More time = better putts?

[ZappyAd]

I watched the US Open on the iOS app this year which meant I followed a group around the course on each round.  This was actually very instructive as you get to see the good and the bad of how the pros play rather than falling into the trap of thinking they just hit amazing shot after amazing shot all the time.  Great job by USGA for putting the app out there.

Anyway the thing I noticed (and I don't watch much golf so maybe this is obvious to everyone else) is that pros do spend a lot of time looking at their putts on the putting green.  I'm not talking about the waiting around for the other guy to take his putt but from the point where it is their turn to the time where they hit it they seem to do a lot of looking and walking around.  I don't do that when I putt - I basically take a first read and go with it.  

So the question is would taking more time and going through a more structured process improve my putting?  

I get that working on my technique and doing more practice are good ways to improve but I would have thought the better my mechanics and feel the more quickly and confidently I would be able to step up and make the putt.  Is what I am watching just the pro's routine that they try to repeat each time they putt - not just the stepping up to address the ball but the whole thing from the point where they say 'right it's now my turn'?  Or are they actually gleaning some more information about the putt that makes them more likely to hole it?

Just to say that slow play isn't an issue for me here - I tend to play on my own or in a two ball at times when the course is empty.  I can go a whole round without seeing anyone and if I do get waved through I can make it through a couple of holes before they get to the green.  People may look at me a little weird as I jog off down the fairway but it is better for everyone!

[colin007]

The short answer is, no. Not unless you are taking your time studying the CORRECT break and speed of the putt. 

[RH31]

It helps me if I look at the putts from 360*. I seem to get a better overall feel for the break and the speed when I do this.

The catch is if I'm the first one to putt on the green. If the rest of the group has repaired marks, marked their ball and are waiting for me to play my shot, I'm not going to walk all the way around like a pro would.

[saevel25]

3 hours ago, ZappyAd said:

So the question is would taking more time and going through a more structured process improve my putting?  

Probably not. 

[Patch]

More time won't guarantee better putting, unless the golfer is collecting good info on the putt.

Not all putts require extra time, while others might require more scrutiny. A straight 2 footer is easy. Something with 1, or multiple breaks is not so easy, requiring more study time. 

One of the things I do is pay more attention to the first 2, or 3 greens when playing. I can get a good idea of the overall conditions of "all" the greens for the rest of the round. 

[Groucho Valentine]

You can find 90% of what you need to know about a putt from looking at it from below the hole. But to pro's that extra 5-10% matters in thousands of dollars, so they're going to try to get every bit of extra info they can. 

[RayG]

Just watch ANY group on a weekend at your local. All the time in the world won't improve your putting. Even spending 3 minutes on that 18 inch putt for a nickel won't make you make it 50% of the time.

[dchoye]

9 hours ago, ZappyAd said:

I watched the US Open on the iOS app this year which meant I followed a group around the course on each round.  This was actually very instructive as you get to see the good and the bad of how the pros play rather than falling into the trap of thinking they just hit amazing shot after amazing shot all the time.  Great job by USGA for putting the app out there.

Anyway the thing I noticed (and I don't watch much golf so maybe this is obvious to everyone else) is that pros do spend a lot of time looking at their putts on the putting green.  I'm not talking about the waiting around for the other guy to take his putt but from the point where it is their turn to the time where they hit it they seem to do a lot of looking and walking around.  I don't do that when I putt - I basically take a first read and go with it.  

So the question is would taking more time and going through a more structured process improve my putting?  

I get that working on my technique and doing more practice are good ways to improve but I would have thought the better my mechanics and feel the more quickly and confidently I would be able to step up and make the putt.  Is what I am watching just the pro's routine that they try to repeat each time they putt - not just the stepping up to address the ball but the whole thing from the point where they say 'right it's now my turn'?  Or are they actually gleaning some more information about the putt that makes them more likely to hole it?

Just to say that slow play isn't an issue for me here - I tend to play on my own or in a two ball at times when the course is empty.  I can go a whole round without seeing anyone and if I do get waved through I can make it through a couple of holes before they get to the green.  People may look at me a little weird as I jog off down the fairway but it is better for everyone!

The usual telecast goes from one player to another player as they are ready to putt. I like the US Open telecast this year as they were showing more of the routine that the pros were doing prior to the stroke.

If you ever play tournament at the club level or beyond there is a lot of time spend on reading the greens especially stroke play. This does make the  time to play the game too long. This is just the way its is when money or score is on the line.

 

[DrvFrShow]

Unless you play three times a week and get to practice your game at least 4 times a week and are playing in tournaments regularly, here's what I'd do: 

* Practice your 3 and 4 foot putts. You need to make these.

* Practice reading the green - feel the slope with your feet around your line and pay particular attention nearest the hole. 

* Practice your lag putting. Start at 10' and work back to 30 feet. Your goal is to get the ball to within 10% of the distance you are from the hole. 

