obviously mental case?

[out_in_30]

so..whenever I hit a few putts before the round I am unstoppable.. every putt I look at almost goes in and 3 to 5 footers from every side are center cut. In the course of a round I have a lot of 3 to 5 footers for either birdie or par and I never feel as comfortable over the ones on the course as I do over the ones on the practice green and I wind up missing some of them... these are just strokes that are thrown away and really get to me. I dont even go on the practice green anymore because it frustrates me.. I am wonderful on them haha and very calm. my stroke is solid but on the course i find i try and steer them a little bitmore and tend to push the putts. I know this is 100% mental. Ive tried psyching myself out and just walking up and stroking the putt before I have a chance to think; it worked for a while but is beginning to wear off... i find that I leave up to 5 strokes on the course if I have a bad 3to5 footer day.. its very frustrating because when I make them my score is so much lower.

what are some of the ways you guys 'clear the mechanism' when standing over these kinds of putts?

[enduro]

I think the answer is the same for any kind of shot in golf: practice a lot.

When you practice you gain command and confidence in a shot. Everyone has been a driving range pro or putting green pro in their time. Probably many times over.

You need to be 100% conscious of what you're practicing and trying to perfect your technique. Eventually this technique gets mastered and you start to get consistent results. The game changes and things like that seem simple. You don't get the mental lapses because what you're doing is simple, not stressful, to you when you're at this level.

There isn't a single trick in this game. There isn't a magic move or a trick that can be learned. Improvement in this game is gained from conscious practice on a particular technique and executing it. Successful execution becomes more and more likely as your technique improves until eventually it feels automatic.

I don't make as many of those putts either (greater than 7 feet) as I'd like and it's simply because my technique is weak in putting and I don't practice it enough to seriously expect myself to be great at it. Right now I'm content with my putting because I don't 3 putt often and my long and lag putting technique is good enough and practiced enough I know I can leave myself a makeable second putt. However, as a few more things are mastered to my liking I will be able to dedicate more time to putting inside 5-10 feet.

[out_in_30]

my stroke and technique arent the problem though. its my mind. i need to get out of my own way and just let it flow. i was just curious about other peoples ways they calm themselves down when they have pressure putts.
i probably just need to put myself in that position as much as possible so it feels more natural and I stop tensing up when I have putts that can move me up the leaderboard. then I think I will stop leaving as many shots on the course because of missed 3 footers.

[Where's the Cart Girl?]

I don't know how desperate/crazy you are, but you say your mind is the problem, thinking too much, etc.. so outthink your mind by underthinking it. Try unconventional methods when all else fails.

1.) Putt with one foot in front of the other, like people do on short putts they know they're going to make, or when they're trying to avoid stepping on someone's line. It's like you've already told your mind that you've made the putt and that translates into success.

2.) Don't aim for the center of the cup. Aim inside left edge/right edge, whatever.. and feel yourself correct it without thinking. It sounds ridiculous, but my dad would open the face and push short putts all the time; right into the middle of the cup. He "let intuition overtake institution" as he would say.

3.) Close your eyes. Whats the worst that can happen? You miss? You're eyes were closed, what the hell did you expect? Open your eyes for the next one if you want to. Or don't.

Not that any of these are a permanent fix, and you don't even need to take these to the course if you don't want to, but the point is to prove to yourself that you don't always need to regurgatate technique to produce golf shots. Based on what you wrote, I don't know that more practice of the same thing is the answer. Maybe, maybe not.

Just some ideas to get that third eye open.

[enduro]

my stroke and technique arent the problem though. its my mind. i need to get out of my own way and just let it flow. i was just curious about other peoples ways they calm themselves down when they have pressure putts.

Is every putt a "pressure putt"? I mean, if I'm on the 2nd hole putting, I'm not sure there is such a thing as a "pressure putt". Is every 3-5 foot putt stressful for you? Why are you trying to be so perfect?

