putting makes me want to quit this game..

[Nyper]

Last weekend I had 40 putts in my round.

Yesterday I spent a solid hour at the course on the putting green really trying to work on it. I felt like I got down to a good repeatable stroke and a good routine. I was putting pretty decent when I left.

Today I went played a new course... and.. had 40 putts. Again!

The course does have some pretty fast greens that I wasn't used to, but it's no excuse. I had seven 3-putts. Absolutely pathetic...

[birdiemachine]

Gotta roll the rock if you want to be a player. Putting takes SO SO SO much time. Patience, patience, and practice.

[Jenks465]

How do you practice?

[Jay-Bird]

Keep practicing, it'll come around.

(Or get your approach shots closer to the hole!)

[clubhousehero]

what where you doing when you spent that hour practicing? any drills?

Without knowing anything else, I would say lag putting and 5' and in is probably what you should be working on the most. plus some chipping.

[wedge player]

Last weekend I had 40 putts in my round.

i know wat you mean if i could roll the rock id prolly have a + handicap

[Nyper]

(Or get your approach shots closer to the hole!)

Sadly, all of my 3 putts were from 20ft and less today. I would just roll each one of them 4 ft by, and miss it coming back.

As for my practice... yesterday I spent a lot of time trying to work on distance control. I would place 5 balls and random spots.. all about 20ft from a hole. Take my time, read each putt.. (trying to work on a routine).. set up. Take two practice strokes. Step to the ball. One last look at the hole. Putt the same stroke on the ball as my practice strokes. I also putted each of these out. On the 3 and 4 footers, trying to again do my routine of reading the putt etc etc. I feel like I don't read greens well. On putts that are 8 ft and under, sometimes it just needs to be played on the right or left edge of the cup, and sometimes it's so little that I can't tell which side. Today there were several putts from that range where I actually hit the exact spot I was aiming but just mis-read the putt and played too much or too little break.

[Chas]

Without knowing anything else, I would say lag putting and 5' and in is probably what you should be working on the most. plus some chipping.

This sounds like good advice. I sort of do it myself but not as consciously as that.

[ks8829]

You are lucky because your putting can only get better with 40 putts per round.

watch this video:



good luck

[Eeryck]

My favorite advice I ever read about putting:

Putt as fearlessly as a child would. Have you ever noticed how well children putt.

The idea behind it was that a child looks at each event as another chance to put the ball in the hole and independant of the previous. They would also expect each attempt to go in because that was their goal.

-E

[MSDOGS1976]

Might try a belly putter. I used it for several months with some success and then went back to my regular putter. Putted much better. I still use the belly for drill purposes. Helps remind me on how to stay connected and to rotate shoulders. Easy to find a cheap one on ebay.

[TheLauncher]

My favorite advice I ever read about putting:

I like this. Its kind of like what I call my confidence game in putting-- I usually do much better when I just tell myself that I am going to hole the putt, and I think of nothing else. Four footers should be no-brianers. It helps me if I just go up and knock them in. Especially on short putts, the more I think the worse I do. Your single focus must be the ball dropping.

[LongballGer]

I used to be a bad putter too, but now putting is the strenght of my game.

Here are some tips I can give you:

Keep the grip pressure very, very light and constant (this is very important)

Here are some drills I use to practice:

Take a couple of balls and look at the hole instead of the ball while you putt.

Close your eyes while you putt and then guess how far it went.

Hit 3 balls exactly the same distance.


other drills:

stick two tees right into the ground putterhead width apart, put the ball in the middle and putt without touching the tees.

find a hole and measure a putter length from it and stick a tee in the ground. Do that three times and place a ball next to the tees and try to hole the putts.


Do these drills and I guarantee you you will become a good putter.

[flopdarock]

Last weekend I had 40 putts in my round.

man... i know exactly how you feel... right before my round today waiting to tee up i decided to hit the putting green... oh boy... nothing dropped... add extreme crowds an slow pace of play... girs led to bogeys and doubles... some days you have it... others............

[birdiemachine]

my advice

1. practice sinking putts with a golf ball. No joke, just try you will see how your eye changes.

2. Line up your putter, look at the hole, and just "feel it". Davis Love used to do this on long putts. It helps you get a real feel for distance and forces you to have a square club face. More importantly you ingrain the feel of a square clubface.

3. DONT JAB. Be a pendelum. Smooth. Also, like someone already said, grip pressure is essential. You need to release the putterhead. This can be real hard on lightning greens.

4. And finally, fix your head. Read the golfers mind. You will roll the rock like a pro after this book.

Good Luck and be patient

[Chas]

Yesterday at the Buick I was watching how Villegas grips the putter, from close up with my binoculars. He lays the putter down on the green first and then very, very softly wraps his fingers round the handle. It's all about feel and fine feedback. Wish I could do that - must practice more.

[Jenks465]

Without knowing anything else, I would say lag putting and 5' and in is probably what you should be working on the most. plus some chipping.

Thats good advice! Take care of the short ones and the long ones and all of the others come easy!

I'd also suggest practicing with one ball and going round all of the holes on the putting green (I usually do it until i've played nine holes in 15 putts), especially just before playing. That recreates the situation you get on the course better than hitting the same putt over and over and gets you focused on trying to hole every putt rather than thinking too much, good luck, Jenks.

[ks8829]

saw this video and thought it might help you