My putting stinks!!!

[BugDude]

I can't make a putt for love or money.  I have no problem on the short putts (4" and in) and I don't have a problem lag putting.  It's the putts that you feel like you should make.  The 6" for birdie, the 10 to 15" putt that you should at least make a couple during a round.  I'm making nothing and it is very frustrating.

I believe it is reading the greens.  Putting was the best part of my game until I got glasses (which was 15 years ago).  This last prescription just seems like I can't see the break at all.  I have to walk around to the other side of the hole to see the break, and then it looks completely different over the ball.  I'm trying to hit a spot that I saw from the other side, and I struggle trusting that spot when I can't see it over the ball.

My putting stroke is smooth, the ball rolls fine, and I hit my spot (not pulling or pushing), it just seems I can't get the read right.  I get on the practice putting green and once I know the line I can hit putts all day long from that spot.  I'm working with my optomitrist on contact lenses, but a stigmatism in my left eye is making it difficult to fit now.  I had contacts for about 8 years that I really only wore playing golf and it helped a lot.  It looks like that may not be an option now as we can't find a lens that will stay properly rotated on my left eye.

So what is a golfer to do?  Large obvious breaks aren't too much of a problem, but the subtle breaks are killing me.  Any thoughts?

[saevel25]

Here is a little stat for ya,

Percentage of Pro's that make these length of putts

10-15 feet: 30%

15-20 feet: 19%

20-25 feet: 13%

From 6 feet and in: 95%+

So really, its a very steep graph on putts made. As for your 10-15 footers, pro's only make about 2-3 per round.

I would create a little station on the putting green about 5 feet out from the hole. If your an straight and straight through putter, just lay two clubs down just outside the width of your putter. If your an arc putter, i have seen string tied to tees used. One placed behind your ball the other placed on the otherside of the hole.  I would practice in slow motion, really get the feel for keeping your head still and getting that clubface to return square and the ball to the center of the putter each time.

[camper6]

So what is a golfer to do?  Large obvious breaks aren't too much of a problem, but the subtle breaks are killing me.  Any thoughts?

A friend of mine who is a good putter told me once.

"Just try to get it close.  You will be surprised how many go in."

Also try to have someone stand behind you when you line up your putt.  With astigmatism (I have it as well), you may not have your putter lined up to your intended line looking from above.

[Topper]

I feel your pain.  Today I hit the green on a 195 yard par 3.  The green had some significant undulations but nothing crazy.   I then proceeded to 6 putt!!!! I simply could not get the speed (or line) correct with most misses to the left.  I added a 4 putt and three 3 putts to the tally.  It was disgusting.

[saevel25]

For me, to get the distances down, i don't use the same putter speed back and forth for every putt, or the same distance back and through. I vary each and just use feel. What helps this is knowing that i hit my putts over and over again in a small area in the center of the clubface everytime. What helps this is that i don't vary my grip pressure, my stroke is on the same arc over and over again. To do this took hours of practice.

For me keys to good putting,

-If your going to making a putting stroke change, stay with it for a long time. If you continue to vary your putting stroke, continue to tinker you will never gain feel

-hitting the putter in the center of the face

-Lining up the putter face how you want to on the line you want. This takes practice and experience.

-having the same putting stroke each time returning the face to the ball consistantly. Billy Mayfair almost beat Tiger woods putting were he would putt with an outside in putting stroke. So it doesn't matter the stroke as long as you know how the ball will react off the putter face.

-Trust your line, do not stand over it and think if the line is good or not, once you stand over the ball its good, just gauge pace from there.

-Sometimes it just confidence, know your going to make it. Not, i might, know you will. Jack Nicholaus talked about how he would will putts into the hole, he knew he was going to make them.

What gains you the ability to read greens, to gain good feel on pace is experience. Some people might have an ability to pick it up faster, but over time you will get use to it. For me, if i got from slow to fast greens, it takes me about 3 holes to gain the speed down to putt good. The way i practice putts is i just putt around the putting green. I just glance for the general line of the putter, go up and hit it. I usually hit three balls from the same spot, then i will go up and knock the balls to a general spot. I don't care if its 5 feet or 40 feet, i will just lazily putt around the green. I don't constantly hit 10 footers over and over again. I keep myself at different distances. I gain alot of feel from this because it lets me gauge sight to putter feel. But i cant do this with out first drilling myself a good putting stroke, that i know will be there. That comes first.

[BugDude]

After 23 years of avid golf, and down to a 1.2 handicap in 2007 (2 year layoff in 09 and 10, knee surgery and broken foot in 11), I still have a good feel for speed...I just can't read the greens anymore.  I always leave lag putts close, and I always make the 4 footers...it's the intermediate putts that just don't go in anymore.  I did make a 15 footer for birdie this evening, and a couple 8 footers for par.  You would have thought I won the US Open.  Those are putts I always expected to make, now I'm shocked if I do.  The ball is coming off the putter face on the line I want, it just isn't the line I need.  I'm still shooting in the mid to high 70s, but if I could just make some putts.

I'm thinking that during my practice rounds by myself, I might start laying a ball marker on the line after I read it from the other side.  Then trying to roll the ball over that mark from the putting side to see if the line I see from the opposite side really is true or not.  This will also test my ability to roll the ball over that spot.

[LankyLefty]

start tracking putts per round.

Seems like you are assuming your butting is no good, however I think if your really automatic inside 6 feet, you may be pleasantly surprised.

[MiniBlueDragon]

Take an AimPoint class.

Even for the insight into how the greens are designed and what to look for to get a rough idea on a putt is indespensible, let alone actually having methods to estimate a putt rather than guess one.

[BugDude]

I changed putters (from my Ping Zing I've had for 23 years to an Odessy DPX 1100 I've had for about 10 years) and switched my putting style back to the standard style from the claw style I've been using the last few years.  It seems more putts are rolling in.

I'm one of those players that a change seems to work.  Change clubs, change grip, change swing thought, etc.  Rather than buying new clubs all the time, I have 3 different sets of irons, 4 drivers, who knows how many putters, several wedges, etc.  Most of these I've had for a long time and collected over a 20 year period and when I get stale with something, I just switch out with something else I already have.

I think that changing stuff up forces me to focus and work on a certain aspect.

My favorite set of irons is a set of Golden Ram Tour Grind irons circa 1980.  I've been hitting a set of Ram FX Pro Set with graphite shafts, but I think I'm going to switch back to the other ones.