Putting distances

[umpiremark]

I have a question for you better (ace) putters out there ...

I have real issues with speed and feel over putts. I lag for crap when I have a long putt and inside 12 to say (maybe) 4 feet it's all guesswork as to how hard that putt should be hit. I've got a good pendulum putting swing and good stroke, I do, really! But distance control sucks, big time!

My question is this: On a normal "x" foot putt on flat, straight greens - do you KNOW how far you bring the putter back to go 6 feet, how far back for 12 feet, etc. My question is, say for a normal, straight 6 footer, do you really good putters go back to say right big toe? Then 10 foot might be outside right shoe? Do you practice that to know just how far to take the club back (and forth, I guess) for "x" feet of putt?

I practice 30-40 minutes before rounds, but never, ever take that "feel" to the course. Do you have mental "tick-marks" in your head for certain distances - i.e. right toe, right shoe, right whatever? THANKS!!!

[David in FL]

Interesting question.

Short answer, for me, no. It's all feel. I do find that it's important for me to know the exact distance of a longer putt though, so I'll make a point of pacing it off as I return from looking at the line from the opposite side of the hole.

Then again, I'm a decent putter, by no means great , but I do manage to keep the 3 putts to a minimum.....

[umpiremark]

I wanted to add something to my post ... no laughing!
See my handicap? I'm a 16, I shoot 43, 44, 46, sometimes 48, etc.

Monday night league I shot 44 with 21 putts. Tuesday league I shot 45 with 22 putts (4 - 3 putt greens). I KNOW that the key to better putting is getting my irons closer to the pin; I get that part. But sinking 3, maybe 4 more putts per agonizing round puts me in low 40's, maybe an occassional 39 or something sweet like that.

So thanks for listening (reading!!) and any help you can give on distances would be appreciated. My stroke is sound, my distances SUCK!!!

[opie]

I just "feel" it also. I putt A LOT because I know that's a big key to low scores.

A couple of drills I work on for feel is putting 20-25' putts with just my right hand. Not worried as much about aim just getting the lag correct. I putt 5' putts with just my left hand to work on aim. I do each for about 15 minutes (or more) every time I practice putting and then I play the drawback (?) game (the one where you add 3' to the putt if you're not in a desired range around the hole) for 18 or 36 holes.

[Scottydoint]

Well you need a loose grip in order to have good feel.

[umpiremark]

Okay, let's not get off track ... and maybe I'm not making myself very clear (my fault):

I have NO feel. I can putt on the practice green for months on end; if I stand, say 10-feet from the hole, and putt 1,000 balls at the hole and go out to #1 and have a 10-footer, I have no feel for how hard to hit that exact same putt. Trust me, practice, practice, practice has not in-grained (sp?) any "feel" to my ability to putt.

I just wanted to know if there are some really good putters on this site that have had success putting for "approximate" distances using a set end point, set back stroke; because when it comes to feel, I got nada!!

Thanks again.

[Leftygolfer]

I recommend reading the putting bible. that is how he goes about judging distance and suggest that exact way. The size of the stroke. He also has some drills that would work for this. I like the 20 foot drill, and the lag putt drill.

[ks8829]

I think the key to good distance control in putting is tempo.

1) Do you keep the same tempo for all your putts? whether its 3 footer or 20 footer? if you have the same tempo on all your putts the distance you take back on forward should be the determining factor for distance control

2) you can practice lag putting of distances of 30 - 40 feet and see if you can consistently hit putts within in 4 foot circle.

3) try judging distance with the following method:

A) distance control with same distance backstroke and same distance on your forward stroke

B) distance control with a shorter lenght back stroke and a full follow through on each long distance lag putting.

4) if you only practice 30 minutes before you play do you practice on days you do not play? why not take a large bag 30 - 50 balls and practice lag putting for 30 minutes everyday and see how you improve your technique on lag putting. the key to improvement is practice, practice and more practice.

good luck

[umpiremark]

KS8829 ... thanks ... I believe (note: believe) my tempo is pretty much the same - back and through - for all putts, just the length of back and length of through changes. My point was I don't know how far to go back for "x" feet of distance ...

The more I type this and try to explain myself, the more I think I'm convincing myself that I probably just need to pick some basic reference points for how "far" back and though for "x" feet. Maybe "feel" will come from paracticing that way, over time.

I just wondered if anyone used/uses that technique in putting on the course.

[HSip]

Saw this on GC "Playing Lessons". When practicing "feel" for distance - putt towards the fringe of the practice putting green, trying to stop the ball just short. The idea was that if you take the hole or target away and try just for distance control you will develop feel. Hope you find something. Cheers

[CarlSpackler]

Saw this on GC "Playing Lessons". When practicing "feel" for distance - putt towards the fringe of the practice putting green, trying to stop the ball just short. The idea was that if you take the hole or target away and try just for distance control you will develop feel. Hope you find something. Cheers

I just read that tip in Zen Golf and tried it before my round last night. I am sold. The greens were slow which normally would have ruined my putting for the night, but had no 3 putts and all but 2 of my second putts were tap ins.

