At what distance to you begin to "expect" to make putts?

[JKilgore44]

I expect to make every putt I look at

[Zapticon]

Actually I think this boils down to what the OP thought about the word expect and what you personally think the word expect means.I think the OP for him means a distance where it's an ironclad certainty it will go in.

I think you're right, expecting every 50-footer you have to go in is, well, it's kind of absurde. I know I said I expect every putt to go in myself, but I think I've changed my meaning of what the word means. Statistically, very, very few of my 50-footers go in, but at least knowing that you can is really important. If I expect to much it can make me disappointed lots of times, but what I do expect is to do my best, I can't do more than that. So if I read the line right, and the speed is good, it should go in, no doubt about it. But it is as Brakkus says, there are different opinions on what "expect" means.

As to answer the question in this thread, I probably expect 4-5 footers to go in, but I miss them from time to time. Actually, these short putts are the ones I like the least. When I stand over longer putts, I usually don't expect so much, because I know that the chances of it going in are small (but I still know I can), so then I can be happy with putting it close to the hole and have a putt I usually make.

[enduro]

I don't think "expect" has different meanings so much as "make". Expect pretty much means to likely happen with a high degree of probability. "Making the putt" could be a little more ambiguous. Making the putt could mean setting it up and executing your shot and putting the ball within an expected range.

I suppose you could make your putt without making the ball go in the hole...

[CG031]

I expect to make anything inside of 10 feet.

[Zapticon]

I don't think "expect" has different meanings so much as "make". Expect pretty much means to likely happen with a high degree of probability. "Making the putt" could be a little more ambiguous. Making the putt could mean setting it up and executing your shot and putting the ball within an expected range.

Sure you can, but if you are going for the hole, and don't try to just get it as close as possible, you kind of expect it to drop as well.

[enduro]

Sure you can, but if you are going for the hole, and don't try to just get it as close as possible, you kind of expect it to drop as well.

No you don't. If you expect a putt form 40 feet out to go in you're lying to yourself. Expect means with a high degree of probability. You can say for near certain that a 40' putt is going in?

This type of false confidence and bravado does more harm than good. That doesn't mean you just try and get it close. You try and get it in the hole. It is, after all, your target. But you don't expect it to go in. Your only expectation is to line up a good shot, make a good stroke and give the ball a chance to go in. If it had a chance to go in at that distance, you made your shot, it just didn't go in. Really this is an idiotic thread all together. It's an argument getting lost in the semantics of a few words. Someone says "rah rah rah, I expect to make everything, CONFIDENCE!!!" and someone else says "that's retarded and unrealistic" and the retort is "you shouldn't just try and get it close, you should go for it" as if the person saying they don't expect it to go in but try for it are just going for a range...

[Zapticon]

Well, I can agree on you on that actually. You explain it really well, and it makes a lot of sence. Don't know what I though when I wrote that, hehe.

I at least expect my 4-5 footers to go in! When I don't, I just get pissed

[mhodar13]

I expect to make putts under 6 feet, and I usually do. My putting has really improved.

[TN94z]

Lately???? I expect every putt from 6" to go in. Anything outside of that and I am done!! I am not rolling the ball very well at all right now.

[Smarf]

No you don't. If you expect a putt form 40 feet out to go in you're lying to yourself. Expect means with a high degree of probability. You can say for near certain that a 40' putt is going in?

Expect means no such thing. It simply means what you think or hope will happen. I play all my putts expecting them to go in, even so far as visualizing how it will fall. I also plan for the miss too so that it doesn't go too far if it lips out or misses the hole.

I do the same thing in pool. Even though I don't make every shot I aim at, I expect all of them to go in. You don't have to be able to guarantee a shot will go in just to expect it too. That makes no sense. I think a better question would have been, "At what distance will you make 90% of your putts are better?" I don't make 90% of my 40 footers but I expect them to fall.

[Fourputt]

I only play on trampled muni greens for the most part so I can't really expect putts to go in besides the tap ins. Putts that are sent on line bounce offline or slow down and don't make it.

I play 95% of my golf on municipal courses. That doesn't change my expectations.

No you don't. If you expect a putt form 40 feet out to go in you're lying to yourself. Expect means with a high degree of probability. You can say for near certain that a 40' putt is going in?

Confidence is a major factor in in putting success. It isn't bravado. There's nothing false about it. I'm 100% confident that every putt I face has a chance to go in the hole. That gives me an expectation for holing out on each putt. It also gives me the very real confidence to make the very best stroke possible on nearly every putt I hit.

You are welcome to approach your putting from a negative viewpoint if that is your preference, but don't try to sell it to the rest of us.

[Zapticon]

This isn't about having a negative attitude over the put, it's about expecting every put to go in, which is quite optimistic, as it truly means that you hope with a high probability that it will go in. I always know that I can make any putt from any distance, but the longer putts seldomly go in. Expecting long putts to go in will just disappoint you when it doesn't go in.

