Let's Talk Putting!

[Uncle Peter]

Hey! Here's a where we can talk about everything putting. Let's start with a few questions:

Which putter do you use?

Do you have any tips for putting techniques?

What was your best and worst putt?

Do you have any tips for unusual greens (i.e. Hilly, or anything like that)

[delav]

I putt with a Scotty Cameron Newport II and an Odyssey White-Steel 2 ball.

Putting should involve the shoulders and not the wrists.

Best puts are the 5 foot sliders for par. Worst putts are the 5 foot straight misses for birdie.

When putting on hilly greens, make up in your mind how you want to hit the putt. Generally on a breaking putt, missing it high and slightly long will give you a better shot of holing the mouth of the cup or having the putt fall in the side. A path below the hole on a breaking putt never goes in. This should be taken with a grain of salt on lag putts, however. If a 2-putt is the realistic goal, generally leave yourself as short an uphill putt as possible.

Good luck!

[saevel25]

Best putts are the 40 foot bombs that you get to think, "This looks good, this looks good, AAAH ITS IN"

No but if you want the big momentum, 5-7 footer par saves are awesome.

White Ice #1, 35" Putter, I love it great feel.

My ball position is a ball or two ahead of center. I am a arc type putter, take it back a little inside finish it through. I use a very light grip, in the fingers. I forward press about 1 inch in front of the ball, so my hands are just past the ball. I like this feeling. Then i use my big muscles in the back to control the butt, keeping my wrist quiet.

I believe Pelz did a study, 18 inches past the hole is the speed you should always shoot for, this is the optimal scientific speed for making the most putts.

[Gibby]

I use a MaxFli Crossbax 1.0 (wilson 8802 style/napa style).

I play the ball off my front foot and have a forward press going on. One of the most important aspects of putting IMO is to keep it natural. I think way too much emphasis is placed on "only use your shoulders"/"pendulum stroke" and people get too stiff and robotic. People also get all caught up with getting the ball rolling right from the get go. Honestly, it just doesn't matter if the ball goes airborne for a few inches, it's impossible to roll the ball perfectly, so stop trying to, you won't start putting backspin on the ball, i promise. It's impossible to develop any sort of feel if you are too mechanical and robotic. Both Camillo Villegas and Mickelson have emphasized this when they made their putting changes - putting like a kid again, just doing it naturally.

I like to think about shooting a basketball right before I make my stroke. In basketball, no one thinks when they shoot. It all happens so fast you just have to do it. There's no thinking "hmmm...hoop is 12.5 feet away, I want my shot to peak riiiggghhttt there, keep my right elbow in...."etc. You've done it so much you will know what to do, so just do it. Particularly with the speed on lag putts, this helps a lot. It takes some time and practice to trust yourself enough to putt with this mindset confidently during a round, but it helps a lot.

Some of you guys might be able to relate, but I know my revelation came when I was on the practice putting green one time. Normally I putt around with three balls, putt them out, then move on to another putt. Then I started noticing, after I took my three balls out of the hole and picked a new putt, sometimes I would sort of one hand the three balls off to a spot I wanted to putt from. Because I wasn't really thinking about how I was hitting the balls - with one hand, while walking - my balls would almost always end up right around the spot I was targeting, all within a foot or two from each other. I took this new mindset of trusting my instincts to my putting and it's worked wonders.

Just hit the ball, you will know how hard to hit it, forget about the pendulum stroke and all that technical crap, and do what comes natural.

-Gibby

[doctork]

Putter: Ping Anser 2 - Karsten Series

Tips: Groove a proper stroke with a simple putting aid, a la the Putting Arc. A few minutes a day makes a big difference

Best and worst putts: Best -- holed out from 70+ feet a couple times, but that's dumb luck. Remember being especially pleased after canning a 15-footer, with ~5 feet of break on a green stimping about 11... Worst putt? Too many to count, but once drove a par-4, had a 12-footer, straight in, for eagle - and 3-putted.

Tips for tricky greens: Spend some time on the practice green beforehand to get an idea of the speed. It's all about feel.

Great topic, Uncle -- everybody wants to talk about the full swing, when it all comes down to the short ones.

Cheers,
DoctorK

[ks8829]

Yonex ADX Blade putter

26 putt for 18 holes
4 birides in a roll

speed is more important than direction
distance control
hitting a straight putt
practice and more practice
pre-putt routine
practice before you play your round at least 30 minutes

[Dr. Slice]

hey i was going to start a thread of similar to this but why not put it in here instead.

i put with a Odyssey white hot blade putter. but i ordered a seemore putter, because this is more light and the shaft is longer which i like.

but my question was. When i golf with people some of them are about 80 percent from like 7-10 feet and in. I know thats the best way for me to start golfing in the 70's is to make those putts for birdie or a nice par save... too bad for me from about 7-10 feet out im about 40 percent

is putting pretty much just practicing a lot? because once you get the little technique down you are set there, isnt all you can do is practice?

thanks guys

[delav]

hey i was going to start a thread of similar to this but why not put it in here instead.

