Play Putts Higher

[Shindig]

I don't remember how I stumbled upon this earlier today, but I did.  Has anyone been successfully able to apply this to their game since then?

Tournament this weekend, I think the lesson here might be nice.  Part of my cramming via putting practice. 

[boogielicious]

5 hours ago, Shindig said:

I don't remember how I stumbled upon this earlier today, but I did.  Has anyone been successfully able to apply this to their game since then?

Tournament this weekend, I think the lesson here might be nice.  Part of my cramming via putting practice. 

I used AimPoint, but I always err on the higher side of the read, i.e., between 3 and 4%, take the 4% read. If the ball misses the hole low on a steep side hill putt, it can roll out a ways. If it is high of the hole, there is a chance it will hit the hole and slow down if it misses by a little. So I take that chance.

[natureboy]

Brad Faxon said that he became a better putter when he started playing more break (i.e. aiming higher).

[dchoye]

I have gone from  using apex to Aimpoint to using a line on the ball.  When I am confident the system doesn't matter. My eyes see the line and the stroke corresponds to what I see. Though I find  Aimpoint works really well for uphill ones. 

[Patch]

Once I started adding more break than what I thought I saw, I started making more putts. I now see more putts drop from the back/top edge of the hole, which helped my percentage of made putts. 

[Buckeyebowman]

That's a good point, Patch. Some guys imagine a clock face around the hole and imagine what "hour" the putt will drop in from. But, I also think it depends on what course you are playing and what kind of greens you are putting on. I've had some putts drop in from High Noon! Those are what I call "boomerang" putts!

This is generally when I'm on a high ticket course with highly contoured, fairly fast greens. I'm not skilled enough to pick the particular place on the green where I want my ball to be. I'm just happy to be putting! From anywhere! But, this can present some interesting options.

I play league on a nondescript little nine holer. But the greens are not very "obvious". They are subtly sloped, and will fool me with breaks that I cannot see! I'll have a putt 3/4 of the way to the hole, think it's in, only to have it break away in a direction I challenge anyone to read! These greens drive me batty! But, they are very, very old greens, and as I understand it, the looks might even out, but the breaks don't!

Anyway, my tendency is to play the high line. I've always been an advocate of Harvey Penick's advice, which is to have the putt die at the hole.