Why can't amateurs make 20ft putts as often as pros?

[chriskzoo]

Also keep in mind that every week, especially on the weekend, we're seeing guys leading tournaments, meaning they are draining a TON of putts.  You're not seeing the guys down the leaderboard missing 4 footers all day.

I am actually a great green reader and find it mind boggling how poor some of the pros are at it.

[bplewis24]

So then maybe a better stat to compare the average amateur vs the average pro, is in their ability to two-putt from 20 feet?  I'm thinking the disparity in skill level/execution would be much higher.

[zipazoid]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

So then maybe a better stat to compare the average amateur vs the average pro, is in their ability to two-putt from 20 feet?  I'm thinking the disparity in skill level/execution would be much higher.

I'm sure there is such info. We got a lot of number-crunchers around here.

You'd probably find something like this -

Pros from 20 feet:

Make 10% of the time

Make or Two-putt 95% of the time

Three-putt 5% of the time

Average amateur (let's say 15 handicap) from 20 feet:

Make 2% of the time

Make or Two-putt 60% of the time

Three-putt (or more) 40% of the time

I am totally making up those numbers off the top of my head, but I bet they're in the ballpark. Not only do pros do better at making 20-footers, they rarely three-putt from there. This goes to the earlier comment about, if the pro misses, it still is around the hole with a tap-in left. For an amateur, it's often 6 feet short or 8 feet by. There's the real difference.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by zipazoid

You'd probably find something like this -

Pros from 20 feet:

Make 10% of the time

Make or Two-putt 95% of the time

Three-putt 5% of the time

No need to guess. (From 2010, but the data doesn't change much year to year.)

From 20 feet:

Make 14% of the time

Two-Putt 84% of the time (i.e. 98% 1- or 2-putt)

Three-putt 2% of the time.

Expected # of strokes: 1.878.

If you're worse than that, you're below PGA Tour average.

[bplewis24]

98%!  I'd say that separates the pros from the amateurs

[zipazoid]

Originally Posted by iacas

No need to guess. (From 2010, but the data doesn't change much year to year.)

From 20 feet:

Make 14% of the time

Two-Putt 84% of the time (i.e. 98% 1- or 2-putt)

Three-putt 2% of the time.

Expected # of strokes: 1.878.

If you're worse than that, you're below PGA Tour average.

Thought I was in the ballpark with:

Make 10% of the time

Make or Two-putt 95% of the time

Three-putt 5% of the time

Not bad for a guess.

[saevel25]

What i like to do is practice hitting putts while looking at the hole. This gives me visual + feel, then i follow that putt up with a normal putt. So i don't get into bad habits. I translate this to my golf game, because when i make practice strokes i look at the hole while i do. This helps me because i am a visual person. When i study i try to remember the whole page of notes, i like to try to take a snap shot in my head. It easier for me to remember things that way. So i try to make alot of my golf visual as well with the feel, sound of the impact with the golf ball.

[glock35ipsc]

At my club, it never fails that when I show up to practice, I have no problem getting room on the putting green or the chipping green.  Everyone else is banging away ball after ball with the driver, 2 large buckets at a time.

[Derek02]

Originally Posted by colin007

i think the thing is, it seems like almost all the putts i see on TV have a decent chance, and are right near the hole.  whereas when i play with the local hacks like me, there are putts that have no chance even if the hole was as large as a garbage can lid.

I think you may have hit the nail on the head.  The pro's hours and hours of practice may not enable them to make 20+ foot putts much more often than amateurs, but it does make them A LOT better at leaving the ball within a 3 foot radius of the hole, and the chances of them missing from 3 feet are VERY low.  Hence, they are better able to avoid 3-putts.

[Paradox]

Originally Posted by colin007

i think the thing is, it seems like almost all the putts i see on TV have a decent chance, and are right near the hole.  whereas when i play with the local hacks like me, there are putts that have no chance even if the hole was as large as a garbage can lid.

"that guy" has a lot bigger issues than holing putts from 20'.  Pros are good/great at lagging and near missing because they know their stroke, they have been attentive to how the greens are rolling..so on and so forth.

Theres probably a surprisingly high number of people who play the same course time and time again that couldn't tell you the general break on even a 1/4 of the greens.  They just don't pay attention to anything other than..."I'm 20' away and it looks like it kinda goes left so I'll just hit it here and see what happens"

[LuciusWooding]

Originally Posted by Paradox

"that guy" has a lot bigger issues than holing putts from 20'.  Pros are good/great at lagging and near missing because they know their stroke, they have been attentive to how the greens are rolling..so on and so forth.

