Putting - looking at the hole, not the ball

[lovemylabs]

I tried this method on two different rounds, one sunday, and one yesterday. I found, for me, that it got better every hole, 3' and in I looked at the ball. I think I 3 putted 4 times in both rounds, which excited me about the technique so I'll practice it more. I am with Wils5150 though, when I was playing a break I looked at the spot I thought would be correct for the break not the hole. Dave.

[Stug]

I know what you mean. Once my putter is set I sort of picture the path the ball will take. I sort of look at the hole and the area the ball will travel.

[DanHolterhaus]

I've tried this technique before and it comes down to trust.  Do you trust that you can hit the ball solid?  I think it's a great way to to quit watching the putter blade draw back like so many golfers do.  It forces you to rely on instinct, and trust in your ability to make a good stroke.

[Stug]

When you have done it a few times you realise that striking the ball cleanly isn't a problem. In fact I hit it better now than before because my head never moves. I never look to see where my ball is rolling because my head it's already in position to do so.

[dchoye]

How does this work for a big breaking putt? I would think it good for running the ball up to the hole but usually for fast breaking putts I try not to look at the hole.

[Ernest Jones]

How does this work for a big breaking putt? I would think it good for running the ball up to the hole

but usually for fast breaking putts I try not to look at the hole.

I imagine you would look at your alternate target as if it was a hole.

[mdl]

don't agree,,,I compare this to a hitter in baseball..the best have the eye skill to follow the ball and "slow down the speed" and see the impact...Johnny Miller said when he was playing well he could "see" the impact,, obviously not true but the concept makes sense. To NOT focus on impact seems incorrect.

This has always been something like my thinking.  It's not like throwing a baseball or shooting a basketball where you have the object in your hand.  You have to make one object strike another perfectly, so you should look at the spot where you have to make that perfect strike.

But...  I played in a men's club tourney recently where by far the best putter in our group was one of the first guys I'd seen in a long time who looks at the target throughout the putter stroke.  He sunk a couple 20+ foot putts and hit a bunch of very long lag putts super close with this method.  My putting's been quite bad recently, though I changed my focus/thought that round and putted pretty well, but watching him putt had me thinking maybe I should give it a try.

I think for many, whether they will have success with this method depends on whether they're more of a "linear putter" or more of a "non-linear putter."

Care to elaborate?  Which type is more likely to have success with looking at the target?  Linear?  And we're just talking about degrees of arc-y-ness, since basically no one is literally keeping the center of the putter head exactly above the target line throughout the back swing and into impact?

[Golfingdad]

I think I get the concept on long putts, but not so much the Jordan Speith way on short putts.  I have no idea what I'm talking about because I've never tried it, but I could see how for long putts, where feel of the speed is 1000 times more important than hitting your line perfectly, perhaps some people would be able to "feel" the proper speed, or weight, better looking at the target instead of the ball.

@mdl is right that its not quite the same as other sports where you have the ball in your hand.  Certainly consistent contact would be tougher to make, but I wonder what you might gain in terms of finesse.  Think about it the other way:  how hard would it be to shoot a basketball or throw a horseshoe well if you chose to watch the ball/shoe throughout the swing instead of the target?

If I could extrapolate that back to golf (I probably can't ;)) then I could see how people who are able to repeat their stroke easily might benefit from having their focus on the target instead of the ball.

[dhicks33]

Since I started playing I have taken a 50/50 approach to this theory. When I am practicing I set up my 2 tees and a ball then work on not hitting the tees and my tempo with my eyes over the ball. Then when I go out and play I am comfortable with my setup and everything so I look at the hole or my target. It really seems to help most of the time.

[dchoye]

I hate putting. Especially the big breaking putts. Seems like I'm at the mercy of the putting Gods. Give me flat or straight uphill and its intuitive to aim at the hole , but  I hate playing R to L, missing 5 foot by,  then L to R (opposing break) , just plays with my mind.

[Insider]

If you are having trouble with your distance on putting the ball, hitting it long or coming up short, I have the best putting drill that will fix this problem. When you're on a practice green, instead of putting the ball at a hole, I want u to go to the center of the putting green and putt to the fringe of the green. With the fringe being your target, stand over the ball and putt the ball toward the fringe (looking at the ball only), now without looking where the ball goes you must guess whether you think the ball came up short of the fringe, past the fringe, or just right and then look to see if you guessed right. I promise you if you keep doing this drill you will have better distance control in your putting game. You might not sink all your putts but you will have more 2 putts instead of 3.

[wedgehammer40k]

Putting styles like putters come in different styles and sizes. I think it's the most idiosyncratic swing in golf,. Everyone has their own  grip, routine, stance. I guess there are still fundamentals in achieving the correct speed & line, but I think a lot comes down to the individual.

[sacm3bill]

I understand the not looking at the ball thing. I just don't get why you would look at the hole when you are playing break

How does this work for a big breaking putt? I would think it good for running the ball up to the hole

but usually for fast breaking putts I try not to look at the hole.

For me, when I use this technique, looking at the hole is to help judge how hard to hit it, not as an aiming point. For big breaking putts I don't worry about direction because I've already lined up a mark on my ball, and have lined up my feet and body to the ball at address, so I just need to trust I've done that properly and make the stroke.

I think I get the concept on long putts, but not so much the Jordan Speith way on short putts.  I have no idea what I'm talking about because I've never tried it, but I could see how for long putts, where feel of the speed is 1000 times more important than hitting your line perfectly, perhaps some people would be able to "feel" the proper speed, or weight, better looking at the target instead of the ball.

True, on short putts, direction is more important than speed, but for me looking at the hole on short putts does help with direction too - esp since the hole is more likely to be the aiming point.

[CarlSpackler]

To practice distance, I like to putt to the fringe from varying lengths. After doing this enough times, you tend to develop a feel for length of swing to distance of roll. I don't think I would want to watch the hole while putting. I like to watch the spot below the ball after the ball leaves.

[Bananarama]

Sorry to quote another site but there is an article on golf wrx which says about distance problems can be a lot to do with variable putter angles and angles of attack - basically too much inconsistancy in body position at impact. If the ball is skidding or bouncing or straight rolling changes the amount of distance which will screw up constancy. Also hitting the puts on the heel, toe or centre will change the distance too.

[mellison24]

I tend to look at the hole, then ball, then hole, then ball and finally I look at the break point. If it's a straight putt, I find I tend to look at a spot about 2/3rds toward the hole and (if close enough) I can often watch the putt go in (hopefully!) without moving my head.

I tend to hole anything within 3ft, maybe 75% within 5ft and just under half my 10footers. Anything over that, I tend to struggle holing.

[bills80]

My putting, especially distance control has been awful this year.  I recently gave looking at the hole a shot at the practice green.  My distances were soo much better.  I couldn't believe.  It still feels super awkward.  It feels like there is no way I can hit a straight putt without looking at the ball.  But for some reason it just works.  I still need more practice but Im definitely going to give this a shot on the course to try and eliminate those 3 putts.  Im still blown away with the results I had.

[lewisgl]

I have struggled big time with the yips for several years and they have returned with a counter-balance putter now so will definitely be re-visiting Look at the Hole/Line method.   I have used it in the past and found that one can putt well  enough to have fun with putting again.   Finding a good putter for this kind of method is pretty crucial, so I am looking for a 35 inch or so putter, and faced balance with plenty of MOI.