Need putting lessons. Really badly.

[Nyper]

Anyone have any suggestions for finding a good instructor for putting? It seems like almost everyone I find around here is interested in giving lessons to new comers and making a quick buck. Putting has always been one of the weak parts of my game... but I just can't take it anymore.

Today I shot 7 over. I made a triple bogey on a par 4. I just hit a really bad approach and dug myself a big hole. Let's toss that hole out.

I was 4 over on the other 17. I had two 3-putts, and missed 4 birdie putts inside 12-15 feet. I don't expect to make all 4 of those.. but ... I'm not even coming close! And we're not talking about really tough greens with a lot of break. This are putts that are pretty flat - maybe 2-3 inches break.

I had about a 25ft eagle putt on one hole. After I missed that I STILL had a 5 footer for birdie.

I can count on one hand how many putts outside of 10ft I've made this year.

[ks8829]

watch some videos to improve your putting



What I work on before I play a round
1) straight putts from 1 - 10 feet
2) distance control using my foot as a guage and using the same tempo
3) angle putting practice from 1 - 3 feet helps me visualize the ball losing speed and falling into the hole, I focus on what speed I need to reach a certain distance and allowing gravity to take over at the end of the putt to die into the cup.

Putting require building up your confidence with positive feedback so start putting from close distances until your successfully find your method for hitting a straight putt from 1 - 10 feet since all putts are straight putts.

Up hill and downhill putting is simply visualizing where the ball needs to travel before gravity and the slope takes over.

Finally you need to practice everyday for at least 30 minutes and soon you will be eliminating three putting and keeping your putts under 30 per round.

[James_Black]

watch some videos to improve your putting

Whats the point in forcing yourself to practice for long periods of time?

You'll end up hating practicing and won't concentrate. Play a game on the practice green where you start of with 5 points. You putt to a longish away hole 15-20 feet. If you sink it you get a point. If you 2 putt stay the same if you 3 putt you lose a point. You lose if you go down to 0 you win if you get to 10. That helped my putting a lot. Another thing to do is do this for chipping. Chip to the hole and then putt out. Sink the chip and you get a point. Get up and down and you stay the same miss the putt and you lose a putt same rules on points apply.

[mtsalmela80]

Whats the point in forcing yourself to practice for long periods of time?

Sounds like a good game! I love self-improvement games I can enjoy alone, so it does not feel like practice so much.

[ryohazuki222]

The OP sounds like me! I went out for my birthday round a couple months back.

I hit 7/9 greens in regulation. Hole 9 was a tap in putt for par after lipping out a chip from the sand trap. But how did I putt the first 8 holes? I had 39 putts. (40 total for the 9). And scored an even 40.

And, no, I don't expect to make em all... or even most, but some would be awesome. It really didn't matter how good my approach was. Had a couple hit inside 5 feet that I couldn't finish out. And that same eagle things has happened to me a few times only to turn into pars.....

I finally figured things out though. I doubt it'll work for everyone, but maybe it'll work for you. I stopped taking practice strokes parallel to my target line to try and get a "feel" for pace. IF and when I feel I need a practice stroke I do it behind the ball, perpendicular to my line. Apparently, my first, non-rehearsed, instinct is the best chance I get at feeling the proper pace. I also have to make sure to look only at the ball. And DON'T turn up my head until a second or two after the putt. I find myself putting even better if I can copy my swing rhythm into my putting stroke. I have a very slow and deliberate takeback with my other clubs... once I started a slow takeback of the putter as I do with those, and then just swinging through.... the putts really felt good.

I tried tons of other things, but the thing above is actually standing the test of time so far (the others didnt...)

The funniest thing is that around my birthday my approaches were my only strength. I hit TOO many greens (funny, i know) and hadn't had a chance to practice my short game. And putts were terrible all around. I had no distance with my driver or irons... but put a short iron in my hand and I could stick it near the hole. Now?? I can outdrive my old self by at least 50 yards. Great at putting... good short game. But I can't hit an approach to save my life.

Funny game....

[James_Black]

The funniest thing is that around my birthday my approaches were my only strength. I hit TOO many greens (funny, i know) and hadn't had a chance to practice my short game. And putts were terrible all around. I had no distance with my driver or irons... but put a short iron in my hand and I could stick it near the hole. Now?? I can outdrive my old self by at least 50 yards. Great at putting... good short game. But I can't hit an approach to save my life.

