Plumb Bobbing (Putting) Master Thread

[Ben]

During the Dubai tournament last week one of the commentators made a comment about Lee Westwood plumb-bobbing which made perfect sense to me. Perhaps golfers plumbomb, not to read the line, but find an exact spot on the green (the apex of the break perhaps?) that they can aim at.

When I put my best I can visualize that line. In my preshot routine I like to find a point to aim right at. I've held my putter straight up in the air in the past to find that point. I'm gonna try plumb-bobbing!

[James_Black]

what's plum bobbing?

[groovezilla79]

what's plum bobbing?

It's where guys will hold their putter in the air by the grip with only 2 or 3 fingers, letting it dangle perpendicular to the ground. They will then look down the shaft with sight of the ball being blocked by the hosel and sight of the hole being being blocked by the bottom of the grip.

The point is to help see the break of the green by look at either side of the shaft with your dominant eye. I've never used it, nor will I ever.

[James_Black]

It's where guys will hold their putter in the air by the grip with only 2 or 3 fingers, letting it dangle perpendicular to the ground. They will then look down the shaft with sight of the ball being blocked by the hosel and sight of the hole being being blocked by the bottom of the grip.

I can see why it could help but I'd prefer to just read the green normally.

[tim31x]

i personally will not look at a putt unless i plum bob it. to me it just reassures my initial read. all plum bobbing does is shows you which way the putt breaks and how much it breaks. it is just another piece of information and when done correctly it can be very useful. it does not show you the line of putt, just the amount of break according to the slope.

[showtime583]

I've been plumb-bobbing on the greens for as long as I can remember and it works well for me a majority of the time. While I don't get an exact read of the putt from plumb bobbing, it does confirm the general direction of the putt. More importantly, it is part of my routine on the greens and helps with the confidence.

In any event, I have a buddy who constantly chides my "plumb boobing" (as he calls it) as a waste of time. It's good-natured ribbing and actually gets in his head when I'm draining putts, but made me curious as to what others think of the practice. Do you plumb bob? Why / why not? General thoughts? Thanks!

[saevel25]

I never got into it, i know a few guys that do it. I believe it works, at least thats the general concessus. If it helps you putt, do it.

[Elvisliveson]

I personally never thought it to be useful, but if it is part of a standard routine that works for you, you should stick with it.

[1par2win]

Originally Posted by saevel25

I never got into it, i know a few guys that do it. I believe it works, at least thats the general concessus. If it helps you putt, do it.

I agree with this sentiment. Whether it's "proven" or not if your sinking putts using this technique in your routine then why change? Me personally I don't but then again I get about 90% of my read from when I walk up to my ball. I trust my initial read to be the right one and the more I try to "read" the more I "see" the more confused I get.

[MiniBlueDragon]

I'd never even heard of it until your post above and Googling it.

I'd never use it solely because I've never needed to thus far and have no plan to introduce un-neccessary "stuff" to my putting. I'll be sticking to "anchors, zero line, slope, distance, putt"

[broomhandle]

Can I carry  a string with a nut on it to plumb bob my putts?

If not, how about if I just happen to have my house keys on a chain?

[zeg]

No to the first. Probably no to the second, but I'm not certain.

[NuclearMike]

Lee Trevino said that the only thing that he ever saw when he plumb bobbed was True Temper Dynamic, the shaft in his putter.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by broomhandle

Can I carry  a string with a nut on it to plumb bob my putts?

If not, how about if I just happen to have my house keys on a chain?

Is your long putter the problem? Try a long iron. I plumb bob on the tee box occasionally to aid in aiming and selecting a starting line.

[Incognito]

What do you see when you plumb bob?

I never got it.  I dont know what I'm looking for...

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by Incognito

What do you see when you plumb bob?

I never got it.  I dont know what I'm looking for...

Ditto.  Sounds like witchcraft or voodoo to me.

[Rulesman]

Originally Posted by broomhandle

Can I carry  a string with a nut on it to plumb bob my putts?

If not, how about if I just happen to have my house keys on a chain?

No to both.

Q. Is a plumb-line, i.e., a weight suspended on a string , an artificial device within the meaning of the term in Rule 14-3 ?

A. Yes. If a player uses such a device to assist him in his play, he is in breach of Rule 14-3 .

[showtime583]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Ditto.  Sounds like witchcraft or voodoo to me.

I do it sometimes when the break is subtle and I'm looking for confirmation....basically you stand a few feet directly behind your ball. Hold the the putter up in front of your face so that it "hangs freely" and then close one eye. Line the putter shaft and make your ball "disappear".....the off-set of the hole and the shaft is supposed to give you an idea of which direction the putt will break. If both the hole and the ball "disappear", then you have a straight putt.