Putting inconsistency on the course

[JimmyDoesGolf]

Hi all,

For a long time now my HDCP has been stuck at 28, and this mainly comes down to my short game. I have been told by many that I have a very good swing, and my long game normally bring me near GIRs but I lack the ability to get up and down and 2 putt consistently. When I do manage this, my score instantly drops and I start making loads of pars.

I have recently been putting quite a lot of practice into putting, but no matter how good I am on the practice green, it also seems to go to pot out on the course. I normally judge the line fairly well, and hit it fairly well, but my distance control is often hopeless. I have no idea how to fix this, because I can go back on the putting green and all will once again be ok.

Anyone had this problem, or got any ideas/drills on how to fix it?

I believe my problem with short game lies in my lack of practice in this area. I am quite a technical person, so I enjoy improving my swing and finding errors and fixing them, but practicing short shots often bores me. Anyone got any drills/games thay use to make it more interesting?

Cheers,
James

[ks8829]

putting
1) putt for distance control to eliminate 3 putts
2) make solid consistent contact
3) distance can be judged by how far you take the putter back and through
4) tempo must be the same
5) swing the putter with your shoulder and arms as one piece and not with your hands.

chipping
1) chip with your shoulder and take your hands out of the stroke
2) weight on the forward foot
3) slight forward press
4) judge distance control with the backswing
5) feet together
6) open stance and almost facing the target
7) ball on the back of your stance

practice and practice and see the strokes come down. The more you practice the faster you will see the results to your short game and become a single digit.

keep track of your putts per round and your up and downs.

[JimmyDoesGolf]

Thanks. This still doesnt solve the problem that everything goes to pot once I'm on the course, especially with putting. Could this simply be a confidence issue, and not technique?

[ks8829]

pre-putt routine. have one and stick to it each time your putt and under pressure it will keep you steady and you will gain confidence in your putting.

[Jay-Bird]

pre-putt routine. have one and stick to it each time your putt and under pressure it will keep you steady and you will gain confidence in your putting.

Exactly . When you establish a routine and stick to it (everytime you have any non-gimme) the routine itself helps take away no-confidence issues and eliminates alot of nerves.

[pjsnyc]

I usually tell people that have problems judging distance to use their feet as a reference point:
-Find a relatively flat portion of surface on the practice green
-Set up to the ball as you normally would
-Take about 10 strokes (doesn't even have to be aimed at a hole) using the width of your feet as the distance of your putt arch.
-Try to keep the same tempo/speed

Once you've figured out an approximation for that reference point, it should help you adjust to different speeds on the greens. There's nothing better than knowing you'll either be consistent with the 10 footers or at least leave it close enough to salvage a two-putt. Hope this helps.

[chingali]

Practice how you play. When playing you don't drop 4 balls and putt to the hole do you?

Here's a nice little putting drill to try, I use it often. Use three balls and then putt to three different holes on the practice green, pick one about 15 feet away, another one 25 feet away and then another one 35+ feet away. Hole out each ball and keep track of your score, they are all par two's. In the beginning set yourself a goal of getting to say 5 under par before you can leave. As your putting improves increase how many under you have to get to before you can leave or do something else. Doing this means you are accountable for every single putt, just like out on the course.

Another good putting practice drill is to putt against a friend. Keep track of your scores and putt out, again everything is a par two. Winner of a hole picks the hole to putt to until someone wins a hole. I often do this and we usually pick a time to play until. Usually about half an hour so, we'll agree to putt until 6pm and the loser buys the beer. The idea is to have a little something on the outcome, just like when playing.

Both of the above also work great for practicing your short game. When on your own throw 10 balls around the green at random making sure to lob a few in a bunker then try to get them all down including putting out in as few strokes as possible, keep a record if you like so you can have something to try and beat. If you are with a friend play the old "winner picks where we play from" using one ball each and have a time limit and keep track of your scores, again put something on the outcome.

The idea of all of the above is to try to put yourself under a bit of pressure when practicing. The more you are under a bit of pressure, the better you become at dealing with it. Think of those guys who dive off cliffs, first time they tried it I bet they were just about filling their pants out of fear, after a few hundred dives they will begin to look for something higher or more difficult to dive off. The key is they become used to the situation so it no longer holds them in a grip of terror. Similar to putting really.

[case31]

Another good putting practice drill is to putt against a friend. Keep track of your scores and putt out, again everything is a par two. Winner of a hole picks the hole to putt to until someone wins a hole.

My dad and I have had putting contests like this for almost as long as I can remember. We added two rules: 1) If a putt is short, you have to take the ball back a club length. 2) If a putt is more than a club length past the hole, you had to move it away an additional club length.

This taught me to gauge the distance so that every putt had some chance of going in (100% of short putts don't) while staying in 2-putt range.

[Stillhacken]

For the chipping and pitching: Get yourself a shagbag and fill it with balls. Then try to chip and pitch everyday even if its in your backyard. Concentrate mainly on where you want the ball to land. A half hour a day of this will work wonders for your score.

I hate to practice putting too. 15 minutes before I tee off is about all I do anymore.

If you are consistantly leaving the ball short or long on putts try looking at the line from the side also , not just from dtl . This will give your mind a more accurate distance of the ball to the hole.