2013 Golf Stats

[Bump-n-MI]

I feel like I’m right there….teetering on something pretty good.  My scoring average is 72.26 for the year which is the lowest it has been in many many years.  I abandoned the power game, finally understand course management, and (for the first time in 35 years of playing this game) learned to club up and finesse rather than go 100%.  For those of you out there obsessed with the “draw” I strongly advise you reconsider.  Playing a slight fade off the tee and straight ball with my irons has significantly improved my ball striking and accuracy.  Yes the “draw” looks cool but when I start missing left I know my swing is out of wack.  The one massive eyesore on my stat sheet is putting.  29.2 putts per round is poor….extremely poor.  I’ve tried all the tricks, left hand low, used anywhere from a 30” to 35” putter, etc, etc, etc….  Anybody have any tips or tricks that has worked for you?

[butt3r3dt0ast]

Hey Bump - nice looking stat sheet. I recently started keeping my stats using OOBgolf online, as I want to really get serious about strengthening my game this year and playing smart.

I have golfed since I was a wee lad, and I too have cycled through many different putting strokes. In my opinion, I have come to the conclusion that how you stroke the putter really doesn't make much of a difference. What I've found to be most important to lowering my putt count is confidence. Until around the end of last season, I had absolutely zero confidence in my putting skills. I would walk up to a 3 foot putt, absolutely terrified, with the mentality that I was always going to push it or pull it out. I decided to spend a lot of time practicing around 5 foot putts and really building my confidence that I will almost always sink from that distance. Now that I am not worried about missing my shorter putts, the confidence is translating to longer putts and I've noticed that this season I am making a fair amount of 10 to 20 footers as well.

Good luck!

[Nutter]

First off, nice playing.  I've only been playing for 10 years compared to your 35 but as my game has seasoned I definitely like hitting a 5-10 yard cut over a big draw like I used to (with my irons and driver alike).  As far as putting goes, I've been left hand low as long as I can remember, but what's really improved my putting game is abandoning the idea of being so technical and trying to putt over certain spots etc..   I just trust my gut and go with feel.  Since I've started doing that I've been draining putts and burning edges from everywhere and my consistency inside 10 feet has grown exponentially.  I think a lot of has to do with confidence though, when you trust your lines and putt how you want without restricting yourself with doubt and trying to be technically perfect putting becomes a lot more fun.

[bkitt]

Originally Posted by Bump-n-MI

I feel like I’m right there….teetering on something pretty good.  My scoring average is 72.26 for the year which is the lowest it has been in many many years.  I abandoned the power game, finally understand course management, and (for the first time in 35 years of playing this game) learned to club up and finesse rather than go 100%.  For those of you out there obsessed with the “draw” I strongly advise you reconsider.  Playing a slight fade off the tee and straight ball with my irons has significantly improved my ball striking and accuracy.  Yes the “draw” looks cool but when I start missing left I know my swing is out of wack.  The one massive eyesore on my stat sheet is putting.  29.2 putts per round is poor….extremely poor.  I’ve tried all the tricks, left hand low, used anywhere from a 30” to 35” putter, etc, etc, etc….  Anybody have any tips or tricks that has worked for you?

From the looks of it you may benefit from hitting more f-ways with a little more yardage in order to be able to wedge those approaches a little closer, effectively reducing the number of putts? just a thought

[bkuehn1952]

Do you just play at Inverness?  You are right; regularly playing a nine-holer should allow you to have those putting surfaces memorized.  Averaging 30 putts isn't too bad on large greens and multiple courses but Inverness is pretty old school with small greens.

Have you changed putter styles?  I am certainly no expert but some people are better with face-balanced putters and others toe-balanced.  You might want to change that up.