Frustrating Round-Bad Putters Represent

[dkolo]

Yeah, I can relate to your plight. On good days I can average 5-6 strokes less just in putting strokes, the bad days explain my dichotomy of scores. I've putted as high as 37 recently and as low as 28. I'm thinking it's apathy or something. Today, I even hesitated to take a 1.5 foot gimme par on a practice round, and even 4 four putted for double bogey. It was only a practice round, anyway? This mentality is probably why I putted so much?

I'm guessing if we can get ourselves to think all our putts are worth "$1000 (or more) for the win" we would make more 2 putts or even less? I'm pretty sure it's a mental thing.

Even more pressure on two putts sounds like a recipe for success, haha.

My outcome tree for lag putts has turned into:

Did the first putt stay on the green?

Yes --> Success!

No --> Hey, I get to chip!

[RFKFREAK]

4 putted for double bogey yesterday after getting a GIR on a Par 3 yesterday.

[colin007]

4 putted for double bogey yesterday after getting a GIR on a Par 3 yesterday.  :yucky:

Where at? CHills? I 4 putted for bogey twice. That stings.

[RFKFREAK]

Where at? CHills?

I 4 putted for bogey twice. That stings.

No, Mohawk River.

Was just gross.

[golfnz34me]

I shot a 42 the other day with 21 putts.  And while I'm not a great putter normally, I'm not a terrible one either.  It was a combination of the dry winter/spring leading to much faster greens and leaving myself on the wrong part of the green too many times.

In a lot of ways, on fast, undulating greens luck plays a huge factor in determining how many putts you are going to take; wrong side yourself a bunch, you will end up with a lot of 3 putts.  Finish on the right side a bunch and you will probably have a good day putting.

[saevel25]

In a lot of ways, on fast, undulating greens luck plays a huge factor in determining how many putts you are going to take; wrong side yourself a bunch, you will end up with a lot of 3 putts.  Finish on the right side a bunch and you will probably have a good day putting.

Work on your 3 foot putting and you wont be stressing over them. Most cases they are either straight in or just inside the edge.

[iacas]

In a lot of ways, on fast, undulating greens luck plays a huge factor in determining how many putts you are going to take; wrong side yourself a bunch, you will end up with a lot of 3 putts.  Finish on the right side a bunch and you will probably have a good day putting.

I don't really agree with that, but… I know what you mean. And obviously I'm not sure what the greens you played on are like, etc.

[imsys0042]

I don't really agree with that, but… I know what you mean. And obviously I'm not sure what the greens you played on are like, etc.

many times on mine you can be 10-20 feet away from the pin and you have no chance of having your next putt be within 20 feet away unless you hit the hole on a putt that breaks 2-3 feet. I play addendum to LSW where I split my greens into 2-3 zones and aim for the middle of that. But If I put the ball in the center of some greens I would have very hard putts to get within 10-20 feet so would have to rely on a much longer putt to 2 putt.

[Jakester23]

many times on mine you can be 10-20 feet away from the pin and you have no chance of having your next putt be within 20 feet away unless you hit the hole on a putt that breaks 2-3 feet. I play addendum to LSW where I split my greens into 2-3 zones and aim for the middle of that. But If I put the ball in the center of some greens I would have very hard putts to get within 10-20 feet so would have to rely on a much longer putt to 2 putt.

Many times?  I don't think thats ever happened to me inside 10-20 feet.  I've putted of the green before but it was when I hit a terrible putt and/or completely miss read the green.

[colin007]

Yeah I'm not sure that's "many" times. There are times where the pin is put in a spot where it shouldn't be, you might have a 4 footer that you literally breathe on and it rolls down the hill ten feet by. That's few and far between.

[imsys0042]

I'd say about one third of the greens at my club, which has 27 holes, have areas like that. You can be on one side of the green and the amount of undulation and slope make it hard to get within 10 feet or you can be within 10-20 feet but be very hard to have a make-able second putt. Plenty of times where you can putt a 8 footer, miss and not be on the green for your next shot. Not the scariest I've played, but the slope on them does put you in positions where you can easily 3 putt from 20 feet. The situation is a lot of undulation (the whole complex is very hilly) with a lot of places where the greens have slim areas or the pins are near collection areas that mean a ball heads down there and picks up speed. Part of this is trying to be smart about where you put your approach shot. But I've three putted from 8 feet and much better players have as well.

[Mac62]

I'd say about one third of the greens at my club, which has 27 holes, have areas like that. You can be on one side of the green and the amount of undulation and slope make it hard to get within 10 feet or you can be within 10-20 feet but be very hard to have a make-able second putt. Plenty of times where you can putt a 8 footer, miss and not be on the green for your next shot.

Not the scariest I've played, but the slope on them does put you in positions where you can easily 3 putt from 20 feet. The situation is a lot of undulation (the whole complex is very hilly) with a lot of places where the greens have slim areas or the pins are near collection areas that mean a ball heads down there and picks up speed.

Part of this is trying to be smart about where you put your approach shot. But I've three putted from 8 feet and much better players have as well.

Sounds brutal, and it also sounds like your greenskeeper is a sadist.  There's nothing more frustrating than having pins set in positions where it's virtually impossible to make a putt.  The whole thing about placing your approach shots makes it even worse - as a high handicapper, I aim for the fattest part of the green and then just take whatever putts I face from there - I don't have the skills to go pin hunting.  I've played a few courses with nasty undulating greens like that and it's hard to enjoy a round when everything is like putting off a cliff or across the side of a mountain.  There's a difference between 'challenging' and 'ridiculous'.

[9wood]

Played 9 on a course yesterday that has super fast greens. The fastest I have ever seen. Not only fast but the greens are quite tilted. I wound up 3 putting 4 out of 9 holes and was able to manage only 2 pars in 9. Very challenging course to say the least.

[iacas]

What course, again, @imsys0042 ?