Missing Short Putts

[brgolf]

5-8 foot putts aren't short putts. The tour average from that distance is around 50%. All you can do is start them on right line with the right speed. You can hit a perfect putt from that distance, hit a bump and not go in, or not break as it 95% of the time it does. Greens are living and growing. They aren't perfect even at the nicest clubs. Look at the putt sergio had to win the open. IMO he hit the perfect putt and it just didn't go in. There have been people who have studied this using robots and other things to roll the ball the exact same speed and line from 10 feet and some go in, some don't.

An interesting point. From the PGA statistics I feel that the 8 foot putts are around the 50% mark but the 5 foot putts are up near the 70% mark (at worst). Whilst I doubt I am as good a 'short' putter as anyone on tour they in turn play harder greens and still suffer at times from the same difficulties us amateurs have when nervously putting it in from those awkward distances. I'd say the greens at my local courses provide less challenge, even though they can be rough around the edges at times.

So it all depends but as an example my expectations are 3 ft 100% 4 ft 85% 5 ft 75% 6 ft 65% 8 ft 55% I might not always meet those standards, I don't average them but I think they are worthy targets. And if you find a flat green to practice them on with no break- or a green where you know the break because you know the course etc then those numbers must go up. That's another thing isn't it...professionals are playing a different course every week, there is a minimal element of learning, whereas we often play the same courses again and again and really should know the greens inside out.

[brgolf]

saevel25

You have produced statistics which make an excellent point. The putting average for a 20hc from 10-15ft is 14% but for a 10hc is 19%. Just goes to show how the expectations at different handicap levels can vary dramatically.

The other point is these are averages and it is possible to be better than the average. If not desirable as that is one pathway to a better handicap.

[BallStriker]

Here is a great tip that has helped me become deadly on short putts...I used to be very streaky with knocking in 4 footers, some days everything went in and other days I would miss every 4 footer I looked at....now, I never even think about missing a 4 footer (and seldom do)..

Use your tap-in stroke for putts under 5 feet.....go out to the practice range and just hit a few putts with your tap-in stroke from 5 feet and you will realize how far the ball actually will go..to me, this is kind of a "pop" stroke where the putter head doesn't go back very far and I just pop it at the hole (think of Corey Pavin's pop stroke)....

I think a major problem with short putts for a lot of amatuers is that they take the putter head too far back in the backswing, which leads to a couple of potential problems....first, a lot of players actually decelerate into the ball because they are trying not to hit the ball too hard for such a short putt (coming from a backswing that is too long)....second, the longer the backswing, the more difficult it is to keep the putter on line, which leads to more pushes/pulls.

Anyway, this has worked wonders for me and I can't remember the last time I have hit a 5 footer offline....and remember, there are a LOT of variable other than hitting a good putt, so you are going to miss some.......I remember a story about Jack Nicklaus playing in the Ryder Cup and missing a putt...his playing partner said something to the effect that it was a "tough miss"....Jack looked at him and said, "I made the putt, it just didn't go in".......

[i-Guy]

I think the cure to confidence on making short putts is PRACTICE …last year I dedicated myself to practicing short putts and dropped my putting average to 30 putts per round…it got to the point that when I got inside 6 feet my playing buddies would say “you got that”…not that I made them all but I made a lot of putts to save par.

What I did to improve is what I call the ladder drill as follows and all you need is two balls, 5 tees, your putter and dedication to improving:

1) Put a tee in the ground at 3ft, 5ft, 7ft, 9ft and 11ft.

2) Next (using 2 balls) start at 3ft and make both putts in a row…

3) Once you have made it at 3ft go to 5ft and try to make both balls

4) Now if you only make one at 5 feet then go back to 3 feet and start over “NO MATTER WHAT”

I cannot tell you how many times I got to the last ball at 11ft (made both balls at each tee) and missed...

Two things this drill does without having to think about it…
1) You practice "A LOT" from 3ft and 5ft…making you a good short putter
2) It teaches you to putt under pressure because every putt counts if you want to finish the drill.

Another thing is each time you go out to do this drill use different breaks, left to right, right to left, down hill, uphill etc…

Lastly do not get frustrated if you are not able to finish this drill (making both balls at each tee all the way to 11ft) but I guarantee it will make you a better putter…try it!

[DavidFehertysBike]

Keep your head on the ball, lean that shaft forward, and just stroke it. If it goes in, it goes in.

[saevel25]

I find i miss short putts (3-5') when use to wide of a stance, i honestly like to have a shorter stance, because it doesn't feel like i am blocking the path of the club with my putter. I know this because most of my misses are to the right of the hole. I actually can make more putts in a row if i bring my left foot back and lean on my right foot, like a tap in, get over top the line really well and just smack the ball.

