Putting Lights Out...Curved line putting

[TourSpoon]

Ok, so I have been reading Golf Digest...busted. I run across this article last month about how 65% of us will naturally overcompensate when trying to putt to a spot because we tend to see the spot as the where the ball needs to end up. He goes on about putting more by feel by looking at the hole as the final target and to see the line curving into the side of the cup.

So I played yesterday and after missing 2 - 4 footers because they didn't "feel' right, I decided to trust my mind and more importantly my feet in feeling the break. Eight one-putts followed over the next 13 holes from 4 - 20 feet. Wow, that was fun. I modified it from the article and this is what I did. I saw the line and set up to it. I then looked at the hole and took 2-3 practice strokes to feel the speed. Looked back at the ball and let it go. The only time I picked out a spot was during the initial set-up and then it was all hole as well.

Anyone else putt like this? I am finding that I prefer a slightly breaking putt to a straight one.

[saevel25]

That is almost exactly what i do. I developed that over time. I will read my line, usually very quickly. If i know its a tricky putt i might go read from around the hole, trying to find an entry point, then back it out a bit, for example if the hole is on the other side of a mound. But for most putts, i will take about 10 seconds to read the putt at most. Then i will line up next to my line and take practice swings looking at the hole getting my distance. I will take last practice putt looking at the ball and following the path i think it will take, this gives me a good idea if i got a good feel for the putt. Then i step forward take one quick look at the line again, and then hit the putt.

[TourSpoon]

For me, it's like I was reacting to the hole rather than putting to the line. It was a lot of trust, but sometimes you just feel it...last Saturday, I was feeling it and a lot of that feel was in my feet.

[delav]

Tourspoon - I think I get what you are saying here. I too find myself a bit fixated on the hole, and lost when over the ball. During recent rounds, it felt like a 'guess' at times when standing over a breaker and focusing on the hole rather than the line.

My putting needs open heart surgery at this point (last round, 77 w/ 11 GIRs, 12 fairways and 36 putts). I'm going to read that article and think about what you mentioned above today on the putting green.

Thanks for sharing.