How consistent should your putting be from 10 feet?

[BIGTRUFFLE]

Sinking putts from within 10ft is where the real scores are made. That's pretty good! But can you repeat those scores from within 10ft when taking part in a competition?

[wmiller]

I have, years ago when I played in a few USGA events. Shot two sub-par rounds at Rivera CC in LA during a two day qualifier, for example.

Don't know if the nerves would hold up any more though. That was over 20 years ago.

[TyWebbb]

Interesting thread.  I've found doing putting drills inside on the carpet or rug to be inaccurate in my experience.  I recently started taking the game more seriously and was fit for a putter using the SAM system.  I went home and began practicing inside.  It was remarkable how many putts I was hitting directly over a Quarter that I'd placed exactly 8 feet away (Pelz's Golden Eight rule).  I was so curious about my success rate that I experimented by putting extremely nonchalant with one hand and they still hit the target!  This was some putter I thought!  After doing this for a few days I took my practice and new magic flat stick to the course putting green.  Haha, not so much success there.  I thought it was weird that I was rolling it so well in my living room.  I seriously doubt that many amateurs can sink 20 10 footers in a row on an outside green.  Regardless of break.  Something about putting inside lies.  Maybe the carpet/rug has some groove in it or something.

[The Tin Man]

After a few shots on my practice mat I get bored and sloppy.  Plus I was ingraining a stroke on a slanted floor.

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by wmiller

20 putts from 10 feet, how many can I make?

First attempt I missed the 5th putt, for 19 out of 20.

Second attempt I made 20 of 20.

Putting on your carpet is not an indicator of how well you putt. Sorry.

[k-troop]

Originally Posted by Shorty

Putting on your carpet is not an indicator of how well you putt. Sorry.

Well, it's at least an indicator of how well you can line up and make square impact.  Two pretty important things in putting.

[jshots]

I have a little 15 foot matt in my basement that I do the same thing on. The problem is that its a straight putt and that you are doing it over and over, I've made 30 in a row before on this 15 foot straight matt. I even moved back to more like 20 feet and was still able to make the majority of them on the straight putt. Of course break is going to change things a ton.

Really all you are showing is that you have a consistent stroke. No body can go out on a putting green and make 19/20 from 10 feet.

[k-troop]

Originally Posted by jshots

I have a little 15 foot matt in my basement that I do the same thing on. The problem is that its a straight putt and that you are doing it over and over, I've made 30 in a row before on this 15 foot straight matt. I even moved back to more like 20 feet and was still able to make the majority of them on the straight putt. Of course break is going to change things a ton.

Really all you are showing is that you have a consistent stroke. No body can go out on a putting green and make 19/20 from 10 feet.

The four variables in putting are alignment, square impact, speed, and read.  If you putt straight 10 footers, you can drill two of those four things.  That's 50% of the putting equation.  It's not the whole thing--you still have to read break and judge speed--but it certainly has value.

[jshots]

Originally Posted by jshots

I have a little 15 foot matt in my basement that I do the same thing on. The problem is that its a straight putt and that you are doing it over and over, I've made 30 in a row before on this 15 foot straight matt. I even moved back to more like 20 feet and was still able to make the majority of them on the straight putt. Of course break is going to change things a ton.

Really all you are showing is that you have a consistent stroke. No body can go out on a putting green and make 19/20 from 10 feet.

So I guess to answer the OP.... on a 10 foot straight matt

you should be real ****ing consistent

[nobackswing]

10-foot putting test I picked up from Mark Broadie at the WSCG :

(Broadie is the guy that invented the "putts gained" stat for the PGA tour.)

putt 10-footers from various spots on a green.

+3 for every putt made

-1 for every miss

-5 for every miss short

-10 for every 3-putt

if you can score zero or positive over the long term, you are at or near the level of the top ten putters in the world.

[GaijinGolfer]

If you can make 3 out of 10, youre doing pretty good.

[Jmdmbike]

[VIDEO Would agree with that - 3 out of 10 is better than average. I'd take it.

[Gioguy21]

to the op...you said your original pondering ? was that if you could ascertain if you had a 'reliable stroke'. to be honest...holing 10 footers, or trying to hole any putt for that matter has nothing to do with if you made the putt or not. get on some flat surface on a practice green and set up alignment sticks, laser pointer, chalk line, string, etc...and walk 'into' a putt over and over. hit down the line every time...that'll let you know if your line and your stroke are repeatable. lining up a putt that you already know goes a certain way does nothing for you...your body knows the 'feel' already of where you need it to go...(can't quite explain it but if you've seen a putt go in...your body can react and make a stroke SIMILAR to it, esp if it was only a few seconds ago)

Just my .02.

[mdl]

The graphs below are from a paper I've posted here before.  These are averages for PGA pros from 2003-2010.  From 10 feet pros make ~40% of putts, and 3 putt pretty rarely, so average the obvious ~1.6 putts from 10 feet.  Indoors on a flat putting matt yeah you should be able to make 90-100% from 10 feet.  But that's on the same perfectly straight putt on a flawless matt over and over.  On the course that's totally unrealistic.  Even on much easier greens than tour players putt on, I'd bet few amateurs make significantly more than 50% of putts from 10 feet.

[onthehunt526]

I used to be terrible from ten feet... I'm getting better at it though with a lot of 3/4 mile walks to the practice green at the golf course... If you make 80% of your putts from 10 feet and in you generally will save probably 4 strokes a round... especially if you make 80% from 5-10 feet... inside of 5 feet you should be 95%... so my suggestion is to take it to the practice putting green and see if you can make 10 out of 10 from all sides of the hole with different breaks and such... just because you can make 20/20 on you computer room floor doesn't mean you'll make 20/20 on the golf course... just saying...

[zeg]

Originally Posted by iacas

It's actually from 9 feet > x >= 10 feet. So the average would be from 9'6" or so. :-)

But I think he probably had zero putts from distances both less than 9 feet and greater than 10 feet so where does that leave us? :-P

[inthecup]

It was not into a cup though was it?  Could it lip out or blow through on speed?