Are You a Good Putter? & Why/Why Not?

[normdamarine]

Yes, I am a good putter... No wait, I am a great putter... The reason why, I feel like I am going to make everything...

[woodzie264]

Technically, I'm not a great putter : I dont have a pre-putt routine, I dont think I read greens all that well, I haven't put time into developing this great stroke.

My numbers, atleast IMO, aren't too bad : since the start of me keeping stats last year (20 rounds worth), I fluctuate between 30-32 ppr, averaging between 1.67-1.78 ppg. Admittedly, I think my numbers are somewhat skewed in that my GIR stats are low, thereby driving the number of short chips & 1-putts up. While there's always room for improvement, for a 14 handicap that has a larger problem with my mid-long irons, I can live with my putting numbers for now.

[bopanic]

i wish i could say i am a better putter than i am! putting really is the reason that im a 12 handicap and not a 7 handicap. the one thing i need to focus on more is taking my putter back not as far as i typically do. i tend to take the putter back too far and then my follow through tends to get off line and push the ball to the right. this causes me to make more bogies than i should make.

ive identified my problem this off season and my goal for this upcoming season is to putt much better! hopefully...

[B-Con]

I don't know how my putting is going to be this year, but one thing's for sure, I want it to be a stronger point of my game. My reasoning is that, all-in-all, I have few excuses for it not to be. IMO, putting it simpler. You can't dig your club into the ground, you can't top the ball, you can't shank it, you aren't making large sweeping muscle movements, etc. It's a very smooth, controlled action. In addition, it's easier and cheaper to practice putting than hitting with a normal club.

Over this winter, I've been putting inside along a simple putting strip of felt-style fabric and a short ramp ending at a cup. It doesn't help reading greens, but repeatedly hitting the same shot has helped me develop a consistent stroke. I get to practice making dead-center impact with the club, executing my back and forward rocking motion, and I can find minor mistakes and fix them. I'm hitting about 20-30 strokes a day, on average, with a couple days here and there where I hit a few dozen. My hope is that when I get to putting on greens, I can focus on green-related putting and not have the mechanics/implementation get in the way.

The last I played consistently was the middle last summer and I was an "OK" putter. I two-putted almost every single hole, and that was before I got my Karsten Anser 2. Once we get some longer daylight and a bit warmer weather, I'm going to try to get some time in on an actual green once or twice a week after work.

[Dub]

I did make some significant headway with my putting last year. I had ordered a copy of Stan Utley's putting book. It's arrival coincided with my recovery from a knee injury.

I used this time to make the changes suggested in the Utley book. I couldn't play at all during this time frame, but putting and chipping were something golf related I could do to scratch the itch.

My stance and stroke are much more natural...thus more comfortable. The way I grip the club is different, too.

The OP is dead on about putting lowering your score!

The knee is still somewhat suspect and my swing is compromised a bit. My goal now is it gain accuracy on full shots and have well founded confidence in my putter.

[Doctorfro]

I consider myself to be a very good putter. Now the "per round" statistics say I'm just OK. When I'm coaching basketball I always teach my players to believe that they are the best free throw shooters in the conference, state, etc. It's about confidence. And my players consistently show improvement as the season goes on. But with putting, yes, mechanics and the ability to read putts and to judge speed is very important. But confidence is, in my opinion, the most overlooked factor in being a good putter. So when I play I consider myself to be one of the best and I believe I can make anything and at worst get down in two from even a mile away. It doesn't always happen that way but I have the feeling ingrained. And it's not a mantra I sit and repeat to myself as I'm over the ball. I wholeheartedly believe it.

[kevin.chan]

Putting is still the weakest part of my game.

I need to bring it down from 33~34 to sub 30.

I believe finding the right putter ( length / lie / loft / feel / grip / swing weight / stroke ) is very important . Previously i got the right specs except the swing weight , and it still manage to save some putts.

My green assessment has improved last year and improving on the speed and angle . I read Stand Utley's The Art Of Putting last year , it helped a lot but i revisited the book 2 weeks ago , i realised that i miss-read some part of the book and vry eager to try them on the course .

Hopefully with the new putter ( just bought last week ) and after reading Stand's book , i can manage below 30 putts per round .

I would like to break PAR and Sub 70 this year.

[Fourputt]

This is a funny and appropriate story from Harvey Penick's green book. One of his college players came in for help with his putting. When they left the shop, the player headed for the putting green, while Harvey headed for the practice tee. The player thought that there was a misunderstanding. "Hey Mr. Penick!" he yelled. "It's my putting that needs looking at." "Billy, you're a good putter," Harvey yelled back. "If you aren't having success, it's because your iron shots are too far from the hole".

Sometimes it takes a different approach (pun intended ) to improve one's putting stats.

[lumpuckeroo]

I'm a pretty good putter and that's becuase I work at it constantly during golf season and during the off season. No sense in hitting it 275+ yards if you're going to 3 putt every green. Short game is the key.

Same for me, at the beginning of the season I will go to the putting green several times a week, but only to the range once or twice (not a week, once or twice). During the season I will go to the putting green at least once a week, but rarely if ever the driving range.

[MuscleBack Sauce]

my short game is always what saves my game from my inconsistant ball striking. my grandfather's quote has always resonated loudly, "no sense in hitting it close if you miss the putt".
With all that said, I would say i'm an above average putter (maybe not the most consistant) but in general I'll have the lowest putt totals in my group. The main reason is practice. I am up at the putting green, chipping as well, for at least an hour 6 out of 7 days a week in the summer. That is the most simplistic way to achieve better putting.
As far as technique it is tough to lend advice in an age of 1000s of different putter heads, lengths, styles, and those icky belly putters. What I would advise is focus on getting the ball rolling immediately and end over end. That is the formula to consistant putting and gives your ball the best chance of dropping. A common mistake is focussing on having your hands foward and ahead of the ball. It isn't necesarily a bad thing but it can interupt the pendulum motion and make you actually raise your hands/elbows in the back stroke and follow through, i.e. no dice. What you want is a slight opening and closing of the club head and almost hitting the ball with an upswing to promote the ball rolling right off the bat as opposed to it skidding along for the first few feet of the roll.
My last comment is a quick story: On my golf team in high school we had an outside instructor come in to help for a week. He was working on putting one day and said, "did you know that every putt actually skids for the first 30% of its total distance?" and me and my friend snapped our necks at each other because we knew this was simply not true and ESPECIALLY not true of good putters. I had to interject and ask him to mentally review what we've all seen at this point and that is close ups of Tiger Woods' putts and how his ball instantly rolls end over end right off the blade. One easy to find video is his famous putt on 18 from the Sunday round of the 2008 Torrey Pines US Open.

[jav]

putting is my nemesis right now. getting to greens in regulation a good portion of the time, and then finding myself 3 putting from 15 feet! aargh!

[Ogriv83]

Sadly my putting was always my week point and the reason I fell of the small europro tour. Ive always been extremly solid tee to green but was never comfortable at 20ft plus putts. anything inside 5ft was almost a gimme but once I got out to 20ft it was serious shot wasting country.