto the putter shaft just below the grip. Cradles are available for the iPhone 5, iPhone 4 and 4S, the iPod touch (4th gen), and the Samsung Galaxy S III due to the different sizes of the devices.

Has anyone been able to find this?  I have an S III and I would really like to get the app but can't find it anywhere.  Same goes for the cradle.  I sent Ping an email and I'll see what they have to say, but maybe someone on here knows?