My first 9....(wow I suck at putting!)

[JLA_8]

So I played my first 9 yesterday, par 3 course, 1140 yards. Nothing special but a nice place to play.

Tee shots - 8i, 9i, and PW - 6/9 greens hit. The 3 others landed just to the right of the green.

3 chip shots - within 10 feet of the hole.

PUTTS - 30 !!!! (enough said) lol.

Anyway had a blast. Will be going every Wednesday after work.

So, my putting. I hit the ball way too hard. Even when I try to hit it very softly, it seems to go flying by the hole. One guy I was playing with said my putter was too heavy for my stroke. Does that sound like it could be an issue? I know I need lots of practice, but I want to make sure I have the correct putter to practice with.

Thanks!

[David in FL]

So I played my first 9 yesterday, par 3 course, 1140 yards. Nothing special but a nice place to play.

Wow, you really

do suck at putting! Not to worry. Spend some time on the putting green, it'll come. You've got to have a lot of natural athletic ability to hit 6 of nine greens, even on short par 3's, and chip well on the other 3 on your first round ever. Don't worry about the type of putter right now. I actually prefer to use a heavy mallet type putter on very fast greens as it helps to keep me from inadvertantly decelerating through my stroke. It's about practice and feel now. You can play with the equipment later. Good luck, and congratulations on a nice first round, even with the putting woes!

[jonnythan]

6/9 greens hit your first time ever on a course !?

Your putting doesn't suck. *I* suck.

[JLA_8]

Thanks for the replies. I was just discussing this with one of the guys I play with and he mentioned the reason my accuracy was so good off the tee is that I have only a 1/4 swing. He couldn't believe I was able to reach the green with such a small swing, said it looked like I was chipping. lol.

I will definitely practice my putting. I've been reading a lot of putting posts on here to get some practice tips.

Thanks again.



*****Edit***** Also, this was not my first time out. I should clarify that. It is my first time out in about 13 years or so. I sucked back then too though. This was my first time on a par 3 course.

[HSip]

Don't get too handsy, especially with a heavy putter. Use firm wrists and rock your shoulders.

[ripken204]

god my first nine a few weeks ago...
now keep in mind that i havnt touched a golf club for 2 yrs, im just getting back into it again.
my first hole i shot an 11..
my putting was horrendous as well, dbl bogey on what should have been pars.

anyways, now im back to mostly bogey so im happy

[$2 Nassau]

I'm willing to bet that you take your putter really far back on the backswing, even for short putts, and then try to stop it just after hitting the ball in an attempt to hit a short putt.