Putting counts...

[killerduck]

Hey guys.

Today I went out and shot my 2nd best score ever (+11, 81) beat my previous best at my new home course by 4.

My average score sat this course was 87, with average putts was 33.6
I've spent maybe a total of 90 minutes over the last 2 days working on putting, and today I had 27 putts. 6 below my average putting count, and, not surprisingly, shots below my scoring average at this course.

But it could've been a bit better. +3 for the front 9, +8 on the back with a mini melt-down on 15 when I went into a water hazard.

But I now have a new found confidence in my putting. All down to practice!

[rjfan91]

I don't make time to practice. However, if I want to do well in a tournament, I will spend an evening or two practicing putting and chipping before the event. I've yet to have it work against me. At our first event this past weekend, I practiced putting (and only putting) the 2 days before the event. I shot 6 shots below my handicap. It was primarily due to putting.

[James_Black]

I need to work on my putting, I average 38 putts a round!

[killerduck]

I need to work on my putting, I average 38 putts a round!

Wow! That's huge!

Technically, par for putting is 36 (2 per hole) but really it's a bit less. I think most people would say 30 putts is par for a round. Imagine what your scoring would be if you averaged 30 putts instead of 38! You'd be off 5 (if your h/cap is 13.1)

[kpaulhus]

Im averaging 33.4 putts per round. I shot my first 79 with 27 putts last Sunday.....so yes, it matters bigtime.

[James_Black]

Wow! That's huge!

I never really practice putting (boring) but I guess that's what I'll have to do from now on.

[ks8829]

Putt for dough and drive for show!

Putt for lower scores. Someone said you should practice from the hole backwards to lower your scores and keep them low. first putting, chipping around the green from 5, 10, 20 yards off the green and pitching from 30 - 80 yards to the hole.

The most time should be spend on putting, then chipping and finally pitching.

Putting is all about distance control and being able to consistently hit a straight putt.

Keep stats on our putts per hole, front nine and total per round and also your up and downs from around the green. If you improve you puttting and then work on your chipping and pitching you can see how your putting will also improve and you will consistently putt below 30 for 18 holes.

It took me 20 years to figure this out, I am trying to instill this in my 15 year old son, who shot 10 over for 18 holes last Monday.

[sean_miller]

Based on my last 3 rounds, 27 putts per round would have been 73, 72, and 70 strokes. I know it's boring (reeeeeeally boring), but putting practice is the way to go - as if I didn't already know this.

[Zeph]

Practicing putting and chipping is the easiest and fastest way to drop some shots. Still, without a good swing, you will peak at some point. There are more shots to drop by improving ball striking and the swing, but it is a lot harder and in most cases you would greatly benefit of taking lessons or some other sort of instruction. Putting and chipping can easily be practiced on your own.

If you leave a putt short or miss the line, you know the reason for it. If your club face is closed 2 degrees at impact with the driver, there can be lots of causes, you may need a video camera to see it.

[Fourputt]

Wow! That's huge!

How do you possibly figure that 30 putts is par??? The way the course is designed to be played is hit the green in regulation, then 2 putts. That sets par for putting at 36 for a typical 18 hole course. You may think that an acceptable

average is 30, but that doesn't change par. That's like saying that because the average score for 18 holes is 84, that 84 now becomes par. If the card says that par is 72, then par is 72. Par is a fixed number. The same logic applies to putting... par is 2 putts per hole played.

[Woters]

Glad to see someone posting the importance of good putting, but for my 2 cents worth I reckon buying/owning a good putter that you really love & feel confident over is worth at least 3 shots per round too. Getting my #7 Odyssey certainly helped me.

[Meddle]

Man, so true. I'm so embarrassed by my putting, I'm definitely the worst putter I know and I do work on it, but it's gotten to a point where I need a mental turnaround. This year I've been averaging 2.3 putts/hole (41 putts/round), and that's improved from last year. Lately, I've been working on 5 foot putts and making those out on the course, and that has helped some. Seriously, when I look at a 15 footer now I'm just trying not to 3 putt

[zeg]

Made it through 9 holes with 14 putts yesterday. 2-putted the first 5, then one-putted the last 4. It saved a sub-50 round (49) for me even after throwing a bunch of strokes away in other ways... It helped that there were a couple of < 2-foot first-putts after good chips, but there were also a couple of 15-footers. Two of the 2-putts were from ~40 feet, including one from a lower tier to the upper that was just a couple inches from a 1-putt.

I've been putting a lot better after demoing some other putters. Tried a 33-inch shaft and found I putted a lot better that way. Can't afford the putter right now, but it encouraged me to choke down on my old putter which has helped a ton.

[wkdspd]

Made it through 9 holes with 14 putts yesterday. 2-putted the first 5, then one-putted the last 4. It saved a sub-50 round (49) for me even after throwing a bunch of strokes away in other ways... It helped that there were a couple of < 2-foot first-putts after good chips, but there were also a couple of 15-footers. Two of the 2-putts were from ~40 feet, including one from a lower tier to the upper that was just a couple inches from a 1-putt.

why not chop a couple inches out of your current putter and regrip? itll get you where you want to be until you can afford the new putter you want. I took an inch out of my scotty for this exact reason, but it also gave me an excuse to get a baby-t grip :D

[zeg]

why not chop a couple inches out of your current putter and regrip? itll get you where you want to be until you can afford the new putter you want. I took an inch out of my scotty for this exact reason, but it also gave me an excuse to get a baby-t grip :D

I might give that a shot, but I'm sorta looking forward to replacing it with a blade since I've found I don't do the straight-back-and-through mallet motion very well. So I think I might be better off putting the few bucks toward the new one (drooling over Karsten Anser or Anser 2, so $10 or so is an appreciable chunk of the price).

[Par Fore]

Hey guys.

Fawesome!

Great work amigo, hope to join you in the low 80's soon....same here, 33 or so putts a round, too many wasted strokes...

[Leftygolfer]

30 putts per round is good for me. I am around 33 per. It is a huge stat for me. I have salvaged rounds with my putter getting up and in a bunch. Two stats i care about : GIR and putts. I practice my putting quite a bit. I do the phil 3 foot drill. I am actually doing it today before league in about an hour.

[doctork]

I might give that a shot, but I'm sorta looking forward to replacing it with a blade since I've found I don't do the straight-back-and-through mallet motion very well. So I think I might be better off putting the few bucks toward the new one (drooling over Karsten Anser or Anser 2, so $10 or so is an appreciable chunk of the price).

I did that very thing (chopping off 2"), with a Karsten Anser 2, coincidentally.

Played with the standard 35" putter for 20+ years, always choking way down. Took a few practice strokes with a 33" and realized how much easier it is to control that simply gripping down on a longer putter. Try it, you'll like it! Cheers, DoctorK