Putting is KILLING me (rant and plea for help)

[enis750]

keep putting simple

not that i am doubting your skill, but i will have to disagree w # 3 your eyes should be slightly behind the ball if you are directly over the top of it, you cant see the proper line i would suggest having your eyes slightly behind the ball to the poster: i practice Phil Mickelson's 10 ball 3ft and 6ft circles 3x's a week if you are unfamiliar w it, it's as follows: 3ft: -put ur sandwedge in the hole (for measurement purposes) and measure 10 spots in a circle around the hole (mark it w tees) -putt from here till ur blue in the face -Phil tries to get 100 in a row -best I have done is 30...its freaking harder than you think -set ur own personal goals and try to achieve it 6ft: -put your 7i in the whole (again for measurment purposes), and double it up -again mark w tees, 10 in a circle around the hole -set goals from this distance - Phil tries to achieve 80% from here -i have been hitting 70% lately -set your own realistic goals & try to beat it each time u practice 20/50/60 ft lags: -set up the 20ft ones first -ur goal is to hit in in the 3ft foot mark (so put 2 tees at 3 feet behind the hole, and one off to the side in front - not to be in your way of the putt) -hit about 10 balls or as many as you want -repeat this step for the 50 + 60 ft lags as well -if you practice this 2-3 times/week, I promise your putting will improve -mine has greatly -my last 2 nines i has only 13 + 15 putts -which i think is pretty good ,.......now if i can only get off the T, i would be good to go.....damn driver.....

[mirv]

my putting has been destroying otherwise good rounds for a week or more now. typically i take 30-32 putts per round, and i've been getting into 35-36 putts per round. where i should've probably shot a 75 or 77, i'd wind up with 81 or 83. i took my first four-putt in i don't even know HOW long several days ago, and afterwards i looked at my dad who was playing along with me, and mildly ranted at him, "four putts, dad. i took FOUR putts to finish this stupid green. i was on in two and FOUR PUTTED. what IS that?!"

it'd been at least a year since i'd four-putted. at least. talk about demoralizing. nevermind that i hit 80% of the fairways that day and almost half of the greens and i didn't lose a single ball all day. what ended up coming home with me was that stupid four-putt.

[Fourputt]

what ended up coming home with me was that stupid four-putt.

I don't even know you and I certainly wouldn't come home with a stranger. I wouldn't get myself in a tizzy about one bad green. Those things happen to everyone at one time or another. Take a deep breath and spend some time on the putting green before your next round. That is the best way I know to get those ghosts out of your mind.

[headhunter]

OP, I was in the same situation as you last year too...just could not putt for the life of me, and had an awful habit of pushing putts right, almost to the point where I'd purposely align myself left of the hole.

Bought an Odyssey Tri-ball this winter, with the highest MOI of any putter available, and I've got my putting down to 33-35 putts per round, shaving 5-6 strokes off my game.

I know you probably shouldn't try to 'buy' yourself out of bad habits, and instead practice them away, but hey, it's worked for me.

[Zeph]

If your putting is all over the place, a bad grip or stroke might be part of the problem.

[DriverTees]

Make sure your stance, grip and posture are correct when putting. They are obviously different to the normal stuff. Secondly, practice a lot. I have something for you though, try this: Next time, before you start a round, knock in some putts from 3 feet. I mean, 10+ putts from 3 feet. If they all went in, and went in nicely (into the back of the cup) you did well. Because you get used to the ball going in, you get a LOT of confidence, which is everything.

Also, get a lesson with a pro. They will probably be able to sort out some mechanical problems. Ask for some drills. And maybe get a new putter, you will have lost confidence in your old one. Make sure it's the last step, though.

[DriverTees]

Once I started doing the drills for confidence, my putter became golden. It's amazing to KNOW that that 30 footer is going to go in. Once you have no doubt that it's going in, it will go in a LOT. I had to putt 11 times on my last 9, 24 putts on my last 18. It's now the funnest part in golf for me.

[enarhi]

Key in on accelerating through the ball. When having issues with putting and trying so hard to improve it, it's easy to start worrying so much about swing path, line, speed, etc. that you forget the most basic key to consistent putting--acceleration through the ball. Decel that perfectly smooth, arced putter swing with a perfect read, and you're still going to have an awful result.

[schapman]

You want putting issues. My last 9 I played I shot a 49 and 3 putted every hole.

All 2 putts and I would have shot a great +4 40 :(

Practice practice practice time for me.

[billysandy]

Just gonna pass on some information my friend who plays off 5 told me to try.

Looking at the ball all the way through the stroke and at the ground it has just been after you have hit it. This helps to make sure your putter is square with your feet at impact, and also you can hit it right out the middle.
I find this ensures that missed putts can be blamed on missreads and distance control. One problem i found with this method is distance control is hard, so it requires you to take a few practice swings and commit.
Then i was told that to further this practice, you can close your right eye so you cant actually follow it with your eyes or your head, ensuring you dont move you head thru the stroke.

[uttexas]

Get fitted for a putter, just as you would other clubs.
You'll get fitted, not just for length, lie angle, but also putter type depending on your natural swing path and personal "feel" preferences.

Putter drills that have helped me.
put two rubberbands on the putter face, bracketing the sweet spot (start off maybe an 1.5 inches between the rubber bands) then practice putting...if you're not hitting the sweet spot, you'll know right away when the ball hits one of the rubber bands and veers off.

3 foot, 4 foot, and 5 foot circle drills

Other than taking the time to reading the break from behind the ball, behind the hole and from the lowest point on the ball path, mentally picturing the ball rolling into the relative center of the cup a few times before I stroke the putt has helped me the most.

[jamo]

since you seem to putt mostly indoors, imagine you're putting on a putting mat when you are standing over it. I envision that my target spot is the hole of my indoor putting mat. Its sort of like putting on a track.

[laconic517]

practice putting with a club under your arms against your chest. This and a soft grip will keep your hands out of the stroke and make it a shoulder rocking motion.

If I think too much about how hard to hit the putt I generally have poor speed. Just play by feel and let it go. A good visualization is rolling a ball underhanded to the hole to gauge the speed.

[Weekend Pro]

Dr Fu, You said you were an arc putter but you did not mention the type of putter you are using. Is it blade or mallet or frame? If you want to improve your feel, you must use a putter that provides feedback and you must use a putter that was designed for the particular stroke you are using. see http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/...different-str/ to insure you are using the correct putter for your arc swing.
Weekend Pro

[Saint]

Don't putt on carpet, unless it is really thin. We have thick carpet in our house, and the next day i played a round, and i putted everything WAY past the hole. Remember, negative thoughts hurt worse than a negative swing. Also, keep your head down. Dont look up even after you hit your putt. If you can see the hole out of the corner of your eye, you will look up, and it will pull your shoulder, and pull the putt. KEEP that head down.