Leaving it short...putting wise

[Valleygolfer]

Honestly, roll and read wise I have been good except for my distance. I read the grain, grade and slope but consistently leave it right at 12 inches short give or take a few. I know some of the tricks like aim at the back or past the hole but I don't always aim at the hole and these are the ones I am having problems with. I when I do try to give it some thing extra it is usually too much.

Anyway you guys want to put your 2 cents in on how you do it?

[BadGolfer]

I'm no expert, but I think this just means you need to practice more to consistently hit it hard enough.

[deronsizemore]

When I leave it short, I decelerate. Make sure you're following through, but don't rush the forward stroke. The whole stroke should be a smooth motion back and through not slow back and then a quick jerk through.

To get better as this, take five balls and stand on the edge of the fringe. Take five steps away from the fringe; this should be about 15 feet. Putt back toward the fringe until you get all five balls to either stop just touching the fringe or roll just barely onto the fringe. Once you've accomplished this task with all five balls, move back another five steps which should be 30 feet and repeat. Should really help with your distance control and learning how hard to hit putts.

Also, putting toward the fringe is better because you're not worried about making a putt and you're not constantly seeing the ball miss (as you typically would putting toward a hole from 30 feet) and hurting your confidence. You're simply worried about your stroke and getting the ball to the fringe.

[Mrd19abhs]

  deronsizemore said:

When I leave it short, I decelerate. Make sure you're following through, but don't rush the forward stroke. The whole stroke should be a smooth motion back and through not slow back and then a quick jerk through.

I think this is a great exersice. I have been having the same problem with leaving putts too short as well. I def gonna give it a try and let ya know how it helps

[Valleygolfer]

  deronsizemore said:

When I leave it short, I decelerate. Make sure you're following through, but don't rush the forward stroke. The whole stroke should be a smooth motion back and through not slow back and then a quick jerk through.

I do make a lot of putts on really fast greens, but I think I am lacking the follow through like you have said. I one long putt I did make, it did seem like I had a nice smooth follow through, it seemed to stick out but I apparently didn't listen to myself. The drill sounds good though, I practice at home similarly but do not have the distance needed to really practice long putts.

[ks8829]

I have been releasing my putts so that my stroke is the same on my follow through and the only difference is the distance of my backstroke. I found that I can putt 5 balls and leave them all within a 3 foot circle from 20 feet with this putting method.

Once again, the release of the putter and the distance of the follow through is the same, you need to practice and find your tempo but its helped me with distance control. My finish release is when my front hand is extended and the tempo is smooth but deliberate and with a slight acceleration.

It works for me.

[mrmiller8]

I concur with the fringe method of practicing. Another method that some pros use is looking at the hole while putting. Tried this a few times and it seems to help with the speed and more importantly the feel of your stroke. This allows you focus on both and many times you will be too strong. But line up the ball in the center of the clubface and stare at the hole and take your stroke this will help your feel over time.