For me, putting is all about confidence and intention. It's easy to stand over a putt and miss it when you are uncertain of the line and pace. Sometimes I'm so excited to get on the next tee that I don't give putts the attention they deserve! This is a dumb way to score, by the way.

So, try to putt with purpose... even if it's a casual round with the buddies. It is practicing a lot. You can improve by identifying your misses. Are you missing putts because of mis-reading breaks? Are you missing putts from starting the putt off-line? Are you missing putts by hitting them through or short of the breaking path? Help us out and we'll see what we can do!

[saevel25]

My bane is the short right to left or left to right breakers. I usually burn the outside edge on those.

How do you guys read putts? I usually pick up the line quickly, then i usually take a few practice swings from behind the ball, and i can usually tell if the line is good or not if it feels comfortable.

[delav]

I know it sounds obvious, but I found an improvement in my ability to read and play breaks when I began to think about which part of the hole I'd like the ball to fall into.

Concentrating on merely hitting the hole makes it easy to miss below, or lip a put. Depending on the severity of the break, envision the ball entering the cup at different spots on the perimeter. Once you've got this picked out, work backwards to estimate the apex and thus the starting line for your putt.

[killerduck]

Wilson 8881. Conventional style, milled face.

I only have 18 good putts per round (occasionally less!)

[adamgoodman]

I use a Taylormade Rossa Maranello. I don't love it, and it's the only club in my bag I didn't personally pick out for myself, but it usually gets the job done.

The best advice I've received for my putting is for lag putting. When you have a long putt, the best thing to do is extend the hole. Give the cup a three-foot radius and try to get it inside that hole instead. You will at least leave yourself an easy finisher putt, if you haven't holed it already.

Good luck!

[Teddy]

The best advice I've received for my putting is for lag putting. When you have a long putt, the best thing to do is extend the hole. Give the cup a three-foot radius and try to get it inside that hole instead. You will at least leave yourself an easy finisher putt, if you haven't holed it already.

Thanks for the great advice, i'm going to use this the next time i'm out on the course.

[Uncle Peter]

Putter: A custom made putter given to my by a friend

Tips: Try to visualize a line going from the center of your putter to the hole. If needed, get low to line up your putter with the hole

Best Putt: Last fall I hit a 30-40 yard putt on a very hard green. The green first cracked slightly left, then cracked right, right before the hole. I sure was surprised to see that ball go in.

Worst Putt: (Please do not laugh) Fanned on 2' putt

Unusual hole Tips: Like adamgoodman said, lag putting is a great idea and tip to use even for hilly or unusual holes.

[JBellanca]

I use the Nike Method Series 001 putter. I love the putter. This is my first experience with a milled face...and with grooves.

The best tip I received is the forward press!! It has helped my putting tremendously. It is a great technique for tempo and an even better technique to promote forward roll. At address I push the putter shaft forward down line with my trailing forearm, producing a slight negative loft of the putter face. Then I start my back swing while maintaining my arm position.

My best putt is my lag putt since switching to the method putter. The ball feel of the face and forward roll it produces makes 3 putting virtually disappear.

[Uncle Peter]

I use the Nike Method Series 001 putter. I love the putter. This is my first experience with a milled face...and with grooves.

Hmm, Does the milled face affect you overall putt a lot, compared to your old putter?

[Leftygolfer]

I use a Mizuno Bettinari (can't spell) 34 mallet. Milled, I like it alot.

Best putts to me are the one's that you just hit perfect and it goes in. I focus on making perfect contact and starting it on the line I want. I have hit many great putts that didn't go in and flat out bad ones that I made.

How I practice. I do the 3 foot drill once a week during the season. Also use a putting tutor to help with alignment, face angle, and aim.

I don't worry too much about SBST or arc stroke. I want it to be as simple as possible and that is about it. If I can consistantly start it on line which I can do I am happy.

For me speed is everything. My biggest weakness in putting is speed control from 15 to 35 feet. I 3 putt to much from that distance. I love short putts. I like the pressure of them and have worked for years at being a really good putter inside of 5 feet. I still miss them sometimes but I try to learn. Probably the biggest mistake I make on short putts is missing on the high side and over reading the break. I have learned to almost always play these inside the hole and be firm and confident. I might 3 putt from 4 feet but I also make a high percentage.

[CalBoomer]

I have a Heavy Putter B1-M, which feels like a sledge hammer, and is great for quieting the hands.
1. I prefer straight back and through with a pendulum swing from the shoulder
2. Keep the take back as low as possible, never lift the putter
3. Gauge distance by the length of the backswing
4. Always the same tempo
5. Never decelerate, and follow through
6. I stripe all of my balls for aiming