Your the same as me!

I couldn't hit my driver or woods before but with my irons I could get so close (my pitching wedge from 110m would always stick to the pin). Now I can hit big drives and woods. My putting is good. My chipping is good. My irons are shit. Do you know how it feels to hit a big 270 yard drive down the centre of the fairway and then hit three shanked S wedge's OB? But back to the point of the thread. Do what feels best for you. Try the things I outlined in my previous posts. Putting is mostly about feel not technique.

[ddalet]

Anyone have any suggestions for finding a good instructor for putting? It seems like almost everyone I find around here is interested in giving lessons to new comers and making a quick buck. Putting has always been one of the weak parts of my game... but I just can't take it anymore.

My best advice for putting:

1. Practice straight putts. If you can putt straight consistently, then you can put to an apex of a break. If you practice breaking putts before you have a straight putt stroke, you are only going to confuse yourself. 2. Make sure you are making an accelerating stroke. Decel is one of the major things that kills the line. 3. Read "Putting out of your mind" BY Bob Rotella. Putting is mostly mental, not mechanical. Anyone who tells you there is a single right way to make a putting stroke is not giving you good advice.

[Nyper]

But how did I putt the first 8 holes? I had 39 putts. (40 total for the 9). And scored an even 40.

Haha... I think you made a typo. 39 putts on 8 holes?

[pingman]

putting lessons? i use a slight in to out, straight back straight forward, and slight out to in depending on the greens of where i'm playing. that's too much on the mind for some, but majority of the time i use the slight in to out cause courses in south texas are mostly the same. what helped me was momentus putter track. it was a good investment and it helped out my stroke. all you need to worry about after using the putter track is your distance control. as for reading breaks, if it ever becomes a problem, i stand about 10 ft behind my ball, in a bunker or off the green if it's elevated to see the slope of the green, then stand behind the ball and don't pay attention to the hole, i stand directly behind my ball of where i see the break and where i see the ball will move. try to invision a train track going from your ball to the hole. then stand up over the putt and make your stroke and watch it track to the middle of the hole and find the bottom of the cup!

[Dub]

Best putting instruction I ever recieved was from Stan Utley's "Art of Putting" book. Easy principles....easy to adopt...sweet results.


Good luck.

Some of the worst advice I ever got was from a golfing buddy who began to spout out all types of unsolicted putting advice. I didn't want to be rude, but he really messed my stroke up for a while. Thank goodness for the Utley book.



Good luck !!!

[Golf_Gal]

What may help is what I used to help me. My instructor had a sort of threshold type device that you put underneath doors. Its a flat metal shape and there are holes. You put the golf ball on top of the hole and you're supposed to keep the ball straight (travelling down this threshold type device) and into the hole :) Of course you need to line of this device with the hole

[Doctorfro]

Anyone at Dana Rader school in Charlotte. See Marc LaPointe. Easy to work with.

[hipcheck4u]

I've been working on finding a putting stroke that works for me and being able to make a quality stroke each time, getting the ball to roll true. I think that is the most important part, followed by distance control. Green reading is something that I am not confident about, so I'm trying to focus on using a good stroke and accurate speed to get my first putt within a makeable distance (<5 feet) so that I can get away from those pesky 3-putts.

I really do enjoy putting and practicing putting. Knowing that it's the best way to lower my handicap is incentive to keep working at it. I am practicing my putting stroke at home for 15-20 minutes each day right now and hoping to see the dividends soon.

[ryohazuki222]

Haha... I think you made a typo. 39 putts on 8 holes?

HAHAHHA........ 19 putts on the first 8 holes. 20 for the 9holes... If I ever had 40 putts in 9 holes I'm pretty sure I'd quit the game.

[Lefty-Golfer]

Shot an 82 on sunday...with 6 -3 putts. Best ball striking of my life right up until it was time to putt. Damn game.

[GolferNewb]

I think the best instructor will be yourself in putting. Watch your stroke with a keen eye that the speed is consistent. Freeze after you hit the ball at the apex of your follow through to see the position of your club. Mark the ball and watch that it is rolling straight.

These are skills that really only you can teach yourself. The motion is really so slow that hiring someone just seems futile. I suppose that everyone can give you tips but I would spend my money on my driving or iron play.