Theres probably a surprisingly high number of people who play the same course time and time again that couldn't tell you the general break on even a 1/4 of the greens.  They just don't pay attention to anything other than..."I'm 20' away and it looks like it kinda goes left so I'll just hit it here and see what happens"

I'll prefer us amateurs being lazy at putting over slow play. They probably wouldn't do much better if they took their time, and taking time seldom really helps, even for pros. They read the putt within 30 seconds, even an unusual one; then they either hit it, spend 5 minutes going through a routine purely for nerves and comfort, or have to wait for their partner to complete said routine. When courses start projecting an aimpoint line on the greens and we still have slow play, I will be vindicated.

[spawnukuk]

Amatuers can, its depends on the golfer im a amatuer golfer but pretty decent

Putting is the best part of my game, putting drills everyday helps alot

[zipazoid]

Originally Posted by spawnukuk

Amatuers can, its depends on the golfer im a amatuer golfer but pretty decent

Putting is the best part of my game, putting drills everyday helps alot

Exactly.

It's funny to me how much time amateurs practice hitting their drives & how little time they spend on the putting green. I will never hit it off the tee like a pro. Never. Ever.

But I can putt like one, or at least close the gap moreso than the ball-striking one.

I assure you, spend more time practicing your putting & you can indeed putt like a pro. At least some of the time.

[Paradox]

Originally Posted by LuciusWooding

I'll prefer us amateurs being lazy at putting over slow play. They probably wouldn't do much better if they took their time, and taking time seldom really helps, even for pros. They read the putt within 30 seconds, even an unusual one; then they either hit it, spend 5 minutes going through a routine purely for nerves and comfort, or have to wait for their partner to complete said routine. When courses start projecting an aimpoint line on the greens and we still have slow play, I will be vindicated.

I've seen much more slow play caused because guys are 4  putting every green vs. someone taking a few seconds to really read a putt.

Anyway, what I said had nothing to do with causing slow play.  I was pointing out that some people have no focus on the green and just don't make putts because of that.  Apply 10 seconds of brain power and I bet a lot of golfers would go home with a much better score.  I don't know where you drew taking longer than 30 seconds or spending a ton of time to hit a putt out of what I said..but ..

[Jwat381]

Hey, new here, first post. Looks like anything and everything I would have to offer to this topic has been covered, but I will say from personal experience that green quality means a lot (I can say this because I am a budget golfer and play on "less than par" greens more often than the more upscale greens). My other biggest issue is starting line. Could be my putter, as it's not the most balanced bat I've ever held, but I have noticed my number of putts has dropped since I switched to a cross handed grip, which has straightened out my starting line by what feels like miles.

[Leftygolfer]

I think the difference why they make more.  The same reason they hit better shots.  They hit it in the center of the putter all the time.  If your all over the face it is impossible to control distance and direction.  The difference between good speed and bad isn't much and you need the consistancy of contact to judge speed well.

I think in putting and the short game pure contact is overlooked.  I'm not sure if more important is accurate, but just as important as of ever other swing in golf.

[zeg]

Originally Posted by colin007

i think the thing is, it seems like almost all the putts i see on TV have a decent chance, and are right near the hole.  whereas when i play with the local hacks like me, there are putts that have no chance even if the hole was as large as a garbage can lid.

I think this is something that regular practice can help with a lot. The pro stats show that you're never going to sink most of your longish putts, but the practice is how you get the feel to hit it about 20 feet time and time again, instead of babying one 10 feet and then stabbing the next one out to 30 feet. If you can get your miss down to a couple feet, you'll make a somewhat larger number of putts just by chance and greatly improve the odds of cleaning up on the 2-putt.

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by Jwat381

Hey, new here, first post. Looks like anything and everything I would have to offer to this topic has been covered, but I will say from personal experience that green quality means a lot (I can say this because I am a budget golfer and play on "less than par" greens more often than the more upscale greens). My other biggest issue is starting line. Could be my putter, as it's not the most balanced bat I've ever held, but I have noticed my number of putts has dropped since I switched to a cross handed grip, which has straightened out my starting line by what feels like miles.

Hi welcome to the site.  Yes start line is huge, just like in the golf swing, it's about developing a pattern.  Very few guys are "square" at impact, they are either have the face a little left or right at impact.  Something they've been able to develop through practice and they repeat it most of the time.  One of the most eye opening experiences has been getting fit for an Edel putter.  You learn that something as simple as lining up a straight 6 ft putt is something most, even pros can't do.  How a line vs a dot vs a mallet vs a blade head influences so much of how you align the putter.