Another "game" mentioned in the book is to put a tee in the ground, then another 2 paces away, and a third three paces away. You putt the first ball from the first tee to the second, trying to go just past it. The second ball has to go past the first ball, the third past that one, etc. You try to see how many balls you can park between the second and third tees always going past the previous but not further than the last tee. Haven't tried this one yet, but plan to soon.

[imtomtomim]

I am a feel player all around so the most important aspect of my game is watching the shot happen before I take my swing. During my routine, I take 2 practice strokes beside the ball before I step up. During that, I'm looking back and forth between the hole and the ball, drawing a line to follow, while also pacing my swing. The tempo will dictate your distance. You gotta know what the ball speed looks like coming off of a clubhead with whatever tempo you've got. That way you can imagine the speed of the putt and how it's gonna react on the green.

It's not all distance control. One of my key thoughts is to always leave a chance for it to go in. That means never being short (unless you'll get severely punished), always reading for more break and making sure the ball always misses above the hole. Those putts will go in, a low side putt will not.

Lastly, just put a good clean stroke on the ball. Don't hold the putter back or anything, let momentum dictate the putt. You just gotta set the tempo of that momentum. Let the toe close naturally at the end of the stroke, you're not gonna pull it. Let the forces work.

[ControlJunkie]

I got a great tip that I've taken from Golf Magazine. Basically, for a 6 ft. putt, stop the backswing at the inside of your back heel. For a 12 ft. putt, stop your backswing a little to the outside of your back heel. For a 25 footer, bring it back a couple feet off the outside of your back heel.

This tip served as a great basis for me, and I dont go strictly by the article, but it was an excellent starting point. If I can find the article online, I'll post the link.

[CarlSpackler]

I got a great tip that I've taken from Golf Magazine. Basically, for a 6 ft. putt, stop the backswing at the inside of your back heel. For a 12 ft. putt, stop your backswing a little to the outside of your back heel. For a 25 footer, bring it back a couple feet off the outside of your back heel.

I tried to apply something similar to my putting and it was horrible, for me at least, especially on the course. Do you know if they were talking about doing this in practice or playing?

To paraphrase what I have read in Zen Golf, you don't need to think about mechanics when you are throwing a ball to someone. Your non-thinking mind controls your body to throw the ball the right distance. It is the same with putting. I started clearing my mind and letting my instincts take over and it seems to be working great.

[DogbertBH]

My friends think I'm a feel putter, but a little science goes into my stroke.

This might seem overly simple, but it works, and has worked for people I've shown.

I put the ball in the EXACT SAME POSITION every time I putt.

I hold the grip in EXACTLY the same spot the same way.

Here's the key. I LOCK my right wrist in the impact position and the only thing that changes is the length of my stroke.

From there it's a question of how far back I need to take the head to get the ball where I need it.

Some greens I need 3 inches back for a 6 footer and some it's gonna be about 8 inches back. Really fast greens might only need an inch for a 6 foot putt.

Once I know where I'm at, I check the 10 foot & 20 foot distance and maybe a few really long ones if there's time.

But this has kept me from 3 putting too often and makes sure I know the numbers before I start.

Hope it helps!

-Bobby

[ControlJunkie]

I tried to apply something similar to my putting and it was horrible, for me at least, especially on the course. Do you know if they were talking about doing this in practice or playing?

I'd have to look at the article again, but I think they were talking about doing it while playing. I'll have to look at the article again to make sure. At first, I caught myself being preoccupied on how far I was bringing the putter back and it took a lot of my attention away my line. The thing is that the more I did it, the less attention I'd pay to how far back I was bringing the putter, and it became automatic, and kinda led me in the direction of the "feel" I was looking for.

I think the key to it is to realize early that it's not an absolute science, because different greens will play at different speeds on different days and to an extent, at different times of the day. I definitely agree with what you're saying about not thinking about mechanics when throwing a ball, but I do think there is a point that some need to get to before they find that comfort level where the mechanics are second nature. Does that make sense?

[CarlSpackler]

I definitely agree with what you're saying about not thinking about mechanics when throwing a ball, but I do think there is a point that some need to get to before they find that comfort level where the mechanics are second nature. Does that make sense?

Makes a lot of sense. My advice (for what it is worth) would be to do that on the practice green, granted many of us don't have a load of time to commit to practice. It seems the more I practice where I can think of mechanics, the less thinking I have to do on the course. Less thinking on course = lower scores IMO.

[ControlJunkie]

Makes a lot of sense. My advice (for what it is worth) would be to do that on the practice green, granted many of us don't have a load of time to commit to practice. It seems the more I practice where I can think of mechanics, the less thinking I have to do on the course. Less thinking on course = lower scores IMO.

Man, you have no idea how many times I've argued with a friend about this. He likes to just jump on the course and try to work things out there, instead of practicing. I have so much more confidence stepping up to the tee on the first hole, knowing I've worked out some of my mechanical problems during the week. Then I spend my time on the course thinking about where I want the next shot to be, not worried about improper grip, or weight shift, or whatever the problem of the week seems to be