Damn putting

[Grndslmhttr3]

I shot a 46 today. Aside from my putting, I was pretty content with the way I was hitting the ball, aside from the one or two mistakes that seem to creep their way into my rounds.

Now to my putting: 21 putts, 4 3-putts. I left everything short, aside from the shots that went within 10 feet from the hole (which was about 3-4). Anything between 10 and 20 feet were short. Since this was our home course, I need to be able to putt these greens. What tips and tricks are there that some of you use to help you get good speed on your putts?

[out_in_30]

when i have a bad putting day I just forget about it.. my putting literally can be hot one day and ice cold the next. but as for distance control what I do is I try and hit it before I have a chance to think about it and I begin the stroke almost immediately after I glance at the hole... kinda like a snapshot for my brain in a way. i am struggling with the 3-5 footers at this point; those are the real dingers.

[leezer99]

This may sound weird and not work for you at all but what I try and do is think of what it would take to throw a basketball into a hoop. Now, you'll say I'm on the wrong forum here but hear me out. When you're on a basketball court with the ball in your hands you pretty much instinctively throw the ball to the hoop. Whether it goes in or not is another story but what I'm trying to get across is that your mind which controls your body will automatically adjust and the ball will hopefully hit the rim or backboard. You don't think to yourself, "I'm 13 feet from the rim so I need to thrust this ball with XX amount of force to get it to the rim"... your mind and body just make it happen. Same thing with putting... just visualize the distance with a cursory look and adjustment to the slope and hit the ball. The less "thought" the better... for me anyway.

[Nickynoodles]

  leezer99 said:

This may sound weird and not work for you at all but what I try and do is think of what it would take to throw a basketball into a hoop. Now, you'll say I'm on the wrong forum here but hear me out. When you're on a basketball court with the ball in your hands you pretty much instinctively throw the ball to the hoop. Whether it goes in or not is another story but what I'm trying to get across is that your mind which controls your body will automatically adjust and the ball will hopefully hit the rim or backboard. You don't think to yourself, "I'm 13 feet from the rim so I need to thrust this ball with XX amount of force to get it to the rim"... your mind and body just make it happen. Same thing with putting... just visualize the distance with a cursory look and adjustment to the slope and hit the ball. The less "thought" the better... for me anyway.

QFT. Couldnt say it better myself. Putting is the best part of my game. I drain 20-30 footers on the regular. Hit most of my 1st putts today and when i miss its very close. I take 1 practice swing for my line, 1 practice swing for my speed i look down at the ball up at the hole and the 3rd stroke hits the ball. Alot of people i play golf with think im an amazing putter but it just comes natural to me. Like shooting a basketball. I gave you positive rep for that one.

[Grndslmhttr3]

  leezer99 said:

This may sound weird and not work for you at all but what I try and do is think of what it would take to throw a basketball into a hoop. Now, you'll say I'm on the wrong forum here but hear me out. When you're on a basketball court with the ball in your hands you pretty much instinctively throw the ball to the hoop. Whether it goes in or not is another story but what I'm trying to get across is that your mind which controls your body will automatically adjust and the ball will hopefully hit the rim or backboard. You don't think to yourself, "I'm 13 feet from the rim so I need to thrust this ball with XX amount of force to get it to the rim"... your mind and body just make it happen. Same thing with putting... just visualize the distance with a cursory look and adjustment to the slope and hit the ball. The less "thought" the better... for me anyway.

Actually, I really like that analogy. I'll try to keep that in mind for tomorrow's match.

[is2linda]

There is 2 really good tips for this types of mistake.

#1 I use this when i play ALL the time, seriously it works. On 15 to 20 footers, i set a ritual as if im bowling the ball into the hole. Depending on the speed of the green, I literally sway my arms as if im bowling the hole (sometimes my friends and golf buddies bash on me when i do this, but it really helps me visualize the speed and power i need to put in my swing). I pick a line and i pretend that i am bowling, swaying my arms back and forth, until i find the right speed and power. Then i pick up the club and i 100% try to mimic that power and strength. From there its all confidence and dont second guess yourself and go for it! Try it at the range couple of times. This was the best putting tip i have received from my teaching pro.

#2 Putt while looking at the hole. This is unorthodox but it works. Just like the basketball theory, its a lot easier to shoot a basketball because you are looking at the rim and calculating the distance as you shoot. But now try to shoot a basketball the way you putt, try aligning and calculating a basketball shot while closing your eyes or looking at the ground while shooting. I will guarantee that it will be much harder to shoot a basketball that way. Most people rely more on hand eye coordination, and by putting by looking at the hole helps stimulate a feel for distance and range. This helps people tremendously on finding the right feel for a stroke. After a while, you just know your strength and feel, and do it naturally and focus more on accuracy. Its just a matter of time.

Play around with both tips. Both tips always leave me within 6 feet of the hole from a 20 feet putt every time. Its the 3-8 feet that are the hardest in my opinion!

[mgresh]

  is2linda said:

#2 Putt while looking at the hole. This is unorthodox but it works. Just like the basketball theory, its a lot easier to shoot a basketball because you are looking at the rim and calculating the distance as you shoot. But now try to shoot a basketball the way you putt, try aligning and calculating a basketball shot while closing your eyes or looking at the ground while shooting. I will guarantee that it will be much harder to shoot a basketball that way. Most people rely more on hand eye coordination, and by putting by looking at the hole helps stimulate a feel for distance and range. This helps people tremendously on finding the right feel for a stroke. After a while, you just know your strength and feel, and do it naturally and focus more on accuracy. Its just a matter of time.

I couldn't agree more with #2. It is a great drill to do in practice and some folks even use it during play.

[Grndslmhttr3]

  mgresh said:

I couldn't agree more with #2. It is a great drill to do in practice and some folks even use it during play.

Doesn't Vijay putt while looking at the hole?

[Scott_K]

  Grndslmhttr3 said:

Doesn't Vijay putt while looking at the hole?

I think he did this a couple of weeks ago when he was having leaving some putts short. The day before he wasn't looking at the cup.

The basketball and bowling references are great, I'll have to try that.