* Don't rush. You don't have to take forever, but don't rush either. Rushing your putt is just as bad as taking too long. Just make sure you know your distance, are comfortable with the stroke, have your club and that you are lined up properly, take a breath, let it out and putt.

Stop beating yourself up for missing 6 - 8' putts. You'll either make them or miss them. Just try not to miss them by much. Chances are that you'll two putt from these distances anyway. 

Lag putt on the practice green for about 20 minutes before you tee off. Try to get to the golf course early enough to hit about 30-40 balls on the range and practice on the green for 20 minutes. If you don't have time to do both, putt. Learn the speed of the greens.

 

[Club Rat]

I've never played Oakmont, but on greens with an abundance of undulations I would most likely look at more angles than when I'm playing courses which I'm familiar with and play often.

 

[newtogolf]

Many golfers don't know what they are looking at, so more time for them won't result in improved putting.  

I play with a few guys that do a 360 around the hole, feel the slope with their feet, do 3-4 practice strokes and miss the putt consistently by 6-8 feet.  I rarely check the putt from 360 view, haven't mastered Aimpoint to make feeling the slope with my feet worth it and never take a practice stroke on the green but almost always putt better than they do and I'm not a great putter.

My point is some people do things because they see the pro's or someone they know do them and they think by mimicking those individuals they will become better putters.  

[Buckeyebowman]

Over the years I've discovered that going with my first impression is usually the right thing to do. I've had to learn to trust that. Those times I've spent trying to gather "extra" information usually result in me talking myself out of my original read, much to my detriment! Plus, I'm a guy who likes to play quickly. I've found that the more time I spend lollygagging over the reading of a shot, the more likely I am to hurry the stroke itself, which is never good!

[iacas]

Please don't take more time.

Learn to read greens the best way, and quickly.

I stump for AimPoint for the same reasons I teach AimPoint: it helps golfers read greens better than any other method.

[natureboy]

On 6/24/2016 at 3:40 PM, DrvFrShow said:

Unless you play three times a week and get to practice your game at least 4 times a week and are playing in tournaments regularly, here's what I'd do: 

* Practice your 3 and 4 foot putts. You need to make these.

* Practice reading the green - feel the slope with your feet around your line and pay particular attention nearest the hole. 

* Practice your lag putting. Start at 10' and work back to 30 feet. Your goal is to get the ball to within 10% of the distance you are from the hole. 

* Don't rush. You don't have to take forever, but don't rush either. Rushing your putt is just as bad as taking too long. Just make sure you know your distance, are comfortable with the stroke, have your club and that you are lined up properly, take a breath, let it out and putt.

Stop beating yourself up for missing 6 - 8' putts. You'll either make them or miss them. Just try not to miss them by much. Chances are that you'll two putt from these distances anyway. 

Lag putt on the practice green for about 20 minutes before you tee off. Try to get to the golf course early enough to hit about 30-40 balls on the range and practice on the green for 20 minutes. If you don't have time to do both, putt. Learn the speed of the greens.

Lots of good advice here. Paul Runyan one of the best putters of all time advocated in his book / videos for amateurs a circle diameter of 10% of the distance involved (for an ~ 5% radius). That may be a pro-level standard, though.

Edited June 25, 2016 by natureboy

[Piz]

About a year ago I stopped thinking about putting and started thinking about holing the putt.  I was on an extended bum streak where I'd think "right edge" and roll it right by the cup...on the right edge.  It dawned on me (i.e. penetrated the concrete) that I was compensating twice...that I should, instead, just roll the ball into the cup...NOT OVER THE RIGHT EDGE!  The end result is that I make more putts, take less time, and don't worry about it.  

[DrvFrShow]

And also there might be times where you may want to leave a long putt a little short rather than going past the hole especially if it might leave you with a tricky downhill 3 footer on a fast green.

[Buckeyebowman]

4 hours ago, Piz said:

About a year ago I stopped thinking about putting and started thinking about holing the putt.  I was on an extended bum streak where I'd think "right edge" and roll it right by the cup...on the right edge.  It dawned on me (i.e. penetrated the concrete) that I was compensating twice...that I should, instead, just roll the ball into the cup...NOT OVER THE RIGHT EDGE!  The end result is that I make more putts, take less time, and don't worry about it.  

Your post caused me to remember something. Years ago I read an article authored by a Tour pro who said, basically, to Hell with putting for a 3' circle on lag putts! Try to make everything! He felt that putting for the 3' circle allowed sloppiness into your technique.

I also do archery, and this thinking also resonates there. In archery you are taught "aim small, miss small". And if you hunt with a bow, and are drawn down on a whitetail deer, you are not taught to "aim for the big middle", you are taught to "pick a hair" where you want that arrow to hit.

[Piz]

Archery is a good egg sample.  So is throwing a baseball, shooting a clay target, draining a three, going top shelf, or wadding up a paper napkin and banking it, deftly, off the side of the refrigerator and into the waste basket.  Perhaps the most difficult aspect of golf is getting over how easy it is: it is easy to miss; but no easier than it is not to.