Putting thoughts

[erniesilk]

I think about the ball going in the hole...thats kinda it.

[right handed phil mickelson]

  bwdial said:

I usually have a tough time thinking about anything with the voices in my head screaming at each other.

I hate when one of my funny posts go unnoticed.

So in recognition, well done.

[Stuart StAndrews]

Wow thats an ecletic mix of different strategies, i more with the 'did I lock my car' but I like the idea of thinking about how hard you would need to roll the ball by hand to get it in the hole - good tip. I tend to line the put up and try and work out the lie of the land before closing my eyes, praying to the golf gods and doing what I do best 'hit and hope'!

[sean_miller]

  right handed phil mickelson said:

I hate when one of my funny posts go unnoticed.

Yeah, I actually lol'd too!!

[Chas]

Same as with driver in hand, I think about keeping my wrists from tensing up while doing a couple practice strokes - death to the putt and drive both.
Then I think about keeping the elbows nice and "locked", and then just be smooooooooooooth.


I should definitely try using a line on the ball as some people do. I always have second thoughts when I stand over the ball and sometimes still let it influence my line. Very bad.

[Stretch]

  RC said:

Besides picking a spot, having a routine is really a good thing. A friend of mine won the Masters the year Harvey Pennick passed away. He played 72 holes on Augusta without a three putt. I am told every putt he struck was between 20 and 21 seconds from the start of his routine until he hit the ball. I don't know if that is true or not, but if it is, that is amazing and strongly supports having a routine.

Your friend Ben sounds like quite a good putter.

[mdbuschsr]

Read the putt, usually quickly and keep with gut reading of break. Align with sharpie line on ball. Set up in line with shot and take 2 practice strokes to gauge speed. Address ball, square club, take a moment to be amazed at how far left my alignment appears to be from over the ball, trust that alignment, and let the shot go.

During the stroke, I try to ensure that I'm actually NOT thinking about anything, other than keeping my head still and in place until long after the ball is gone.

[JWL1957]

I miss watching Ben Crenshaw putt.

[Leftygolfer]

I think of myself as a pretty good putter overall. I sometimes have issues with shortish ones but I've come to understand most golfers have just off days. When I'm having issues with the 3-5 foot putt it is one of two things, a) I am not being firm enough b) I miss on the high side and read too much break. I am a firm believer in hitting short putts firm and playing them pretty straight.

In terms of routine, I always use a line on the ball for direction, verify behind, then two practice strokes beside step in, one look, then it is gone. The routine it reminds me of is Dustin Johnson's, it is similar (at least in my mind). I don't like spending anytime over the ball, the more time I do the worse putt I'm going to hit.

I'd say putting is the one thing that has improved this year. I seem to be holing more and hitting more putts that have chances. I mess around with my routine a bit, and go through phases where I take my practice strokes behind, or none at all. I am pretty set on the one I have now (maybe). The one thing that I am very consistant with is using the line for aim. It almost feels like cheating and takes a variable out of putting. Once that is set, it is all speed in my head. All I do is focus on what speed I want to hit it. The speed I want to hit it is made up in my mind before I aim my line since they are interconnected. Firm for short, a foot to 17 inches past on 6-25. Then past that I visualize it falling in drunk unless it is a putt I feel like I can hole then I will be more aggressive. Different putts have different feels. Some you have to fear and play for two, others you can attack and try to hole.

[sean_miller]

  JWL1957 said:

I miss watching Ben Crenshaw putt.

There are some good putters out there right now, just maybe not Ben Crenshaw good.

Of all time I'd say I enjoyed watching Tom Watson ('77 - 84' TW was the best by a mile) and Seve putt the most. Maybe because it always seemed to be a putt that mattered, but they never seemed to be out of a hole. Of all the guys who were pouring in putts this year, two of my favourites were named Johnson (DJ and Zach). Watching Zach Johnson's final round in his win this year was like a blast from the past - he was draining long putts under pressure like a guy from the 1980s.

[Elvisliveson]

  mdbuschsr said:

Read the putt, usually quickly and keep with gut reading of break.

I am that way to because it's mostly about speed on the longer putts. to that end, I'll make a few practice strokes behind the ball perpendicular to the line, taking in the length of the putt, while I am waiting my turn. On second, short putts (under 3 feet), I typically just go ahead and bang them in without marking as long as my playing partners don't object. I find it best not to think to much on those.

[saevel25]

Honestly, more and more i have just been doing tap ins on 4-5 footers as well as 1-2 footers, just because i its not that hard to do unless its a real curver.

[RC]

Well, I did not do a good job of disguising my admiration of Ben Chrenshaw's putting, I guess partly on purpose. Sometimes you just feel the need to remind others of various people who were excellent at their craft. I first starting playing some with him when he was only 16 years old and I can tell you during his teenage years I have never seen such a fearsome putter and he remained a great putter for years (but maybe not as magical as his first ten years or so.) I think he thought he would make every one of them. It was phenomenal. He could roll that ball unlike anything any of us had ever seen. I guess you can go for every putt if you have absolute confidence that you can make any second putt from inside 10 feet, because that is how it seemed he played. I'm not kidding... what you would hope for is maybe he would lip it out, cause you knew he was going to make it or hit the hole somehow. It truly was amazing. He might not have hit the fairways, or he may have missed a lot of greens, but it almost did not matter. His short game was the most confident of anyone I have ever seen, including Mr. Woods. Younger guys may not understand how someone could say that, but I guess you had to be there to understand. If Kite had putted as well as Chrenshaw, who knows how famous he would have been.

[nearwater]

  Dad-2-3 said:

Side note: When using the sharpie line it always looks off line at address. DO not readjust at adress...TRUST YOUR LINE!!

This is so true for me. Whenever I line up the ball carefully, it looks off upon address.

I should trust the initial line I looked at, but readjust according to my gut feeling. I tend to read too much of a lie when I address the ball, and of course miss the putt. Then I go, 'I should've just trusted the line..' Happens to me all the time. I'm a terrible putter even for my handicap, I think. I averaged 2.14 putts this year. Dan

[Zeph]

1. Stand behind the ball and find the line
2. Pick a intermediate target inside a foot in front of the ball
3. Keep looking at the intermediate target while aligning to it
4. Look at the hole 1-3 times
5. Focus on the speed, forget about the line
6. Swing

[saevel25]

I use to mark my ball with a line, to make sure that i am lined up right, i stopped doing that.

What i do is mark an arrow under one side of the aim line that the ball usually puts on the ball now. I make sure this is pointing down and somewhat in the direction of my line. I don't see anything but white, but i wanted to make sure i am hitting the same spot on the ball for cosistancy. Just a little tick of mine.

But the best thing really is confidence. My friend right now hasn't made a thing with in 4 feet, he is usually money from that distance, but he has been horrible. It just takes a few miss shots to mess you up. I am finding i am putting and reading really well right now, i think i can make 30 footers with ease. But it does come back to actually willing the ball into the hole. Not thinking, oh if i get this with in 3 feet i am good, but saying i am going to make this. I can't count the number of times i have made 15-20 footers for par after making a horrible chip shot because i basically said to myself that i got to stop showing how good a 15 foot putter i am. Its not, oh i have a chance for par, maybe i can make this. you got to be confident to the point of arragance in your putting to get that ball in the hole.