Indoor Putting Practice Set-Up

[JuanTheGolfer]

Raining again on and off...throughout the day. It has been this way from the beginning of July. Driving ranges closed, many courses cart path only, .... So I have been working on my game indoors .... 
The picture shows a set up on my home office floor. From left to right are a 4 foot metal ruler, a 3 foot metal ruler and a Harold Swash Putting Rail. The goal is to putt the ball down the ruler or rail and for it to make it to the end without going off the side of the ruler/rail.

Several times during the day, I spend 5-10 minutes practicing using these three. I know if I can successfully and consistently putt the ball off the end... then I KNOW I can start a putt on line.... which means when I do go out to the practice putting green I can work on read and speed.

If you know anything about the Swash Putting Rail you can start you putt from the narrow end and putt off the wider end, and you can start at the wider end and putt off the narrower end which is how I have it set up.  It is a REAL test of own's ability to start the putt on/have a square clubface at impact!!

I might pull out my Pelz Putter Clips or my PuttOut Trainer to practice IF the rains keep up.....   in July we had almost 20 inches of rain, and it does not seem to be stopping in August.

Edited August 12, 2019 by JuanTheGolfer

[JuanTheGolfer]

I am going to use this thread as a way to capture my learnings... and improvements.

BTW, I am spending way more than 5 minutes a day on this.    Today because it is rainy and humid, and I am waiting to hear back from Blast Motion (my sensor will not connect)... I have spent 2 plus hours on it already.

Here is the first thing I really noticed.  I need to do a better job on my set up.  When I set up to the ball, and thanks to the lines in the carpet, I can see I have been letting my right (back) foot get a lot closer to the putting line than the left foot, which means my feet are open at address.  Yes I know some people will say this is not important, however, for me, ... now that I know this AND have been correcting it, I am doing a better job of putting down the rulers/rail.  Better means a greater percentage of successes.

The end of the Harold Swash Putting Rail is so narrow ( .5 inches versus 2 inch width of the yellow ruler), I have been putting a lot of pressure on myself...and a lot of negative thoughts since I successfully make it less than 10% of the time.   So I am spending a little more time on it, than the other two to deal with these issues.. knowing the better I get, the more it will breed confidence.

Edited August 12, 2019 by JuanTheGolfer

[butchammon]

I practice all the time on my living room carpet into one of those plastic putting cups, from roughly 6½ feet away, near the end of my couch.

You all are going to think I am "not quite right in the head"... LOL.. 🤣  But if my wife or I vacuum the carpet front to back, all my putts are dead on straight, putt after putt after putt.  But yet, if either of us, vacuums the carpet side to side, it creates a slight left hand "break" on the living room carpet!  Ha ha ha... I don't know... Maybe I'm just weird!

 

[JuanTheGolfer]

What I learned and did today.   

Started the day by heading to the course... the range is still closed, BUT, I intended to so a putting assessment to start the morning.  The goal is to make 10 in a row from 4 feet.  Setting tees at 5 locations around the hole.   I tried doing it, and failed, and failed, and failed.   Having worked indoors on rolling putts down a ruler/rail, where I had been very successful ... I thought this would be easy. 

I took five minutes to assess what was going on!!!  Then I rolled about 20 long putts to different holes trying to make each.  This is one way I used to clear my head.  I realized that when I was indoors, I was focused on the process of making a stroke, and not worrying about the outcome.  However, when I first came to the green, I was focused on the outcome... and the process was short changed.

So I set up the tees again, and made 40 in a row, ... then quit.   My focus was on the process and the result was  above my expectations.

Then I went home hooked of the Blast Motion sensor and app, and started working with it, and my putter.  I made 153 putts.  My Backstroke time averaged .67 seconds.  My forward stroke time averaged .39 seconds.   Both of which are too long according to what Blast Motion is suggesting that PGA pros are doing.  They recommend .6 seconds BackStroke Time and .3 seconds ForwardStroke Time.   It will take a LOT of effort on my part to achieve these, ... right now my Ratio of Backstroke Time to Forwardstroke time is 1.7:1.  The goal is 2:1.  Where I need to make the most improvement is on the Forward Stroke time..   this I have to think about. 

