What do you guys consider a good putter?

[RocktimusPryme]

I myself since I have started keeping my stats average 34.2 putts per round. And I dont at all consider myself a good putter. As a matter of fact I consider it a weak point in my game. Thats pretty straight I might pick up a ball thats 6 inches short just for pace of play, but Im pretty good about putting everything out.

What do you guys consider a good, or for that matter what would be average for someone that plays at least a couple times a month.

I ask becuase as I play with more people. Im starting to think maybe Im not a half bad putter. I play as a single alot, and get paired with multitudes of strangers. And if you guys havent noticed, most people putt just god awful. Of course Im not writing down other dudes stats but it seems at a glace, that alot of people i play with only stay under 40 putts because they pick up 3 footers all day long

[goblue107501]

34 putts per round is pretty good. I consider myself a good putter and average about 31 per round. Nationwide average is 30 and the PGA is in the mid 29's so overall you are doing pretty good. As you mentioned, there are a lot of people who are a lot worse.

[RocktimusPryme]

Im thinking its fair to say that if your under 36 your above average.

[FortAsel]

Im thinking its fair to say that if your under 36 your above average.

If you think like that you will never improve very much.

Overall, I conside myself an average putter. This year, my average putts per round is about 29.5, and I'm not happy about it, because I only hit about 7-9 greens per round. To me, a good putter is someone that on each 2 out of 5 rounds makes 28 putts or less and never above 29.

[mapa94]

Im thinking its fair to say that if your under 36 your above average.

For weekend golfers, that seems about right...I see an awful lot of 3 putts. My foursome has an ongoing side bet with two of the players with the over/under on putts at 36.

I'm a 14 handicap whose putting average has dropped to 34 this year and my goal is to get down to 32 next year. While that isn't "good" it's probably better than most weekend players.

[Smallville]

If you think like that you will never improve very much.

I disagree. Putts per round is a pretty meaningless stat anyway. You could be the worst putter ever but if you can chip very well, it doesn't matter because you could chip within a couple of feet and one putt while it might take you two putts every time outside five feet. You say you hit almost half the holes in regulation; how many putts do you average on THOSE holes? On the PGA Tour the putting stats that matter are putts per GIR. The LPGA Tour still uses (the last time I looked) total putts per round.

[Chilidipper]

I disagree. Putts per round is a pretty meaningless stat anyway. You could be the worst putter ever but if you can chip very well, it doesn't matter because you could chip within a couple of feet and one putt while it might take you two putts every time outside five feet. You say you hit almost half the holes in regulation; how many putts do you average on THOSE holes? On the PGA Tour the putting stats that matter are putts per GIR. The LPGA Tour still uses (the last time I looked) total putts per round.

I agree with you I was notorious of doing what you said. Id mis a green to the left or right, but man I could chip something fierce, at this time it was the only thing I could do well. I did it so well I could 1 putt 4-5 holes a round because of my short checker shot and bump and run. Now that my ball striking has gotten better I no longer have those chances as much. I hit GIR's more often now, but you couldn't tell by my stats. I 3 putt way more often now. Having a 40 footer lag putt is a lot more scarey to me than a 25 yard chip.

[Stacey_E]

Im thinking its fair to say that if your under 36 your above average.

I'd say that most of the "average" golfers would honestly come in with more than 36 putts per round if the holed everything out. Now I'm not saying that is true of the "average" Sandtrap member on the boards here. Once again, I've said it before, I think the guys on this golf board are on the whole more serious about their games than the general golfing population.

If you think like that you will never improve very much.

I can't see how being confident in your putting skills would hurt your long term improvement. It is true that we can always shave a stroke or 3 off by improving our putting. But number of putts is a weak indicator of score. Just ask any mid handicapper who has seen their scores come down. As you start to hit more GIRs I garuntee you will start to see you number of putts increase. That comes from the fact that you aren't chipping from just off the fringe to within 3 feet as often. Plus you will hit some greens so far away from the hole and in such positions that a 2 putt is not a given.

But when I see you are not happy with 29.5 putts I have to ask.... If you hit 8 GIRs (you said 7-9) lets say you average 14 putts on those holes, that'd be 2 birdies and 6 regulation pars. Then that means on the other 10 holes where you miss the green you would be taking about 15.5 putts. So that'd be about 5 more one putts and 5 two putts. Really those putting stats seem good. But my guess is that you would trade those stats for a 36 putt round where you hit every green in regulation

[Fourputt]

I myself since I have started keeping my stats average 34.2 putts per round. And I dont at all consider myself a good putter. As a matter of fact I consider it a weak point in my game. Thats pretty straight I might pick up a ball thats 6 inches short just for pace of play, but Im pretty good about putting everything out.

