Putting stroke when putting for birdie....

[$2 Nassau]

...Is there anything mentally that I can tell myself to prepare for a birdie putt? I find my birdie putting stroke is different than say my par or bogey or bogey+ stroke. It's just not as smooth and I leave most of them short.

I know it's mental, obviously...I'm letting the putt get to me. What can I do to overcome this? It's hard to practice birdie putts. Standing on a practice green and saying to yourself "okay this putt is for birdie" just doesn't work.

I don't expect to sink every one but I feel I should definitely be making more of them.

Any advice?

[ChiChiIsMe]

I don't expect to sink every one

Expect to make every putt, every time, and putt it like you will make it.

[cbe_golfer]

I took me a while to get my first birdie. I had an eagle but no birdies for about four months. I was getting a few looks but like you said, I was not even close to making it most times. Wrong reads, wrong speed..the works. Then I told myself that I was letting it get to me. Somehow not giving it too much importance seemed to work for me. I started sinking a few recently:).

[Reefer_Madness]

I just tell myself, if I miss, it's not that big of a deal, I'll still make par, and par is always good.

[$2 Nassau]

I think I need to take more of a "one shot at a time" approach. Usually, if I'm staring at a reasonable birdie putt, inside 15-20 feet or so, I'm always thinking "wow if I make this then I will only xxx strokes over par for the round, which is a great score for me....etc, etc."

Perfect example is last night, shot 40 for 9 holes, a GREAT score for me. Had about a 20 foot birdie putt on the last hole, and of course all I'm thinking is "wow, if I make this I shoot 39!!!" Well, I spent more time thinking about that than reading the putt and left it an ugly 4-5 feet short. Made the par putt, but man that birdie putt was pathetic.

[jmurdock]

It sounds like you are afraid of giving it a good run and the 3 putting (since most of your misses are short) I would practice a lot of 3 to 4 footers. That might give you more confidence to give the birdie putt a solid run.

[Mhinderaker]

The other thing to remember is that even if you ran it 5 feet past, you are most likely going to make that coming back. If you just remember that a par is a good score as well and give it a good run, you will make a lot more.

[iacas]

I just tell myself, if I miss, it's not that big of a deal, I'll still make par, and par is always good.

That sounds like a great way to make a lot of pars and relatively few birdies.

[Reefer_Madness]

That sounds like a great way to make a lot of pars and relatively few birdies.

Sort of, but you'll still make plenty of birdies. Telling yourself you have to make the putt or else, makes most people miss because they're thinking too much. Just relax and know that par's aren't bad.

[iacas]

Sort of, but you'll still make plenty of birdies. Telling yourself you have to make the putt or else, makes most people miss because they're thinking too much. Just relax and know that par's aren't bad.

You're missing the point, and I would suggest (as would Bob Rotella, Brad Faxon, and good putters worldwide) that there are a lot of things wrong with saying "I'll still get a par if I miss."

1. you're introducing doubt
2. you're thinking ahead
3. you're caring about the result (even if it's a par)
4. you're allowing the possibility of a bad thing (missing) to enter your mind

I just wrote an article on putting, and I wrote some posts here last week about my "two-putt comfort zone." I don't have one. I try to make everything. Absolutely every putt, I try to make it.

[Reefer_Madness]

You're missing the point, and I would suggest (as would Bob Rotella, Brad Faxon, and good putters worldwide) that there are a lot of things wrong with saying "I'll still get a par if I miss."

I believe you're missing my point as well. Like you, I try and make everything. Doesn't matter if it's a 3 tierd 80 footer or a flat 3 footer, I'm going for the hole. My point is, the majority of golfers are not on the tour and shouldn't put so much pressure on themselves by thinking they have to make this birdie putt or else their score will suck. Most people here seem to be mid to high handicappers. How many of us have ever shot an even round? Really, try and get pars and the birdies will come....

[ChiChiIsMe]

Sort of, but you'll still make plenty of birdies. Telling yourself you have to make the putt or else, makes most people miss because they're thinking too much. Just relax and know that par's aren't bad.

There's a BIG difference between "I HAVE to make this putt" and "I AM going to make this putt." You'll miss more of the "HAVEs" than the "AMs".

[Reefer_Madness]

No doubt, I always tell myself I will make the putt........but I'm starting to believe "myself" is deaf.

[iacas]

I believe you're missing my point as well.

I'm not. We're just talking about different things.

Putting is something anyone can do. Low handicappers are usually better at it, but unlike driving the ball 300 yards or spinning back a pitching wedge or hitting a controlled cut or draw, putting takes almost no special attributes beyond touch and a little ability to read greens.

My point is, the majority of golfers are not on the tour and shouldn't put so much pressure on themselves by thinking they have to make this birdie putt or else their score will suck.

You're doing a little straw man here. I never said anything about caring about the result, and I never said anything about putting pressure on themselves. There's a world of difference between "try to make every putt" and "put pressure on yourself to actually make every putt."

I don't care what your handicap is - if you have a birdie putt, thinking "well if I miss I'll get an easy par" is the surest way to make more bogeys than birdies, and a whole lot more pars than you really deserve (rather than birdies).

[lamebums]

I say try to make every putt inside of 20 feet. Relax, and just think about the ball going in the hole. Even if you miss, it shouldn't be a big deal. (Imagine having a 25 footer for birdie - and 36 on the hardest 9 holes around.) The only time I try to lag a putt is if it's a longer one or it's a tricky downhill putt - in which case I'll try to leave either a tap-in or at least an uphill putt for my par. Par is a good score anyday.

There are a few greens that are so undulating that I'll deliberately miss and leave a tap-in for par, because if I blow it by, I'm off the green and looking at three or four putts.

[JKilgore44]

I'm not. We're just talking about different things.

Iacas and I tend to see things from different perspectives, but this is the truest thing I've ever heard. You never want to settle for less before you even attempt at more... If you're sitting over a 15 footer for birdie, you should never EVER think about two putting. You have to believe that you have the ability to make that putt. Even when I'm standing over impossible 30ft putts, I still believe I can make them. And when you really believe that and you still miss, it's a hell of a lot closer than it would've been any other way

Think about it. If you tell yourself, I'm just gonna get this one within three feet and you miss hit your putt, you're still six feet short. If you tell yourself you're gonna drop it and you miss hit it, you're only two feet past. Which would you prefer?

[sonicblue]

Expect to make every putt, every time, and putt it like you will make it.

I don't think there's ever going to be any better putting advice in the history of golf lessons. You simply have to believe that every putt you have can be made. While you do have to think about the consequences of a miss (you don't want to attack a downhill putt and end up off the green, e.g.), you will rarely make a putt that you're just trying to "hit somewhere up there."

Think of it this way: Really, the whole point in golf is the birdie putt. The "normal" objective is to hit your tee shot in the fairway and put your approach on the green, thus leading to the birdie putt. Eagles are nice to come by, and a par saving putt is huge when you've erred from the tee to the green, but the birdie putt... It means you've done everything right so far and THE WHOLE POINT is to make that putt! You should be licking your chops to put the ball in the hole, not lag it up there for par.

[laconic517]

There's a BIG difference between "I HAVE to make this putt" and "I AM going to make this putt." You'll miss more of the "HAVEs" than the "AMs".

not me, thats why its easier to hole putts out in matchplay for me (granted i have no worries about blasting it by then) if its either in or not then I think it frees you up more.