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Putting - DO NOT Accelerate Through the Ball


iacas

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Thought so, but I wanted to ask just to make sure I am not missing any sort of awesome putting drill :-D

I know exactly what you mean. :D

Nate

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Awesome thread. As someone who is likely craptacular at putting, I'm happy to have this to practice next time it's raining and I can't practice outdoors. :)

Christian

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I took this thread to the golf course with me yesterday.  I had improvement beyond my belief!   I one putted a few.  I two putted all but one hole.  My best putt was 22 feet, one foot or so of break and slightly downhill.  I lined up and looked back and forth between my ball and the hole several times.  I found my line.  I did not even look up at the hole again.  I gauged my pendulum and followed through.

My group hooped and hollered.  I would have too, except I just played it cool.  I was hooping and hollering on the inside.  Thanks iacas. :-)

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Is the difference between good and great possibly just that the "great" putter is hitting the ball with a slight upward angle of attack meaning the pendulum has reached it's peak velocity and is now going back up and slowing down or did the "good" putter have an upward angle of attack just as often?

:whistle:

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Is the difference between good and great possibly just that the "great" putter is hitting the ball with a slight upward angle of attack meaning the pendulum has reached it's peak velocity and is now going back up and slowing down or did the "good" putter have an upward angle of attack just as often?

It's a good question. Can't say I have an answer. Some are hitting up but still accelerating a teeny bit too long. Y'know? Plus if you came to me with "good" I'm probably never touching it unless you bring Kate Beckinsale with you and she asks me to.

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Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
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Great thread.  I have recently been considering myself a pretty decent putter.  However, I just realized that I was never taking the club back far enough.  I've spent my whole life watching crappy putters (dad is the first one that comes to mind) "quit" on the stroke and stop right after hitting it, especially on downhill putts, that I've sort of ingrained the opposite into my stroke.  I make damn sure that I have a long follow-through.  I knew that the adage was to have a pendulum like stroke with same length back and through swings, but I always had a longer through swing.  I'd be willing to bet that if I got on a SAM with my old putter, that it would register me as having a stroke that was not decelerating until after impact.

Now, with the new putter and with this thread and Aimpoint, I'm quickly getting to the point of being cocky and calling myself a really good putter.

Thanks!

EDIT:  My last 6 rounds  (only one since this thread, and only three with the new putter, but still):

6.7 GIR/round

1.85 putts/GIR

29.8 total putts/round

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Definitely gives me something to think about. I've been putting by making relatively the same length backstroke (short) for some time now because I feel it helps me hit the sweet spot more consistently. As a result, I must accelerate through ball at greater speed as the putt gets longer. It's worked for me to some degree but when out of practice, not so much. Had 5 3-putts yesterday, all distance-control related. Very informative, I will use this technique next time out. Tks.

In my Bag: Driver: Titelist 913 D3 9.5 deg. 3W: TaylorMade RBZ 14.5 3H: TaylorMade RBZ 18.5 4I - SW: TaylorMade R7 TP LW: Titelist Vokey 60 Putter: Odyssey 2-Ball

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It's a good question. Can't say I have an answer. Some are hitting up but still accelerating a teeny bit too long. Y'know?

Plus if you came to me with "good" I'm probably never touching it unless you bring Kate Beckinsale with you and she asks me to.

I've never felt like the ball rolled well off of my club face. How do you know when you're hitting the ball slightly on the upstroke??

Wouldn't we all like to see if Kate Beckinsale has a "good" stroke?

:whistle:

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I've never felt like the ball rolled well off of my club face. How do you know when you're hitting the ball slightly on the upstroke??

Wouldn't we all like to see if Kate Beckinsale has a "good" stroke?

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
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Read this last week and went out and practiced looong putts on Sunday.  Question about increasing the length of the back swing on long putts... What affect, if any, will the increased, upward arc have when descending on the ball? Or, am I supposed to keep my stroke long and low?  Just wondering, as I tried both ways with mixed results.  To rephrase my question, what type of putting stroke do you advocate on long - 30 ft or more - putts?   Thanks

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Never thought about putting the ball with a positive AoA, just try to think of the pendulum and brush feeling.

Right now I set up aiming for the putter face and the back of the ball to meet right in the middle of my stance (with a slightly open stance).  Might it help get a positive AoA and slight decel before impact to move the ball forward maybe half a ball (I'm thinking how ball forward helps positive AoA with the driver)?

Matt

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Never thought about putting the ball with a positive AoA, just try to think of the pendulum and brush feeling.

Right now I set up aiming for the putter face and the back of the ball to meet right in the middle of my stance (with a slightly open stance).  Might it help get a positive AoA and slight decel before impact to move the ball forward maybe half a ball (I'm thinking how ball forward helps positive AoA with the driver)?

That is exactly what I do.  I figure if I have a fairly "centered" or "symmetrical" stroke, then, theoretically, the bottom is somewhere close to the middle of my stance.  And, if we're nit-picking, that means the face of the putter at the center of my stance, so the ball already has to be a half diameter forward of that.  I add another inch or so to that and put the ball there.

I certainly don't THINK about hitting on the upstroke either, because then you're liable to start doing goofy things like lifting up the putter as you're coming into the ball, or something equally weird.  I just put the ball forward of center, take a smooth stroke and assume that I'm catching it on the upswing slightly.

I believe that there is a place near me with a SAM lab, and every time a subject like this comes up, I remind myself that I want to go get measured, so maybe I'll look into it soon.

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I put with the ball forward in my stance as well, its helped out. I really do like the feel of having my head behind the ball more looking down the line.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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My old Ping Pal has what looks to be about 4 degrees of loft.  Is this common in modern putters?  If so, aren't we hitting on the upstroke by proxy?

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Right now I set up aiming for the putter face and the back of the ball to meet right in the middle of my stance (with a slightly open stance).  Might it help get a positive AoA and slight decel before impact to move the ball forward maybe half a ball (I'm thinking how ball forward helps positive AoA with the driver)?

That's what you do, yes. Just put the ball a little forward in your stance. Very few people have it middle of stance… that would lead to hitting down slightly, on average.

Read this last week and went out and practiced looong putts on Sunday.  Question about increasing the length of the back swing on long putts... What affect, if any, will the increased, upward arc have when descending on the ball? Or, am I supposed to keep my stroke long and low?  Just wondering, as I tried both ways with mixed results.  To rephrase my question, what type of putting stroke do you advocate on long - 30 ft or more - putts?   Thanks

Not low. Just on the same arc as always.

What do you mean what type of stroke? The same as a six-foot putt, but longer on both sides (still roughly matching).

My old Ping Pal has what looks to be about 4 degrees of loft.  Is this common in modern putters?  If so, aren't we hitting on the upstroke by proxy?

Your pitching wedge has 45+ degrees of loft, yet you take divots.

Get my point? :-)

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

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That's what you do, yes. Just put the ball a little forward in your stance. Very few people have it middle of stance… that would lead to hitting down slightly, on average.

Not low. Just on the same arc as always.

What do you mean what type of stroke? The same as a six-foot putt, but longer on both sides (still roughly matching).

Your pitching wedge has 45+ degrees of loft, yet you take divots.

Get my point?

Har!!  Point well taken. :-)

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That's what you do, yes. Just put the ball a little forward in your stance. Very few people have it middle of stance… that would lead to hitting down slightly, on average.

Is there other similar information like this you can also share with us?

I feel like without more information like this, practice is just a complete waste of time. I'm so glad I haven't yet wasted time practicing putting.

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