I also noted that my putterface was open on average .7 degrees.  So this is another area I can work on to improve the face at impact.  Lots to do.

Edited August 14, 2019 by JuanTheGolfer

[JuanTheGolfer]

I have continued the last two days working on my putting, since it is still raining....  two golf courses I know of have closed for today and tomorrow since we have so much rain and standing water...  and the range is closed at the course I practice...  

So I am making the best of it!!! I have continued to work on improving the face angle at impact (trying to get it more consistently square)... and work on my tempo.  So lots of putts down the two rulers and the putting rail.   I am using doing 5 or so down each every 30 minutes throughout the day.  So I decided to check on my progress using my Blast Motion app and sensor

Face at Impact  from .7 open on Tuesday to .1 today!!!

Tempo  from 1.7: 1 on Tuesday to 1.8:1 today!!

Backstroke Time .67 seconds on Tuesday to .68 seconds today... so I am 1 hundredth of a second slower!!   Need to get more towards .6 seconds

Forwardstroke Time .39 seconds on Tuesday to .37 seconds today... which is going in the right direction towards .3 

I also have been working on the stroke mechanics... and feels!!  Yes FEELS!!  I feel when my left shoulder stays down and around that I am able to square the putter face better...  which I think is having the positive impact on the improvement of my Face Angle at Impact.

I will continue working tonight and tomorrow... and hopefully on Saturday there will be some sunny skies!!

 

 

 

 

 

[JuanTheGolfer]

Wow... it has been 4 days since I posted in this thread.

I have been going to the putting green the last few days since it is dry... the range is still closed, the golf course is cart path only.  So today I decided to take my Blast Motion sensor to the course for the first time.  Practicing at home on a rug is one thing, going to the practice green is another, and then to the course.

So I learned a couple of things... first my Tempo is pretty good on the putting green.  After 105 putts it was 2:1.  Which is exactly what it needs to be... so that is good news.   The amount of time for the backswing varied, since I was hitting putts from 6, 9, 12 and 15 feet.  However, the ratio of backswing time to forward swing time was on target of 2:1.

Second, I had some difficulty with the face angle at impact.  It was not within the .7 range I was hoping...  So I wondered why???  I noticed that my right hand was over-powering my left, ... so I firmed up the left hand and like magic, .... I had better control of the clubface at impact. And was back in range.

I came home and worked on the rulers, and rails, and confirmed that it was a left hand issue. Easy fix, 

Some of you might be wondering about the focus on impact... I believe I have to be able to hit the ball in the direction I am aiming.  So if I am open or closed at impact instead of square it will cause the ball to no longer be heading to the target.  For example, with a perfectly straight putt, if you are 1-2 degrees open or closed at impact, and you aimed dead center of the cup which is 10 feet away, you would miss the putt.  However, if you are less than 1 degree open or closed the ball will go in.  So I am trying to do a better job of starting the ball exactly on the line I am aiming.   

 

 

 

[Carl3]

On 8/11/2019 at 8:37 PM, JuanTheGolfer said:

Raining again on and off

I noticed what looks like multiple copies of a golf book (two stacks) on your shelf. Do you gives those out to friends or something? 

[JuanTheGolfer]

2 hours ago, Carl3 said:

I noticed what looks like multiple copies of a golf book (two stacks) on your shelf. Do you gives those out to friends or something? 

Those are copies of the book I wrote titled, "Make More Putts!"   It is available on Amazon for $10.   Sometimes I do give them away as thank you gifts, ...

[Carl3]

4 hours ago, JuanTheGolfer said:

Those are copies of the book I wrote titled, "Make More Putts!"   It is available on Amazon for $10.   Sometimes I do give them away as thank you gifts, ...

