I can't putt!

[Bridgestone91]

I had my last 18 hole qualifying round for my golf team today and I was not happy with my score. I ended up with an 88 which is far from good. I had a total of 41 putts, and 22 of them were on the front 9. I hit 12 G.I.R. and had many 3 putts to make bogey. Sorry for the rant, but I just don't know what to do. The course is not unknown to me, and I have been playing it for years. In the course of my last 3 years of high school, this year is by far the worst as far as putting. What do you guys do when you get into a putting slump?

I forgot to mention that the practice green is nothing like the course conditions and probably only makes my putting worse.

[tonyy]

I know how you feel. If I could fix my putting, my score would be WAY lower. But all I can give you is to practice, practice, practice. I know that's not the answer you're looking for but the more you work on it, the easier it will get. Reading the green, having a smooth swing, etc, it all comes with repetition.

[elsito99]

I would suggest looking for a practice green which simulates your course. ie a faster practice green, more breaks, etc.


I know that when I come from a fast green and putting well (32 putts) and then move to another course with slower greens, which would seem to be easier, I move to around 38 putts.


The long ones kill me on a slow green because you really have to hammer it for it to get there.


GL

[kafka01]

Let me guess - your thread title also reflects your state of mind. I always put worst when i think that way and i put excellent when my confidence is high enough that i can beat Tiger in putting using a broomstick... Take a look at Rotellas book about putting - thats basically what he says about it and i´m pretty sure he is right about it.

[Stillhacken]

An 88 with a 16 HC is pretty good. 12 greens is pretty awesome too.
You should definately fix that putter.

41 putts is not great but not as bad as it sounds since you hit so many greens.

Read this article. It helped me.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...n/ai_112104116

[whip_it_out]

Have a friend watch you putt from all angles to see if he can see anyhting bad, or even better have him videotape you so you can see what you are doing.

And bad putting condition do suck. I played a course where the greens were so bad you would see a putt that you would normally play atleast 3 feet of break and it would go dead straight. No one bothered to fix a ball mark, and they were so beat up from when they punched the ggreens a year ago.

I putt best when they run about 12 or 13 on the stimmeter, and you have to get creative with the read, like double and triple breakers, they get me focused. and i just love fast greens, tour fast.

[Bridgestone91]

Thanks for the replies. I know I should be positive, but after repeating this process for the last few months I am getting pretty tired of it. What drives me crazy is that many of my birdie putts are around 10 feet, leaving me with a good chance. However, I can't get my putts close enough. I play my drives and irons better than most with my handicap, but putting kills me everytime.

[Dent]

I just started using the allignment aid on the Pro V1 balls, my weight was dead on, but my line was about a foot or so off, and now I'm draining alot more putts.

[CG031]

I just started using the allignment aid on the Pro V1 balls, my weight was dead on, but my line was about a foot or so off, and now I'm draining alot more putts.

You never did that before? Wow. I've always done that since I started playing. It was a great tip I got from my friend.

[Dent]

You never did that before? Wow. I've always done that since I started playing. It was a great tip I got from my friend.

I never really thought of it before..just happened that I was crap at putting a few weeks ago.

[bprater13]

This sounds very much like me. I am the worst putter on my team by far and it has become a joke among everybody. Somebody will come in with 38 or 39 putts and they'll say that's a me number. In my last college match last year I shot a 80 the first day with 39 putts (13 GIR's) and an 83 the second day with 41 putts (12 GIR's). I also have a problem getting up and down if you did the math on either of these.

[ks8829]

Putting tips
1) distance control
2) pre-putt routine
3) forget about making a putt but concentrate on making a good stroke
4) take your hands out of putting and putt with your arms & shoulder in a triangle

distance control
1) length of your backswing and follow through will determine your distance
2) consistent tempo on each putt
3) solid contact
4) keep you putt low on the backswing

Pre-putt routine
1) calm your nerves
2) if you don't have one start one and do it every putt
3) build your confidence in putting

[wrx_junki]

I had a huge problem in putting after losing my putter and buying a Odyssey White Hot Tour #1. Went out and bought a Odyssey Sabertooth and I haven't 3-putted for 2 rounds! Big improvement seeing that I was at one point 3-putting at least 3-4 holes a round.

