Need Help With Putting

[CG031]

To all good putters out there...

For the past few rounds, I have missed on average 6 five to seven footers a round! If I could just make half these, I could reduce 3 strokes right there off my round. It isn't my lag putting, my lag putting from over 10 feet has been very good as of late. I can usually get it up close to about 2-3 feet each time, which is not a problem.

The five to seven foot range seems to be my biggest issue. I just can't get the ball in the cup and my confidence is completely shot.

What are some tips? I'm more of a feel player, don't like being really mechanical. But any tips are welcome at this point. I don't have the yips, I'm hitting them solid...I just can't get it in. I think it may be my stroke or something, not really sure...

Anyone have any books they'd suggest or anything to help me out?

Appreciate it, thanks.

[shankapotamus]

To all good putters out there...

Found your problem. I'd suggest a book by Dr. Bob Rotella.

[CG031]

Found your problem. I'd suggest a book by Dr. Bob Rotella.

Does he have any books directed towards putting?...

[eahollis4]

practice get use to seeing the ball going in the hole. pick a blade of grass or a piece of dirt about 5 inches out and run your ball over it then listen for the ball to go in.

[ks8829]

You need to find your putting stroke that is consistent.

try the following drill:

1) start putting from a level or slightly uphill surface to practice putting.
2) practice putting from 1 foot and work you way back until you are at 7 to 10 feet.
3) you will discover how your putting stroke holds up
4) make sure that you can consistently hit straight putts
5) if you can't don't be afraid to experiment until you do
6) do you pull putts or push them
7) do you use too much hands
8) try keeping your hands quiet and have your hands and arms as one piece
9) try practicing with a club on the ground as a guide for alignment
10) practice for at least an hour each day until you discover your stroke and your confidence will build.
11) grip position and grip pressure are important
12) putting with your shoulder instead of your hands
13) try keeping your putter low to the ground on the backstroke, I found that this helps keep the line.
14) I keep my hands out and with a slight forward press help me.

good luck everyone can learn to be a great putter with some practice, who am I kidding lots of practice, make it your goal to have less than 20 putts a round.

[Smarf]

Take a dozen balls and put them around the hole in a circle. Knock one in and then move to another, if you miss start over from the beginning. If you can make all 12 without missing your putting will have improved AND your confidence will be increased.

[sonicblue]

If you consider something over 10 feet a 'lag' putt, it's definitely in your head. I'll sum it up in one simple question: when you're over the ball, what are you thinking? Are you still worried if your read is right? Wondering how hard to hit it? If it's anything other than, "My alignment is good, and I'm going to hit this with the proper speed to hole it," then you have your answer.

We all know every putt can't go in. We know even the pros don't drain every 15-footer. But that doesn't mean you're lying to yourself by saying, "I'm going to make this putt" when you're over the ball. This may sound idyllic, but I am living proof. When I truly adopted this approach, I immediately started making a ton of 5, 6, 8 and 10 footers. I suggest this drill:

Take ONE ball to the putting green. Hit a 2-footer. Pull the ball back, same line, 4-footer. 6-footer. 8-footer. By the time you get to a long putt, you should know the line, know the speed, and you'll find (I think) that you suddenly feel VERY confident over a 15-footer. When you get to the course, even though you'll see a putt there for the first time, IF you have faith in your line, and hit those putts with that same confidence, I think you'll find you'll make many more 6-8-10-footers AND, without consciously 'lagging,' find that you get your 15-20-25-footers VERY close, maybe even drop a bomb or two.

[CG031]

You need to find your putting stroke that is consistent.

Take a dozen balls and put them around the hole in a circle. Knock one in and then move to another, if you miss start over from the beginning. If you can make all 12 without missing your putting will have improved AND your confidence will be increased.

If you consider something over 10 feet a 'lag' putt, it's definitely in your head. I'll sum it up in one simple question: when you're over the ball, what are you thinking? Are you still worried if your read is right? Wondering how hard to hit it? If it's anything other than, "My alignment is good, and I'm going to hit this with the proper speed to hole it," then you have your answer.

Ok thanks for the specific suggestions. I am going to the putting green right now for at the very least an hour to do all these drills/suggestions you have made to me. I'll come back in a few hours and tell you all how it went.

[case31]

Last year I went through a similar slump to what you're going through. I went out to the practice green and did the following drill to work on my mechanics:
Picked a hole I wanted to putt at, then read the putt to find what I thought was the right line. I then took a string tied to a pencil on each end. I placed the pencils in the ground so that the string was directly in line over where I was going to putt. I would then putt repeatedly using the string as a guide for my putter, making sure I was taking it straight back and straight through. I would adjust the string and putting line as necessary.
I found that doing this drill helped me with reading greens, mechanics, and speed. Once I felt that I had my mechanics down, I noticed more putts going in when I was out playing.

[CG031]

I suggest this drill:

This was the drill I used most. Helped a lot. Thank you.

practice get use to seeing the ball going in the hole. pick a blade of grass or a piece of dirt about 5 inches out and run your ball over it then

Just keeping my head still and listening to it hit the cup helped a lot because I think my biggest key was moving my head just a tad too much. Thanks for this tip.

You need to find your putting stroke that is consistent.

These helped A TON. Like I said to Sonic, I did the start short then keep backing up a bit with one ball and that helped a lot. Just groving my stoke is what I need to do. Another thing that was huge is finding a flat, uphill putt because the practice green at my local course is very, very sloped. It's fun for having competitions and chipping on because it's a challenge, but to work on your putting inside 10 feet and build confidence is a drag. I finally found one spot towards the bottom right of the green (it's a huge practice green) and it really helped me a lot.

Thanks to everyone...hopefully as I continue to use these drills and tips and practicing for about an hour a day I can get down to about 25-30 putts per round, which is my goal. (It may sound like very few putts, but I usually only hit 4-5 G.I.R.).