What's your putting style?

[Rafcin]

I was reading a article about Thorp, the low amateur at the BritishOpen:

"Thorp finished at even-par 288. His only competition came from U.S. Amateur champion Edoardo Molinari of Italy, who finished at 295.
"I played with one of the biggest legends in the game and that was simply fantastic," Thorp said. "I learned so much today."
Watson learned a bit, too, such as what it was like to be 18 again.
" He's fearless with the putter. I remember those days," Watson said. "I reveled in it and I wish I could be like that these days."

Thinking about my playing buddies I notice there is a huge difference in approach to putt. I'm 40, but I rarely leave it short... is this an age thing? Doubt it...
What's your style?

[Ben]

I've recently changed my putting style. I used to be a lagger, just dropping putts in. But I found that I would rarely make my 15+ foot birdie putts. And those are the putts one needs to make if they expect to do anything with their game. Oddly enough, it was hearing that Tom Watson has been known as an ultra-aggressive putter that made me make the switch...

But my putting does vary. I try to adapt to the greens I'm playing. For instance my home course's greens are rather slow these days. It's been over 100 degrees for three weeks straight here, so it's necessary to keep the greens a little long so they don't die. So I'm ramming putts at the hole. I played a local course the other day that have tight bent grass greens that I guess aren't as susceptible to dying and those things were nice and fast. Downhill putts you just need to find a line and give a tap, uphill putts I was nice and aggressive. I made everything that day.

But yeah, I vary, with a slight edge to putting aggresive. I find I'm telling myself "hit it and you got it" less and less often.

[NCGolfer]

I wish I could say I was a charge-it-in-the-cup kind of guy...but I'm not. I've always been a cautious putter and avoid the 3 putt at all costs. I do leave my share of biridie putts short, but I avoid 3 putts pretty well.

I probably should change my approach. I think I'd rather give the ball a chance than leave it short...it's just my nature though. I've never been a risk taker.

[ragontona]

Based on my putting today (36 putts), it looks like my style is either get it only halfway there, or ram it by six feet long.

Jeez.

[allin]

I find it works best for me if I hit my short putts aggressively, and my 15 ft and longer less aggressively. On a longer putt I can end up with a 5 or 6 footer coming back and so much speed differance that line can still be iffy. If I am not aggressive on short puts I tend to over read the break. Even an aggressive putt rarely goes more than 3 ft by and I normally have no problem with speed and line coming back.

[georgep]

All of the above! Sometimes on the same putt!

[iacas]

I'd rather see a putt stop four inches short of the hole than go four feet by the hole.

I try to die the ball into the cup. It has the best chance of falling in. I tend to miss putts on the high side as a result (putts rarely die in the low side of the cup, after all).

The only problem this causes is the occasional three-footer: ram it and take out the break or play it outside the cup and die it in again? When I putt well, it's usually somewhere in between for the short ones.

[thehillgolfer]

my misses tend to be short...but i'm like erik when it comes to those little 3-6 footers, on finding the right balance between stroking it firm into the cup and not risking having the same putt coming back if i miss it.

[chingali]

I'd rather see a putt stop four inches short of the hole than go four feet by the hole.

Yes I'm with you 1000%. I too like to die the ball in to the hole rather than charge it three feet past. I would have to consider myself a well above average putter, I don't make very many putts over say 10 feet, but I three putt only once every two rounds or so according to about 15 years worth of stats. I tend to be a bit more aggressive on anything under 5 feet, if I miss a five footer I'll always have two or three feet coming back but on longer putts I am definitely a lag merchant.

[DDBowdoin]

left hand low...

depends on the slop of the green... if an uphill I put I leave it 4 inches short, if its a downhill putt I want the combacker coming back up the hill... so yes, depends on the green

[Rafcin]

there was a cool show on the golf channel last night - about Tom Watson in his peak years. One of his trademarks were putts, that were rolling into the hole with authority, you couldn't see many tear-dropped. Tiger putts the same way (yeah, I know he rolled one off the green into a creek at augusta ).

[GoingfortheGreen]

I guess I'm the only one with the '6 foot comeback'..

Since moving to a mallet, it seems that I'm almost never short. For the past 4-5 months I have been lagging long putts a whole lot better..maybe even better than Sergio

[MaRx]

I find that my putting stroke is in-consistent. I'm pulling/pushing some putts more than having distance problems... My ball if struck well, will roll 1-1.5' by on a missed attempt.

[Maverick]

I prefer a straight back-straight through style over the famous "swinging gate"..I'll take a face balanced anyday over those fancy blade styles.

[Rafcin]

I prefer a straight back-straight through style over the famous "swinging gate"..I'll take a face balanced anyday over those fancy blade styles.

that could be a good question for another poll - straight or in-out-in and blade vs. mallet - in this one I was wondering more about how aggressive your putting syle is

[JonnyRockets]

Right now I'm experimenting with my putting style - Used to be a die at the hole type of guy - But I kept leaving all my putts short - so now I'm going at it agressivly - but still trying to jusge to keep it in a 2 - 4 foot circle if I blow past.

Jon

[SubPar]

I try to leave the ball in the hole or 10"-12" past it. If you roll it that slow the ball has a chance to drop in if you don't hit the hole dead center, and you have a no-problem tap in if you miss. If you get into the "3-4 foot range" mode you pretty much have to hit the middle of the hole to make it, and you will have some tough come-backs.

Obvioulsy, a 3 foot circle is good if you have 30-40 foot putt, but from inside 20 feet I hope to leave it closer than that.

[NCGolfer]

I've switched to a more agressive style of putting and made a couple more long putts per round than I normally do. The good thing is that I've only had one three putt in the same time...from running it by.

It has definitely netted out to the positive for me.