Tap in "Gimme" Putting tips

[Fat Slice]

  Stretch said:

Nope. Just suggesting it's worth checking out your setup sometime so you know what you're square to.

Yeah, you're not going to hole the ball if you are aiming at some tree.

[Stretch]

  Fat Slice said:

Yeah, you're not going to hole the ball if you are aiming at some tree.

Unless that tree was somehow perfectly behind the right line.

To the OP, there are a couple of other things you can do if you are enough of a nutter. You can go to Home Depot or any hardware store and get a builder's chalk line, which will let you harmlessly mark out a perfectly straight putt on the practice green. Trying to putt exactly along this line will tell you a lot about your stroke. Or you can take a couple of long tees (or chopsticks, or knitting needles etc.) and a few feet of string and make a putting guide. One end pegged behind the cup, the other at your desired distance, a couple of inches above the surface. Putter head goes underneath, get the line on the putter and the arrow or name on the ball pointed just right and try and roll it into the hole without a wobble. Again, you will likely find out some things you didn't know about how you actually putt.

[Fat Slice]

You can also get a Dixx putter and it will keep track of what you are doing: http://thesandtrap.com/bag_drop/adam...ruction_putter

I am surprised those don't get rented out...

[chef35ca]

Practice them. Nonstop. From that range & in a hurry has got to be one of the easiest putts to miss.

I like to mark them, back off & then sink them. I know in the interest of playing speedier golf this may sound bad, but i rarely have a 4 hour round, & i don't want to give away 3-5 strokes a round by bungling something so easy.

That's me, though. My putting ranges from really bad to really really bad. 'lipburner.'

[MJP]

Tiger used to put these until he missed after his putting practice. He'd often make 50+ in a row. You just gotta practice them like everything else and feel comfortable and committed.

[normdamarine]

There is a lot of good advice in this topic but this may lead to the main reason why you are missing them, YOUR BRAIN!!! I usually walk up and just hit them with the understanding it is either going in or not (which is why I think I make most of them because I don't care).

One piece of advice I will give you though which has helped me through the years with short putts but this is not comfortable for a lot of players. A really short back stroke and longer follow through. I am talking like 3 in back stroke... Try it out...

[Fourputt]

  normdamarine said:

There is a lot of good advice in this topic but this may lead to the main reason why you are missing them, YOUR BRAIN!!! I usually walk up and just hit them with the understanding it is either going in or not (which is why I think I make most of them because I don't care).

I agree with this tip. A high percentage of short putts are missed due to deceleration at impact. The player takes a big backswing then tries to hold a constant speed through the ball, an almost impossible task. Focusing on a shorter takeaway and then chasing the ball down the line on the follow through can really help with the short putt blues. You still won't make all of them, but you'll find yourself hitting the intended line a lot more often.

[flystraight]

I try to go through my normal routine, but not stand over it for too long. It's easy, treat it that way.

A couple times when I've got a bad case of the yips, I started putting them with everything but my club face. I put with the tip of the club or lefty, with the back of the putter. I never miss those lefty putts, with the thin, curved back part of my putter that has no business whatsover touching a ball - so much so that I've considered getting left-handed putter and trying to putt lefty all the time. Feels strangely natural to me.

[TourSpoon]

  normdamarine said:

A really short back stroke and longer follow through. I am talking like 3 in back stroke... Try it out...

Absolutely...

[hacker23]

  normdamarine said:

A really short back stroke and longer follow through. I am talking like 3 in back stroke... Try it out...

This, along w/ not over thinking the putt should help. I will go bang a few during lunch.

[Stretch]

  hacker23 said:

I will go bang a few during lunch.

That's what Tiger said.

[Joeyvee]

I pick em up

[hacker23]

  normdamarine said:

A really short back stroke and longer follow through. I am talking like 3 in back stroke... Try it out...

just practiced this at the range and LOVING this tip! it forces me to follow through.

[B-Con]

If it's a flat putt, I focus on just rotating the shoulders straight back and straight through, with a short backswing and longer follow-through, emphasizing a non-active wrist. When I yip short putts, it's often due to some stupid wrist involvement.

If it has decent break, I aim straight for about a quarter inch above the highest point of the hole and hit it straight at it with ony about enough strength to push the ball about 5 feet. I'm a lot more delicate with short putts on strong breaks, because the only thing worse than missing your second putt on a strong break is having to line up a third that's 6 feet from the hole on a strong break.

[Easy]

  Fourputt said:

I agree with this tip. A high percentage of short putts are missed due to deceleration at impact. The player takes a big backswing then tries to hold a constant speed through the ball, an almost impossible task. Focusing on a shorter takeaway and then chasing the ball down the line on the follow through can really help with the short putt blues. You still won't make all of them, but you'll find yourself hitting the intended line a lot more often.

Great stuff I gotta remember this. When I started missing those 3 or 4 footers. I started to tap my putts real light in fear of missing it and the ball going too far past the hole. Scared play as you would say in poker.

[tgwise]

Depends. I sometimes just play a round to work on my irons. Then the putts closer to the pin I'll just pick up. So I can get back to the irons. When playing with friends then gimme's are only a few inches.

[Dr. Griefo]

  Stretch said:

That's what Tiger said.

Ok, that made my day!

[The Recreational Golfer]

Pick a spot halfway between the hole and the ball, make sure the ball rolls over that spot. Keep the putter low to the ground on the follow-through, and chase the ball into the hole with the putter - just run it into the cup.