Putting needs help... Lots of help

[Dave325]

So, I went out to play a practice round at the break of dawn today. Nobody was playing behind me so I could take some extra shots and evaluate each hit (I enjoy this more than keeping score anyway... I'm not good enough that the score matters anyway). My drives and irons and really coming around (thanks to my Evolvr coach)... but my putting is absolutely terrible! I am looking for any help that I can get from anyone I can get it from. I just bought my copy of LSW (on its way, I think). It seems that I am missing even short puts on the left of the hole... I get a lot of the ones that run around the lip and come out on the backside. Even short three footers.... I copied off the putting drills that were shared on this forum and have been working those into my practice. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Regards,

Dave

[DrvFrShow]

One thing that can really help is to get to the course an hour before your tee time. But since your practicing at the break of dawn, that'll be impractical. So for about 30 minutes before you tee off, go to the practice green and lag putt. Take four balls. Start at about 10 feet and try to lag them as close to the hole as possible. If they go in, great putt. Your goal however is to get them within 3 feet. Putt those in. Then move back to 15 feet. Repeat. Then move to 20 feet. Do these with different holes on the practice green. It'll help you gauge the speed of the greens on the course for your round and learn distance control.

During your practice sessions, you should spend about 20 minutes on putting drills. This will be impossible during the winter, but once the weather gets warm, you should really work on making your 3 to 5 foot putts and lag putting. As you get better you can extend the distance out, but it's not urgent.

Reading greens is not easy, but be thankful you're not in the PNW and have to suffer with poa annua greens that have no grain on most courses. They're like putting on broccoli in the afternoon, and the lack of sheen in the grass makes it very difficult to see the contours at times. Remember, putts break, even short ones, but don't over complicate things.

I like to rattle the putts of the back of the hole like Phil. Other people like to have the ball die over the lip and fall in. The point here is to be consistent with your approach.

[mvmac]

So, I went out to play a practice round at the break of dawn today. Nobody was playing behind me so I could take some extra shots and evaluate each hit (I enjoy this more than keeping score anyway... I'm not good enough that the score matters anyway). My drives and irons and really coming around (thanks to my Evolvr coach)... but my putting is absolutely terrible! I am looking for any help that I can get from anyone I can get it from. I just bought my copy of LSW (on its way, I think). It seems that I am missing even short puts on the left of the hole... I get a lot of the ones that run around the lip and come out on the backside. Even short three footers.... I copied off the putting drills that were shared on this forum and have been working those into my practice. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Regards,

Dave

Couple good threads to check out.

 

[Patch]

Google, and read up on "pulling putts". See if any of the info available is helpful for you to understand why you might be pulling putts. This assuming you are not misreading greens. 

A few months ago I found I was having some trouble with putts. Short, medium, or long it made little difference. I had developed a poor habit of rotating the putter face through impact, which was causing me to miss my line a little. Don't know why, just was doing it, and missing putts to the left. I do suspect it was a right to left handed swing change I was going through, but not sure. I changed my putting grip and went with the left hand low grip. Took a couple of weeks to get use to the new grip, and a couple more to see the improvement. Went from averaging 33 putts per round to 29.  I shot a 76 the other day with 27 putts, so I am a happy golfer as far as my putting is concerned. 

[Dave325]

Couple good threads to check out.

Wow! The article with the speed vs. time was excellent. I read and re-read it a few times. So, in how this translates to my putting position... I tried something a bit different to get this correct impact:

1. Aline the blade of putter behind the ball to the target.

2. Take a small step forward and a slightly longer step back so the ball is positioned slightly forward in the stance.

3. While holding the putter in the middle of my stance, the putter is preset for the necessary 2 - 3 degree upswing path to impact.

4. Begin the backstroke from this point.

Does this make sense?

I also tried different pendulum movements and it seems to work best for me by using the shoulders and looking down directly over the ball.

Google, and read up on "pulling putts". See if any of the info available is helpful for you to understand why you might be pulling putts. This assuming you are not misreading greens. 

A few months ago I found I was having some trouble with putts. Short, medium, or long it made little difference. I had developed a poor habit of rotating the putter face through impact, which was causing me to miss my line a little. Don't know why, just was doing it, and missing putts to the left. I do suspect it was a right to left handed swing change I was going through, but not sure. I changed my putting grip and went with the left hand low grip. Took a couple of weeks to get use to the new grip, and a couple more to see the improvement. Went from averaging 33 putts per round to 29.  I shot a 76 the other day with 27 putts, so I am a happy golfer as far as my putting is concerned. 

Thanks for the insights, Patch. I think I may have been twisting or rotating the grip slightly. I appreciate the suggestion and input.

Edited October 31, 2015 by iacas
fixed quote(s)

[mvmac]

3. While holding the putter in the middle of my stance, the putter is preset for the necessary 2 - 3 degree upswing path to impact.

4. Begin the backstroke from this point.

Does this make sense?

You can still have the putter head behind the ball, doesn't need to be in the middle of your stance. 

[Dave325]

You can still have the putter head behind the ball, doesn't need to be in the middle of your stance. 

Yes, sorry... That is what I meant to say, but I am gripping the putter in middle of my stance. So therefore the shaft leans slightly forward.

[CoachB25]

This might sound crazy but you have to practice with a purpose with regards to putting.  Crazy in that you might think that you do practice with a purpose.  I've found that various drills using tees in various ways gives you a way to create measurements, alignment, ...  Then, when you have these restrictions or guidelines, you can then work on tempo.  I'm sure you can find these various drills on YouTube. 

[Dave325]

This might sound crazy but you have to practice with a purpose with regards to putting.  Crazy in that you might think that you do practice with a purpose.  I've found that various drills using tees in various ways gives you a way to create measurements, alignment, ...  Then, when you have these restrictions or guidelines, you can then work on tempo.  I'm sure you can find these various drills on YouTube. 

thanks for the tips. I appreciate it!