OK, I will email my wife to order it for me. She is the Amazon master. My wife and I try to get to Redington Beach every year and my in-laws are in Cape Coral. I hear that there are a bunch or courses in your area. It is going to reach 91 here in Ohio and I have league this evening. Too much like Florida right now.

[JuanTheGolfer]

10 hours ago, Carl3 said:

OK, I will email my wife to order it for me. She is the Amazon master. My wife and I try to get to Redington Beach every year and my in-laws are in Cape Coral. I hear that there are a bunch or courses in your area. It is going to reach 91 here in Ohio and I have league this evening. Too much like Florida right now.

 Your wife is like mine... they are both Amazon masters!!!  

Thanks for ordering it.... AND when you come to the Cape Coral area, let me know, maybe we can play some golf.and if you bring the book and are interested I will sign it.    Hope you played well in your league...  it has rained so much here it is hard to even find golf courses that are not cart path only IF they are open.

[JuanTheGolfer]

I am continuing to work indoors on my putting using Blast Motion, and also my two rulers and the Howard Swash Putting Rail.   While the rain has left for the last few days it is just too hot to spend time on the putting green after about 90-120 minutes on the range implementing the improvements from my full swing lesson last week.

So here are my results from today with 50 strokes counted.

Instead of being .1 degrees closed like the last two times, I am .1 degrees open!!  Maybe soon I will end up square

My timing has been improving, I am now 1.9:1 with the goal being 2:1.   The way I am getting there is probably NOT they way they want me to.  Instead of swinging faster, I am a little slower.  Backswing Stroke is .79 seconds (which is quite a ways from the .6 which they suggest) and the Forward Stroke is .43 second which is pretty consistent over the last two weeks or so of tracking data.

[JuanTheGolfer]

Four days since my last update on progress.

I played 18 holes yesterday, and made every putt within 6 feet of the hole.  Practicing down the ruler was helpful since when I had a putt, I remembered I can easily make the putt down a 4 foot ruler, which gave me confidence when I faced putts this length and both a little longer and shorter. So this indoor practice is providing me with more confidence and success.

Back indoors today.  With a heat index of 109 and high humidity...I am practicing on the rulers and rail and using Blast Motion.  Today was not one of my stellar days,,,,   I hit 50 foots and averaged .5 degrees open... previous measurements were .1 degrees,, though I started at .7 degrees.   The math shows that I would still make a 10 foot putt if my putterface was open that amount.... and I aimed properly.  If the putterface is either open or closed 1.0 degrees at impact, then I would barely miss the 10 footer.   My Tempo continues to be about the same at 1.8:1, and my Backstroke time is .78 and Forward Stroke time averages .43. 

WIth Hurricane Dorian heading our way, I think there will be a bunch of indoor practice for a little while.  For all in its way, stay safe.

[JuanTheGolfer]

Practicing putting indoors again today.  Two items of interest for those following me: 

First, I eliminated the 4 foot metal ruler, which as 2 inches wide.  See attached picture.  I find it too easy to putt it successfully from one end to another.  So the challenge is gone.  I am only putting off the 3 foot ruler which is 1 inches wide or 50% of the size of the 4 foot ruler.  I am not able to putt everyone off the end successfully, so it makes it more challenging...though not too challenging where I want to quit.  The goal in performance type practice is to find a situation where you are successful between 30-70%.   And the 3 foot ruler is where I am at.  If you are successful more than 70% of the time, then you have to increase the challenge point AKA make it tougher.   The Howard Swash Putting Rail goes from 1 inch wide where the ball is sitting to 1/2 inches wide on the far end.  The rail is raised slightly so the putt must stay on the raised rail from one end to the other to be successful.

Second, I had another day where the feedback from my Blast Motion sensor indicates that at impact I am .1 degrees open from when I am set up to the ball.  Not sure I can EVER get to be perfect... but doesn't hurt trying... and at the .1 level I will not be beating my self up, if after a while I do not make it to a number less than that "0".

I had posted this in Uplifting Topics..... however, should have been here.

