Putting too short almost all the time and if not it is too long

[golfdesperado]

Putting to short almost all the time and if not it is too long.

It is if I am afraid that I putt too long and make it swing shorter/slower then i have to do and it will be always too short. Outside the 5 foot range i am talking. Within it is most of the time good. I must admit my putting is still work in progress. But when I putt, the ball rolls general straight now just too short. And when I say to myself don't putt to short give it more swing it runs past the hole at least 3 feet or further into the bunker behind the green. Why oh why?

I am thinking that it might be important to have a putter with the right weight/feel to get properly connected with the subconscious calculation how much to swing or should i go for a metered approach with putting. Like some sort of table in your mind for the swing length versus distance.

[iacas]

I'd seriously investigate getting a putter with the proper weighting in the proper places for you. The weight distribution and amounts of weight in a putter can have a tremendous impact on how you feel distance.

[kw purp]

lol yeah you and everyone else. Just practice your speed a lot. If it's a long putt don't always try to make it, just try to get within 3 feet. A couple years ago I would always try to make every putt no matter how long. Once I started trying to 2 putt the long ones my putting stats improved dramatically and I actually end up making more of the long ones now anyway.

[Chris223]

It's the indian not the arrow.  I've never even really thought of being fitted for a putter.  When I needed a new one I just tried a bunch until I felt one that was right.  But I am terrible with my speed on the greens too.  I leave long putts way short and I blow short putts WAY by.

[rustyredcab]

Dr Bob Rotella's "Putting Out Of Your Mind" audio book helps me avoid thinking too much about the mechanics of swing distance (I listen to it a few times a year). Theory is that my mind and body have a better idea about to to judge distance than I do when I over think mechanics. BTW, he is the reader -- which I like.

A good putter that fits, practice, and using the same ball, are all needed but most of us have it in ourselves to control distance pretty well if we get out of the way.

[UncleJim]

Do you have a soft putter?

[Ernest Jones]

Dr Bob Rotella's "Putting Out Of Your Mind" audio book helps me avoid thinking too much about the mechanics of swing distance (I listen to it a few times a year). Theory is that my mind and body have a better idea about to to judge distance than I do when I over think mechanics. BTW, he is the reader -- which I like.

A good putter that fits, practice, and using the same ball, are all needed but most of us have it in ourselves to control distance pretty well if we get out of the way.

This.

If I have mechanical thoughts of distance control and proper stroke length I'll either blow it past the hole by 8' or leave 5' short. Both results suck. If I empty my st00pid head and just feel the proper "weight" for the stroke I'll usually leave it within tap in range to 2' at the most.

[turtleback]

Putting to short almost all the time and if not it is too long.

It is if I am afraid that I putt too long and make it swing shorter/slower then i have to do and it will be always too short. Outside the 5 foot range i am talking. Within it is most of the time good. I must admit my putting is still work in progress. But when I putt, the ball rolls general straight now just too short. And when I say to myself don't putt to short give it more swing it runs past the hole at least 3 feet or further into the bunker behind the green. Why oh why?

I am thinking that it might be important to have a putter with the right weight/feel to get properly connected with the subconscious calculation how much to swing or should i go for a metered approach with putting. Like some sort of table in your mind for the swing length versus distance.

I'm a pretty decent lag putter so I'll tell you what I do and see if any of it resonates with you.

I start a few feet behind my ball and take a couple of practice swings at right angles to my line.  While I do this I am looking at the hole and trying to visualize the right strength to track the ball to the hole.  I'm just trying to get the feel for the distance.

Then I step up and take a regular practice stroke, again looking at the hole while I do it and continuing the effort to feel the distance and visualize the roll of the ball.  Then I address the ball, take one last look at the hole, do a little forward press, and take the stroke.

It isn't foolproof, but it works pretty well for me.

[Ernest Jones]

I'm a pretty decent lag putter so I'll tell you what I do and see if any of it resonates with you. I start a few feet behind my ball and take a couple of practice swings at right angles to my line.  While I do this I am looking at the hole and trying to visualize the right strength to track the ball to the hole.  I'm just trying to get the feel for the distance. Then I step up and take a regular practice stroke, again looking at the hole while I do it and continuing the effort to feel the distance and visualize the roll of the ball.  Then I address the ball, take one last look at the hole, do a little forward press, and take the stroke. It isn't foolproof, but it works pretty well for me.