It depends on your greens in regulation. If that number is high, then 34 puts per 18 holes isn't bad at all. If you miss a lot of greens then your putting stats should be better to compensate, i.e. you should have more one putts if you are chipping a lot.

With a 12 handicap, my guess is that you hit about half (or slightly less) of your greens, then 2 putt. My handicap is similar to yours but I miss a lot of greens, then get up and down... My puts per 18 look good but my GIR's stink. Another good indicator is how often do you 3 putt? If you rarely do that then 34 isn't bad at all. Not that there isn't room for improvement, but that's going to come primarily by hitting more greens, and by being closer to the hole when you do. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Fat Slice]

My feeling on putting is that I should 2-putt everything with the following exceptions:

1) SUPER long lag putts that don't get me close enough for an easy 2-putt = 3 putt
2) Kick-ins from good chips or great approach shots = 1 putt
3) Great putts from challenging distances = 1 putt

Reducing #1 will take a lot of practice from long distances. Even then, a long putt is a long putt and with all the breaks and reads that number may stay put.

Increasing #2 comes from play off the green. More chipping practice = better chips = shorter putts = more made putts.

Increasing #3 is the holy grail of putting for me. Practice, practice, practice!

I average 36 putts per round.

[RocktimusPryme]

It depends on your greens in regulation. If that number is high, then 34 puts per 18 holes isn't bad at all. If you miss a lot of greens then your putting stats should be better to compensate, i.e. you should have more one putts if you are chipping a lot.

For where my game is I hit slightly below avg GIRs I would think. Right about 40%. But my 60* is one of the strong points in my game and gets me up and down a fair amount. I dont three putt that much, maybe twice a round slightly less.

[Fourputt]

For where my game is I hit slightly below avg GIRs I would think. Right about 40%. But my 60* is one of the strong points in my game and gets me up and down a fair amount. I dont three putt that much, maybe twice a round slightly less.

That is one of my strengths. It's a rare round when I 3 putt more than once, and sometimes I can 3 or 4 rounds in a row without a single one. A couple of months ago I had three 3-putts in a 4 hole stretch... I was ready to drown myself in the next hazard we passed.

I woke up and realized that I was not keeping my head down until the putter was past where the ball lay. The next green I focused on doing just that and everything was good again... except that I could never get those 3 lost strokes back again.

[Clublink7]

The answer is no 34 putts is not that good.
I'm not that great myself at putting but you have to know you and I play much easier slope courses than the pros who are averaging 30 putts a round.

Think about it.

[Fourputt]

The answer is no 34 putts is not that good.

Those pros are also averaging more than 10 strokes a round better than you too. Get real.... there's nothing wrong with 34 when the average player is well above that. You can set unrealistic goals for yourself, but don't try to foist it off on the rest of us as being a reasonable target.

Anything under 36 is good, and if a typical amateur gets down to 30 he's putting lights out. Regardless of the type of courses we play (and I could dispute that comment too, there are lots of members here who play courses that slope well above 130)), setting a goal that a Tour pro would envy just doesn't make sense.

[golf_junkie27]

A good putter is someone who knows the reasons for his misses and fixes it. When I say this, I'm referring to making an actual stroke. Are you getting through the ball? Slowing down through impact? Getting too handsy and not putting with your shoulders?

Just as important, how confident are you when you putt? What's your attitude? For me, it's always "I'm going to make this putt." Obviously, that's not true, however, if I tell myself "okay, this will be a two putt" I can do some stupid things like leaving it really short or to the right, etc.

Read Dr. Rotella's "Putting out of your Mind." You can actually carry over those same principles to every other golfing aspect.

FWIW, I have averaged 33 putts per round since reading his book. I wished I was good enough to average less. That will happen, though, once I become more consistent at getting closer with approach shots.

[Stacey_E]

Just as important, how confident are you when you putt? What's your attitude? For me, it's always "I'm going to make this putt." Obviously, that's not true, however, if I tell myself "okay, this will be a two putt" I can do some stupid things like leaving it really short or to the right, etc.

That's very important! I'm reading Raymond Floyd's "The Elements of Scoring" and one point he drives home is that good putters always believe they are good. You might have a bad putting day or even 3 putt a hole or two, but you still have to believe you are a good putter. Don't let yourself get down on your putting even if you 4 putt. Confidence is everything with the flat stick and believing you can make every putt will do wonders, even for your lag putting.

Putting is one of the most individualized motions in golf. If you have confidence in your stroke then you can do wonders regardless of the technicality of that stroke. Listening to people who tell you that you aren't a good putter will do more harm than a funky stance or odd grip.