[Patch]

Just a thought, but if you are 1*degree open at impact after being square at set up, might setting up 1*degree closed at set up, put you back on square at impact?

[JuanTheGolfer]

23 hours ago, Patch said:

Just a thought, but if you are 1*degree open at impact after being square at set up, might setting up 1*degree closed at set up, put you back on square at impact?

Hey @Patch  I am .1 degrees open, not 1 degree.  In thinking about what you suggest.    What I have noticed is that at set-up, if I am not careful I stand too far away from the ball and the putter has too much rotation, and sits open at address.  NOT good.  So I have moved closer so my eyes are more over the ball AND the putter is more square at address.  Both of these are helping... to reduce the amount of face rotation on the backswing AND square up at impact.   Hope you are doing well.

[Patch]

4 hours ago, JuanTheGolfer said:

Hey @Patch  I am .1 degrees open, not 1 degree.  In thinking about what you suggest.    What I have noticed is that at set-up, if I am not careful I stand too far away from the ball and the putter has too much rotation, and sits open at address.  NOT good.  So I have moved closer so my eyes are more over the ball AND the putter is more square at address.  Both of these are helping... to reduce the amount of face rotation on the backswing AND square up at impact.   Hope you are doing well.

My bad eyes betrayed me again. Didn't see the decimal....lol

[JuanTheGolfer]

I am three plus weeks into practicing my putting stroke indoors with the help of some "rulers/rails" and Blast Motion and even some Pelz Putter Clips.  Today was another day with the feels like at 107 degrees... way too hot and too humid to practice outdoors on the putting green.

I saw Cameron McCormick, who is Jordan Speith's coach, on Twitter talking about a Putting Rail that Cameron is using with his students.  So I decided to add it to my collection.  Now I have 4 "rulers/rails" to putt off of... and each one becomes more difficult in that you have to get better and better at starting and keeping the ball on line  so as it makes it way down the "ruler/rail" where it is able to roll off the other end versus one of the sides.

Here are the specifics.  From left to right.  The yellow 4 foot ruler is 2 inches wide.  The silver 3 foot ruler is 1 inch wide.  The next shiny silver item is the Howard Swash Putting Rail, the way I have it set up, is that the far end is only 1/2 inches wide.  On the far right is the Putting Rail I just got from Altus Performance (Cameron McCormick's organization).  There is a raised track in the center that is only 1/4 inch wide.   You can do the math... going from 2 inches to 1/4 inch means the latter is only 12% of the width of the former.  Here is the last point, to be successful using the Putting Rail, your face at impact can not be any more than .2 degrees open or closed.

In the first month, I have been able to consistently and successfully putt the ball off the end of the 4 foot ruler (2 inches wide), so in an earlier post I mentioned I no longer use it... it is too easy.      Now I am using the 3 foot ruler (1 inch wide) and the Howard Swash Putting Rail.   When the 3 foot ruler becomes too easy, I will up it a notch and practice on the two items on the right.

One  last update, using Blast Motion again tonight, for 25 putts, I am striking the putt with an average of  .1 degrees closed clubface.  And my tempo continues to be 1.8:1.   THANKS for making it this far.     AND I will probably wait a week to post again... after my next tournament.

 

[JuanTheGolfer]

I know all you readers have been waiting for an update!! LOL!!

I am continuing my practice habits, rolling lots of ball down my 3 foot ruler and sometimes on my Howard Swash Putting Rail.  The time I spend is allowing me to get a better feel for what is happening with my body as I make the stroke.  For example, today I noticed that my hips are not square to the line.  Rather my right hip is a little closer so I am open to the line.  When I focus on squaring my hips, I can more consistently roll the ball down the 3 foot ruler... which is the ultimate goal... being confident I can start the ball on the line I am aiming!!   I learned this after I made 66 strokes with the Blast Motion sensor attached to my putter.  I will see the impact of squaring the hips has next time.

However, , my Blast Motion data is staying the same as the last few reported time.  After 66 recorded strokes today, I am .1 degree closed at Impact, and my Tempo remains 1.8:1.