I think people get so focused on the putt and then there head gets in the way.

They said majority of people who try a putt over will make the 2nd one because there expectations for the putter are gone since they know they already missed the putt and the 2nd one doesn't mean anything. So a tip would be, never try to hit the putt over again, your training yourself to accept its ok to make the 2nd one, and to treat the first one with less pressure.

[brgolf]

The one mental thought I like to entertain when putting at those ranges is that if I was tasked to throw a dart at the board or a ball at the net I'm going to give it some juice.

Obviously putting can be more complicated than that but to a certain extent I'm not going to let much get in the way of my relatively straightforward task of propelling that ball all of 4 feet into a 4inch plus hole.

It's going to go in there over my dead body

I guess what I'm saying is there is a bit of purpuse, a bit of belief to my putts, that the task of hitting a target that much in front of my clubhead isn't going to get the better of me!

[Leftygolfer]

I think the cure to confidence on making short putts is

Great drill. Thanks for sharing. I'll try it next time I practice putting.

The ones I currently do is the 3 and 6 foot drill from the mickelson video. Then I also do the 20 foot drill from pelz. This one is similar to that in that it gets more and more pressure filled. It is about teaching yourself to hit the putt the right speed and punishes you if you don't.

[rebby]

I think the cure to confidence on making short putts is

I do this drill in an ad-hock manner prior to most rounds. I use two balls and put my first at roughly 2 ft. After holing the putt, I put my other ball inline with my right foot (roughly 2.5 ft), address it and putt again. I repeat this process moving back as I make each putt. If I miss a putt, I start moving toward the hole instead of away from it. Once I get back to roughly 2 ft, I start moving away from the hole again.

I like to do this "drill" before a round, especially on unfamiliar greens, because you quickly get a feel for speed and break. As you move back, you should know the exact line for the putt based on the line of the putts that came before it. When I'm putting well, it's not uncommon for me to get over 20 ft away before missing. That can build a lot of confidence for the upcoming round.

[TourSpoon]

I think the cure to confidence on making short putts is

Great drill...similar to what I was saying...just another variation.

[i-Guy]

The ones I currently do is the 3 and 6 foot drill from the mickelson video.

Yes that is a good drill also and I do that sometimes just to not get bored with the drill I explained.

[i-Guy]

I do this drill in an ad-hock manner prior to most rounds. I use two balls and put my first at roughly 2 ft. After holing the putt, I put my other ball inline with my right foot (roughly 2.5 ft), address it and putt again. I repeat this process moving back as I make each putt. If I miss a putt, I start moving toward the hole instead of away from it. Once I get back to roughly 2 ft, I start moving away from the hole again.

Interesting variation...I will have to give this a try...this is what these kind of threads are for to get different perspectives on ways to improve your game!

My pre-round rountine (with two balls) is as follows: 1) Hit multiple putts from various lenghts even up to 30-40 feet to engrain into my touch and feel the speed of the greens (good for lag putting later) 2) Set up from 3 feet and do the "Tiger" tee drill - find a straight 3 footer and set my putter down square to the hole and put a tee on each end of my putter with a little wiggle room...then just hit 10-20 putts by putting the ball in the middle of the tees and making a stroke thorugh the tees and into the hole...this does two things: 1) Keeps my putter sqaure to the target and 2) gives me a lot of confidence seeing and hearing putts fall into the hole.

[ks8829]

I start with short putts close within 1 foot and after I make a few and build up my confidence, I move to 2 feet and make a dozen or so putts and move to 3 feet and so on. What you will discover is that you will start to miss on the longer putts and here is where you will need to be creative and try different thing to see what works consistently for you.

I have tried these things that seem to work for me.

1) I try to keep the club face square to the target without turning
2) I try to keep the putter low to the ground on my backswing, it seems to help keep the ball more on line for me
3) I will always have a pre-putt routine that I always use even on the short putts.
4) I am careful how I grip the putter to prevent any wrist movement
5) work on a set up
6) work on tempo
7) practice everyday
8) practice at least 30 minutes before a round of golf.
9) keep track of your putts and up and down during the round
10) light pressure grip
11) have a good putter watch you putt
12) video tape yourself putting and send it in.

[CalBoomer]

All kinds of putting styles. Changing your basic style won't work. So here's my personal solution to making relatively short putts (< 10 ft). Try to make your backswing as short as possible within your individual style, even if it means hitting the ball a little harder than you normal would. Longer backswing = death on short putts.