[ks8829]

try not thinking about making the putt each time your stroke the ball, but change your mind set to making a good putting stroke on the ball. work on distance control and everything will fall into place or the cup.

[jaggy13]

Putting tips

I like what he is saying here, Putting is my best way to shave strokes.

I try to make it even more simple... speed control. If you miss a foot left but have the right speed, you only have a one foot put left. I find when I "try to make a bird" I force it and end up rolling 5 feet by the hole. When I just put a good stroke on it, I don't even need to look up. I just know its rolling right up to the hole. It may sound silly, but I try to smile right before I "pull the trigger". Often I don't even realize the tension I have in my sholders until I smile and they drop.

[Dub]

try not thinking about making the putt each time your stroke the ball, but change your mind set to making a good putting stroke on the ball. work on distance control and everything will fall into place or the cup.

Putting tips

I'm gonna print this out.....laminate it.......and cable tie it to my golf bag...right next to my towel.

These are some great bits of advice. Thank you.

[Bridgestone91]

I agree, This is great info. Thanks Guys! I have my first match today and we'll see how I play.

[jasongst]

I had my last 18 hole qualifying round for my golf team today and I was not happy with my score. I ended up with an 88 which is far from good. I had a total of 41 putts, and 22 of them were on the front 9. I hit 12 G.I.R. and had many 3 putts to make bogey. Sorry for the rant, but I just don't know what to do. The course is not unknown to me, and I have been playing it for years. In the course of my last 3 years of high school, this year is by far the worst as far as putting. What do you guys do when you get into a putting slump?

You know, I've been meaning to post about my putting technique since it has been so consistently good lately. Might as well put it here!

There are a number of things that I do, and when I sum them all up the output is excellent putting. It also happened to coincide with switching to a lighter blade putter (from a 2-ball knockoff) but I'm sure much of it is universal. I'll detail it all as a problem/solution list. Problem: I was pushing/pulling my putts. Solution:

• To help ingrain my chosen line, I first pick out an intermediate target about 4 feet in front of my ball, then (here's where I differ from most) I point at the spot with my putter, and drag back an imaginary wire from that spot to my ball. For some reason this helps me.
• Once I pick my line, I stare down at the ball, square up my alignment, then defocus . Focusing on the ball causes you to watch the ball as you hit it, which causes you to turn your body and pull your putt. After I hit the ball I wait a second or two before looking up.
• I put the club grip into the crease under my thumb pad instead of the crease under my palm pad. This just opens up the club face a litle.
• I put the ball directly in the center of my stance. Roll-be-darned.
• I choose to have confidence in my natural ability to hit a straight putt. I stopped trying so hard. One I pick my line and set myself up, I stop thinking about technique and just hit it. If you offload all your stress into your pre-shot routine it frees you up to swing with more confidence.

Problem: I was having distance control problems. (Most notably after switching to a blade putter.) Eventually I realized that I was relying too much on muscling the ball through as I putted. Solution:

• I started relaxing a little bit and feeling the heft and momentum of the club a little bit more. I swing back relatively slowly, then on the way through the ball I add a tiny amount of acceleration and "will" the ball to go the desired distance.
• Before I putt the ball, I thoroughly imagine the roll, focusing on the speed needed to reach a spot just beyond the cup. Some days this is tough, and on those days I don't putt as well. Sometimes it helps to imagine a roll way beyond the cup, barely beyond the cup, barely to the cup, and barely short of the cup, all before one putt!
• Before taking my stance, I stand 90 degrees perpendicular to the putting line and defocus until I can sense true horizontal (gazing at trees can help). Then I look at the slope of the putt, and I usually get a good read on how steep it is.

Notice I don't list "picking the right line" as a problem? That's because I think choosing the right line is what we need to focus on the least. Yes it's important to get the right information on the break, but ultimately it's a guessing game, and it's far less important than hitting the ball the correct distance and/or avoiding pushes and pulls. Hope this helps!