Mental block on birdies

[rhodes81]

I cannot make a birdie! I shot a 78 today with 6 bogeys. If its a ten footer to save par, most of the time I can pull it off, but if it's a ten footer for birdie I never seem to make them. I often hit the lips and miss to the high side which is frustrating. I know this is a mental problem so y'all have to tell me what do y'all think about when standing over those 10 foot and under birdie putts. I am averaging 31.5 putts per round, so i'm not an awful putter, I just can't make the ones that can really help my score. HELP!

[Randy4h]

Brad Faxon, one of the best putters ever, says to take the outcome out of the picture. Focus on your line and your stroke, and don't worry about whether the ball goes in. If you hit the putt the way you wanted, on the line you wanted, there is nothing else you can do. The outcome is what it is, regardless. Don't put added pressure on yourself by thinking you MUST MAKE THIS PUTT because it's for a birdie. That only leads to tightening of your grip and a less smooth stroke, not good things when you are putting.

[WUTiger]

Try going non-verbal on your putting. Just focus on line and stroke, and leave "self talk" out of it.

[ks8829]

When you practice putting image you are putting for birdie everytime. make sure that you have a pre-putt routine. birdies are not easy for everyone but make sure that you are not getting in your own way mentally. When you get up to putt, you must believe that you will make every putt and you are the best putting in the world. make sure that you put your time in to back up this claim.

confidence by making some putts with carry over to actual confidence

[saevel25]

They say that the best can will the ball into the hole. I believe it, the mental toughness to know that even an act from god would try to stop the ball you know its going in. Thats the confidence a person needs to step up to those type of putts when they really count. No hesitation, no regrets, trust and faith in the ability you have above all else.

When you get there, you fill find that you will get more upset over putts you miss hit then the putts you hit well and just mis read. I rather mis read a putt then miss hit one. At least i knew that i rolled it the way i wanted, it hit the line i wanted, its going as i imagined it. If it doesn't go in, then thats what it is.

[Elvisliveson]

I cannot make a birdie! I shot a 78 today with 6 bogeys. If its a ten footer to save par, most of the time I can pull it off, but if it's a ten footer for birdie I never seem to make them. I often hit the lips and miss to the high side which is frustrating. I know this is a mental problem so y'all have to tell me what do y'all think about when standing over those 10 foot and under birdie putts. I am averaging 31.5 putts per round, so i'm not an awful putter, I just can't make the ones that can really help my score. HELP!

Happens to me all the time. It's psycological; when you rifle one close, you feel as if people are expecting you to make the putt, i.e., close the deal. Consequently for me, just as many of my birdies come from outside 10 feet as from within. And I am a very decent putter as well.

[zeg]

Yep, it's mental. I dunno the best approach, but I have a similar psychological issue with short second putts when playing with strangers. I tend to be an idiot and try to quickly/nonchalantly putt out. Invariably, I miss a straight 3-footer... I keep reminding myself either to take the time to do a decent putt, or just pick up and not rush...

But I actually made my first birdie in, hmm, a long time last week. It was a 10-foot putt with a bit of break, so not a gimme... Not sure what I did differently, but I think in my case finding a way not to worry about the outcome works. I see above that others suggest trying to practice with anxiety every time, and I can see how that works, but it's not for me. So I'd side with trying to focus on the putt and forget the score.

[CarlSpackler]

It's not a birdie, bogey, or par putt. It's a 10' foot putt, slightly uphill with a break x inches. You will make some and not make others, but they are all putts and they are all equally important on the scorecard.

[saevel25]

Thats called a bad habit. You feel like you don't want to hold up the group and you just wack a three footer with out going through the same routine as a normal putt. Don't get out of your routine no matter what, let others mess up there 3 footers, and if you play for money, make sure they count that as a stroke if you didn't give them the putt.

Best thing my dad taught me, Putt out each putt, even 5 inches like you would normally any other putt.. This will help you considerably.

[Lebowski]

I used to have the exact problem and what helped me was having a mental routine when it came to putting. Just focusing on that routine and making sure I did everything to the best of my ability (reading the greens, judging speed etc) and I actually forget whether I'm putting for par, birdie or bogey and that seemed to help my putting more then anything.