My advice is to just have some fun out there. Remember that you're putting better on the practice greens because you're in a groove of putting over and over and likely hitting nearly the same putt. So it's easy to find the key and get going. But you aren't finding that key in real greens (because your technique and stroke isn't as good as you probably think )and you choke it out. So because you're choking now you're getting nervous adding even more pressure and anxiety and making you play terribly. All you can think about is how you're going to miss this one and then of course, you do.

[out_in_30]

Is every putt a "pressure putt"? I mean, if I'm on the 2nd hole putting, I'm not sure there is such a thing as a "pressure putt". Is every 3-5 foot putt stressful for you? Why are you trying to be so perfect?

i am not trying to be perfect in any way shape or form.. im not sure if you are really understanding what Im saying; maybe im not being clear or something I dont know. no every putt is not a pressure putt. yes i do have fun out on the course almost all the time. Like I said Im trying to cut down the amount of strokes I leave out on the course. Im trying to get my index back down to under 1. The strokes I leave out on the course tend to be in the form of missed 3 footers. I know Im not going to make all of them ..that is not what im going for but I do miss too many of them. I need to find a way to feel like they are no brainers like furyk does; he lines it up and then backs away like he missed it so now hes thinking that he is putting it thesecond time. im sure I will figure it out.

[deronsizemore]

You have the same problem that I do. I wouldn't classify myself as a bad putter, but I feel like I miss a lot that I should be either making or at least scaring the hole.

You're right, it's all mental. I put too much pressure on myself to make the putt during the round and ultimately over think it and miss. It comes down to getting out of your own way and putting as if you didn't care if it goes in or not. That's all you're doing on the practice green, you don't care. If you miss there, you rake it back and start over. On the course, there are no do overs. You have to just putt as if you don't care if it goes in or not.

That's what all the best putters in the game have, the mental edge to just not care. If it goes in, it goes in; if not, no big deal.

[right handed phil mickelson]

It's obvious that the case is lack of routine. Find a routine that works for you, and go with it.

If that's not the case, then I suggest you try and think that the putts on the course are just practice (they don't count). Do exactly the same thing on the putting green. Just take a few practice strokes, and walk up and hit it. It doesn't matter. (it does but try and think it doesn't). You'll find yourself in the mindset that you would be on the putting green and then you'll start making some more putts.

[TN94z]

so..whenever I hit a few putts before the round I am unstoppable.. every putt I look at almost goes in and 3 to 5 footers from every side are center cut. In the course of a round I have a lot of 3 to 5 footers for either birdie or par and I never feel as comfortable over the ones on the course as I do over the ones on the practice green and I wind up missing some of them... these are just strokes that are thrown away and really get to me. I dont even go on the practice green anymore because it frustrates me.. I am wonderful on them haha and very calm. my stroke is solid but on the course i find i try and steer them a little bitmore and tend to push the putts. I know this is 100% mental. Ive tried psyching myself out and just walking up and stroking the putt before I have a chance to think; it worked for a while but is beginning to wear off... i find that I leave up to 5 strokes on the course if I have a bad 3to5 footer day.. its very frustrating because when I make them my score is so much lower.

One thing that helped me (I was the exact same way) is this: If it was a birdie putt, I would come to terms with myself that the worst I would make is par if I missed. The same thing for par putts. I would tell myself that the worst I could make is a bogie and the bogie really isn't the end of the world. For me, this took the pressure off of the putt(there is pressure on these whether you are out having fun or trying to get your handicap to a certain goal) and I would start making them.

Another thing is to really try to focus on the ball. The tough part about these putts is the fact that you can see the hole out of your peripheral vision and that is what causes the steer in many cases. I try and put the hole out of my mind and just trust my read. The other things that helped me were changing my lining up routine and I started doing the 25% back/75% through, but that won't help you much since you say your stroke is good. Hope this helps

[out_in_30]

You have the same problem that I do. I wouldn't classify myself as a bad putter, but I feel like I miss a lot that I should be either making or at least scaring the hole.

that is very true. I do the same things, i overthink and then my stroke crumbles. I think the good putters on tour like Tiger, when hes facing a putt like that knows that it is in the hole... he isnt putting like he doesnt care if it goes in as much as he knows he is going to make it.