[enduro]

Expect means no such thing. It simply means what you think or hope will happen.

google define:expect.

definition: regard something as probable or likely; The rest of your argument isn't readable after that.

[enduro]

Confidence is a major factor in in putting success. It isn't bravado. There's nothing false about it. I'm 100% confident that every putt I face has a chance to go in the hole. That gives me an expectation for holing out on each putt. It also gives me the very real confidence to make the very best stroke possible on nearly every putt I hit.

Ha!

My entire argument was based on the phrase "gives it a chance"! That is far different form "Expect" and the false bravado of fools confidence. I don't approach it negatively and your attempt to squeeze a straw man isn't working. In fact, I approach it very positively as I'm almost always happy with my result. Someone expecting a putt to go in will get a negative result often. Did you even read what I wrote, or are you just poor at comprehension?

[Sowbug2000]

How'd you get your name.....4 putt???

I think I'm a fairly average putter...give or take.

I still get nervous with those "gimmees".....but I'm trying to putt out all the time, unless true gimmee inside of a foot?

That said, I feel comfortable inside of 10 feet - comfortable = confident.

Not to totally dance around the question, I expect to make 3 footers....and am pretty confident in 5-6 foot range.

[enduro]

...as it truly means that you hope with a high probability ...

I have to use that phrase sometime. Hope with a high probability? That's mind blowing, lol.

Now, when something has a high probability, doesn't that remove the need for hope? For instance, if I hold a ball in my hand and drop it, I don't really have to hope it falls because the probability is 1.0. All you can expect is to set up correctly, read the green well, make a good stroke and give the ball a chance to go in. If you do that, you will be very pleased with your putting. If you "expect" to make a 20' shot every time you line it up you will be disappointed 95% of the time. And that's if you're good. Guys, realistic expectations are a positive thing. If you truly expect to make every putt then don't even bother chipping at the pin next time. In fact, just chip as far away from it as you can to set up the longest putt and see how your round goes. After all, you should only need 18 putts and anything more is failing to live to your expectations and a bad day. You don't do this because you know you can't expect to make shots like that. So you try and get the ball as close to the pin on approach as is reasonable given the shot. If you had 100% confidence every putt would go in you wouldn't ever care where you were because hell, you just expect it to go in! After all, expectations are built on probability so of course it must! Just ask the president of North Korea! Heard his golf game works like that!

[ScottRempel]

Interesting to see the different attitudes. I just can't imagine being "happy" to have missed a putt. If I have a 30 footer and I miss the cup by a few inches and roll it 17" past, I'm not going to be pissed...but I'm sure the hell not going to be happy...I wanted and expected that putt to go in. Excluding poor greens or something, the fact that I missed that putt either means I mis-read the speed, mis-read the break, hit a poor putt, or a combination of those...why would I be happy about that!? If I make a good putt, read it right, and hit it with the right speed, the ball is going in the hole (assuming the greens are good).
It's the same thing as when you are standing in the fairway with an iron in your hand. I expect to hit the green...I definitely don't do it all the time...but I expect to. When I miss the green it is because I didn't hit as good a shot as I should have. Now if I'm a 30 handicapper, I may not expect to hit the green from outside 150 yards, for example...but even at my level that expectation is there. Same as I expect to hit the fairway with the driver.

I see how not everyone expects to make every putt though. Probably just means they don't have that confidence yet or are not a great putter. Just the same as I don't expect to be within 2 feet of the pin from 150 yards out...I just don't have that skill set yet...so, I only expect to be on the green, somewhere in close proximity to the flag. As I get closer to the green, then yeah, I expect to get closer to the pin. Once I'm on the green close means in the hole.

[enduro]

Interesting to see the different attitudes. I just can't imagine being "happy" to have missed a putt. If I have a 30 footer and I miss the cup by a few inches and roll it 17" past, I'm not going to be pissed...but I'm sure the hell not going to be happy...I wanted and expected that putt to go in. Excluding poor greens or something, the fact that I missed that putt either means I mis-read the speed, mis-read the break, hit a poor putt, or a combination of those...why would I be happy about that!?

So, you're a machine?

Do you understand what tolerances are? When you're close your shot has a very high tolerance. You can be well outside the ideal speed and line but because there is so much margin for error, it goes in. That is high tolerance. Low tolerance means the slightest error will cause a miss. And this means you can feel as if you read the exact line and made the exact speed but somewhere the tolerance wasn't met because it was smaller than any human being is capable of making with high probability. If you do make it, it was luck and that's all. You can only play within the tolerances of the human body. However, you should still be able to and expect to make a good putt every time. Going in isn't the measure of a good putt necessarily. It's the same with clubs. PW's have a very high tolerance (hence why people can "hit" them") and drivers have a very low tolerance (hence we get 1,000,000 "i can't hit my driver" threads). Much of this is due to shaft length. Shorter shafts don't create large errors from small miscues on the grip. Long shafts do. It's basic mechanics. So, you should expect to put a drive right where you want it like you can a PW? Of course not, because of the tolerance of the club/length and the human body.