Short Putts and Partial Wedges Are Killing My Game

[wetzel1592]

Wanted to get some thoughts on struggles I've been having with my game. 

1. Short putts - I'm a pretty good lag putter but when I get closer (10 feet and in) the ball just seems to come off dead, quickly trail off and miss on the low side. I feel like it's just a lack of acceleration causing the miss but wanted to see if it could possibly be something else. If it is an acceleration issue, any drills to help with this? 

2.  Partial Wedges (50 - 85 yards) - Any time I don't have a full wedge shot I struggle to make solid contact. 85% of my misses is the dreaded skull that barely gets a foot off the ground. The other 15% of my misses I'm laying the sod over the ball and it goes no where. Even when I practice these shots on the range, I'll hit some decent then the thin shot seems to come out of nowhere. Then I focus on staying down through the ball and hit one heavy. I do go through times where I hit these shots decent but I never have been able to get rid of these misses. I'm at a point of analysis paralysis and just need some thoughts on what to do to get these shots back on track. 

[Ty_Webb]

40 minutes ago, wetzel1592 said:

Wanted to get some thoughts on struggles I've been having with my game. 

1. Short putts - I'm a pretty good lag putter but when I get closer (10 feet and in) the ball just seems to come off dead, quickly trail off and miss on the low side. I feel like it's just a lack of acceleration causing the miss but wanted to see if it could possibly be something else. If it is an acceleration issue, any drills to help with this? 

2.  Partial Wedges (50 - 85 yards) - Any time I don't have a full wedge shot I struggle to make solid contact. 85% of my misses is the dreaded skull that barely gets a foot off the ground. The other 15% of my misses I'm laying the sod over the ball and it goes no where. Even when I practice these shots on the range, I'll hit some decent then the thin shot seems to come out of nowhere. Then I focus on staying down through the ball and hit one heavy. I do go through times where I hit these shots decent but I never have been able to get rid of these misses. I'm at a point of analysis paralysis and just need some thoughts on what to do to get these shots back on track. 

With the putts, are they coming up short of the hole? Or just missing low side, but going 10-15 inches past the hole? Generally speaking I think long putting is about speed control, while short putting is more about start line. Both matter to both types obviously, but I think that's where the more weight lives. If you're struggling on short putts but not long ones, I'd imagine that's more likely a starting line issue. Might be read or might be aim or might be stroke. If you're leaving the short ones short of the hole, then hit them harder. You don't want to be accelerating into impact. Just make sure your back swing is long enough for the speed you're hitting it.

For the wedges, I'll be interested to hear what people say because I have similar issues sometimes. Last fall, hit a good drive on a fairly short par 4. Had 60 yards in. Hit my second. Then had 50 yards in because I laid the sod over it. Then I had 40 yards back from the other side because I over corrected and bladed it over the green. Happens to the best of us 🙂 

[iacas]

Sorry for the very quick responses… busy night here, but I wanted to add quickly to what @Ty_Webb said:

2 hours ago, wetzel1592 said:

I feel like it's just a lack of acceleration

2 hours ago, wetzel1592 said:

2.  Partial Wedges (50 - 85 yards) - Any time I don't have a full wedge shot I struggle to make solid contact. 85% of my misses is the dreaded skull that barely gets a foot off the ground. The other 15% of my misses I'm laying the sod over the ball and it goes no where. Even when I practice these shots on the range, I'll hit some decent then the thin shot seems to come out of nowhere. Then I focus on staying down through the ball and hit one heavy. I do go through times where I hit these shots decent but I never have been able to get rid of these misses. I'm at a point of analysis paralysis and just need some thoughts on what to do to get these shots back on track. 

Control the distance of the swing by controlling the length of the backswing, not the speed with which you hit it.

[wetzel1592]

3 hours ago, Ty_Webb said:

With the putts, are they coming up short of the hole? Or just missing low side, but going 10-15 inches past the hole? Generally speaking I think long putting is about speed control, while short putting is more about start line. Both matter to both types obviously, but I think that's where the more weight lives. If you're struggling on short putts but not long ones, I'd imagine that's more likely a starting line issue. Might be read or might be aim or might be stroke. If you're leaving the short ones short of the hole, then hit them harder. You don't want to be accelerating into impact. Just make sure your back swing is long enough for the speed you're hitting it.

The putts are ending up right by the hole. Definitely not enough energy to get 10 - 15 inches past the hole. It’s almost like I’m hitting a long lag putt and trying to die it by the hole.

One of the biggest things I’ve noticed is that when I hit these putts they rarely feel solid and come off dead. I’ve done the putter gate drill so I feel confident that I’m hitting it near the middle. 

 

[iacas]

21 minutes ago, wetzel1592 said:

The putts are ending up right by the hole. Definitely not enough energy to get 10 - 15 inches past the hole. It’s almost like I’m hitting a long lag putt and trying to die it by the hole.

One of the biggest things I’ve noticed is that when I hit these putts they rarely feel solid and come off dead. I’ve done the putter gate drill so I feel confident that I’m hitting it near the middle.

This is the extent of my hard sale: Clarion isn't too far from Erie.

[wetzel1592]

22 minutes ago, iacas said:

This is the extent of my hard sale: Clarion isn't too far from Erie.

Haha. I’ve made the drive before. I’ll probably be up next spring to see you again. 

[iacas]

6 minutes ago, wetzel1592 said:

Haha. I’ve made the drive before. I’ll probably be up next spring to see you again. 

Yeah, but are you still using the Edel?

Even if you're hitting the gate, are you hitting it really low on the face?

Look at some of the putting videos at: 

30-Day Practice Plan - Golf Evolution

[p1n9183]

I'm exactly in the same train as you. Short putting is the worst of my game, is all about starting line and mine is pretty bad. I have really good lagging so speed is not the issue. Work at your home with your putt and try to hit a coin from 3,6,9 feet. Over and over again. If that is not the issue, then you probably are miss reading putts and you need to start giving them more break. 

I also struggle with partial wedges, my scoring average from 50-75 is worst than 75-100 so I tend to lay up to the 100 mark if I don't reach the green.  

[wetzel1592]

17 hours ago, iacas said:

Yeah, but are you still using the Edel?

Even if you're hitting the gate, are you hitting it really low on the face?

Yes I’m still gaming the Edel. 

I’ll have to see where I’m striking it on the face. I’m assuming if it’s low on the face my ball position is creeping too far forward?

[iacas]

2 hours ago, wetzel1592 said:

Yes I’m still gaming the Edel. 

I’ll have to see where I’m striking it on the face. I’m assuming if it’s low on the face my ball position is creeping too far forward?

Or you're just lifting up, or hitting up too much but still missing the ground, etc.

Record a video.