Pretty much exactly my routine as well. Emphasis on feeling the distance, I think of it in terms of weight, like in curling.

[Shorty]

Pretty much exactly my routine as well.

Yeah, not unlike mine either, but  you can't teach feel to someone who has none.........

[Dave2512]

The key for me is erasing a previous long/short miss from my mind. If I blow one by on the previous hole I don't want it to cloud my judgment on the next putt and leave it short. Usually I walk to and from the hole to get a feel for it. Slows me down and keeps me focused on that putt. Then I go through my routine.

[golfdesperado]

@UncleJim : I try two putters to see what works best for me. Longridge Alpha ii and Wilson Pro Staf HMI II. The both have some sort of insert. I always grip the putters at the bottom the handle. This way it feels i have more feeling/control. But when I grip it higher the ball distance increases but loses direction more easily.

See here my putting (You are allowed to laugh at me):

http://golfdesperado.com/?p=406

I am practising a lot on the practice green and i go from hole to hole (6) trying to make it in 2 puts otherwise i do not go home even if it is getting dark. I put a flash light on my head (just kidding).

At some stage i am able to at least 2 putt, meaning the lag put is within 5 feet. 5 feet or closer most of the time i can make it now. Then when i start to play all most all the time the lag puts are not even close. Is it possible the practice green and real greens are totally different and this messes it up also?

[Ernest Jones]

Is it possible the practice green and real greens are totally different and this messes it up also?

Very possible but the more likely cause is a change in your execution. On the practice green you can always hit another ball, and another, and another. On course you get one attempt at each stroke. You're probably not as loose and relaxed.

[boogielicious]

golfdesparado,

If you like to read, I recommend the following books, The Art of Putting , by Stan Utley and Unconscious Putting , by Dave Stockton.  They helped my a lot with set up and getting a repeatable stroke.  Both authors emphasize focusing on your line and speed as a way to free up tension that can cause distance control.  Getting a putter that fits you is also important.

[skywaterbanjo]

I had the same problem (and occasionally still do) of not being able to hit the distance I 'remembered' the last time I looked at the hole.  One thing that has helped me immensely, especially on long lag putts, is to stare at the hole while putting the ball.  Same philosophy of looking at the target when throwing something.  I know some of the pros also do this.  I can easily imagine the ball going in the hole if I am looking at the hole.  I still miss and 3 putt once or twice but I am consistently closer to the hole.  My three putts are because I do something stupid on my 2nd putt.

[turtleback]

Very possible but the more likely cause is a change in your execution. On the practice green you can always hit another ball, and another, and another. On course you get one attempt at each stroke. You're probably not as loose and relaxed.

Another possibility is grip pressure.  I find that a very light grip really helps my feel for distance.  But as in so many things in putting it is apparently an individual thing, as there are some very good putters who grip the putter firmly.  But for me the light grip lessens tension and lets me feel the putter head better.  It also helps me avoid getting wristy.

BTW, Brad Faxon has been doing a putting series on the Golf Channel that is excellent.

[Ernest Jones]

Another possibility is grip pressure.  I find that a very light grip really helps my feel for distance.  But as in so many things in putting it is apparently an individual thing, as there are some very good putters who grip the putter firmly.  But for me the light grip lessens tension and lets me feel the putter head better.  It also helps me avoid getting wristy. BTW, Brad Faxon has been doing a putting series on the Golf Channel that is excellent.

Agree about the grip pressure. Actually the last thing I do before taking my stroke is relax my grip, I guess you could say it's my trigger, I never thought of it that way but its true. I don't know how people find success with mechanical putting, you know the whole 'measured' back stroke to fit different distances. I see guys on the putting green trying to figure out how far back to swing the putter for a 10 footer, 15 footer, 30 footer an so on. Never worked for me. I have to feel the distance and make the appropriate stroke with a relatively blank mind. You're right though, putting is a very personal thing and people just have to find their method.