How important is the practice putting green?

[Shindig]

It isn't just the GG Strokes Gained for me;  I've been neglecting my putting practice.  I know I should be spending ~15% of my practice time on it, but I haven't.

Part of that is my preferred range near me has very different greens, I think;  it's a par-3 course, and the practice green feels shaggier than greens I typically play on.  Maybe it's my imagination, but when I'm on that green, I feel the same stroke sends the ball a shorter distance.  Or maybe it's in my head. 

What problems, if any, would I face using this as a practice green regularly?  I've been a little worried about doing so, and even feel a bit silly for asking, but I'd rather ask and know, especially since the current alternate is that I hit the range and leave (I don't think they have a short game practice area except the par-3 course itself). 

(If it's fine to practice putting there regularly, I plan to start doing so with more regularity)

[iacas]

Putting is still about read, bead, and speed.

You can easily work on those things at a course with a different green speed. I see no reason not to.

[Shindig]

1 minute ago, iacas said:

Putting is still about read, bead, and speed.

You can easily work on those things at a course with a different green speed. I see no reason not to.

Great, thanks!  I will do so, as in tonight (and going forward).

I should have figured read and bead could be worked on there.  And I still spend some time before rounds to acclimate to a speed, so I should be fine there. 

Thanks again.

[dennyjones]

I practice my short game at a course about 1/4 mile down the road.    I play at a different course.  The greens where I play are a little faster but it's still about putting in the time.  Iacas nailed it.   

[Hardspoon]

Like you, I've completely neglected putting practice for a long time, but recently (since completing AimPoint Express) I've been working on it a bit.  I actually practice at a facility that has synthetic greens.  They're decent quality, but still nothing like the actual greens I'd play on a course.  However, I can still work on my Aimpoint reads and on my speed control (overall consistency, not specific swing length for each putt distance). 

[No Mulligans]

I play a couple of fun putting practice games that I came up with (I'm sure others came up with the same thing).

1.  Practicing aim.  With three balls I start at 3 feet on a line with little or no break.  If I make all three I move 2 feet back and putt three from there, if I make 2 out of three I putt three more from same spot, if I make only 1 of three or less I move 2 feet closer to the hole.  I spend maybe ten minutes doing this and try to see how far away from the hole I can work myself up to.

2.  Practicing distance.  I do the ladder game.  Find a spot where you have maybe about 40 feet of green to work with.  Mark your starting point and use about 5 balls. Take your first putt about 3 feet out.  Then take each consequitive putt to be a little bit longer than the previous.  (when out of balls pick up all but the longest ball, go back to start point and continue).  Ideally, you just send each putt about 6 inches longer than the previous.  If a ball falls short of the previous you are done, start over.

[grantisadrummer]

7 hours ago, Shindig said:

 I know I should be spending ~15% of my practice time on it, but I haven't.

Where did that number come from? I always assumed you should practice much more on putting than everything else because your putter accounts for 30-50% of your shots. 

[David in FL]

45 minutes ago, grantisadrummer said:

Where did that number come from? I always assumed you should practice much more on putting than everything else because your putter accounts for 30-50% of your shots. 

Here's a thread that will give you some interesting insight...

 

[RH31]

I don't really think much about longer distance speed until the greens get superfast in the fall. On the slower, sticky summer greens, I mostly practice putting from 6-8 feet and closer. I focus on making a solid aggressive stroke on slower greens. Not really bouncing them off the back of the cup, but certainly not trying to die them in either.

[Patch]

For me, I practice my putting a lot. Actually I practice my entire short game 80% of the time. What the surface of the green is like, is of no consequence to me. All I am trying to do is hit my line after my read. 

On the days I play for a number, I make time to putt on that course's practice green to get an idea how the course's greens will play. I get the rest of my information on the first couple of holes during actual play. 

[Vinny Cap]

I will practice the night before on the rug and linoleum floors.  Use a small water bottle and try to just tap it.  3 balls from 2,4,6 and 8'.  This helps me with my stroke and lines.   Before my round I use the practice green for about 10 mins to get an idea of the green speeds for the day. 

[mcanadiens]

As long as you don't do a quick transition between two extremes, you probably ought to be all right.

Suppose you're going going to play somewhere quick inside of the next 24 hours. I'd try to avoid practicing somewhere real slow. Otherwise, it probably doesn't matter.

[Shindig]

Thank you for the insight, friends.  I practiced on it last night and will continue to do so going forward.  In retrospect, I wonder if I'd even notice a 1-2 difference in stimp during a round between greens, much less across practice days.

[Wally Fairway]

I'm lucky enough to work about 5 minutes from the MSU practice facility, and even on days when it is too hot to hit at lunch I can go over and putt for 20-30 minutes.
And that is usually working on bead, stance and where I will play around with different grips (left hand low, the claw, the sweeper....and always have ended back at traditional grip). I really can't work on the read as I've hit so many balls there that I know how everything breaks. And I rarely practice anything over 12-15 feet as that is, IMO pace, and I really try to work on being confident from that range and in.

[CarlSpackler]

5 hours ago, grantisadrummer said:

Where did that number come from? I always assumed you should practice much more on putting than everything else because your putter accounts for 30-50% of your shots. 

I encourage beginners to spend a bit more time at the putting green and short game practice areas, but putting is not really that difficult of a skill to learn compared to being able to hit a driver 280+ relatively straight. The only reason I encourage beginners to spend a little more time there is that I see them often take 3-4 strokes to get to the green and then another 4-5 to get in the hole.

[DaveP043]

27 minutes ago, Shindig said:

 In retrospect, I wonder if I'd even notice a 1-2 difference in stimp during a round between greens, much less across practice days.

I know that I notice green speed differences between courses.  If I'm playing a match that means something at someplace other than my club, I make sure to be there early enough to get adjusted to green speed.  From one green to another on the same day, I'm sometimes surprised when I hit a putt really short or long, but I generally blame my own inconsistency rather than a variation in green speed.  

[RayG]

I have found that the condition of the putting green for any course is directly related to the price of the playing there. Most of the cheaper muni's I play on have MUCH shaggier and slower practice greens. So it isn't always a good thing to practice putting before going out and then finding myself smashing putts 10 feet past for the first several holes. I'd be better off using my electric ball return thing at home before I left.

As you move up in price, practice greens tend to be close to or the same as actual conditions. 

[No Mulligans]

5 hours ago, Shindig said:

Thank you for the insight, friends.  I practiced on it last night and will continue to do so going forward.  In retrospect, I wonder if I'd even notice a 1-2 difference in stimp during a round between greens, much less across practice days.

I don't know how others adjust for speed but I've come up with something I do.

With a constant tempo I go to the practice green and do a calibration.  Feet comfortable in putting stance which is shoulder width for me and on a flat putting surface, I putt a couple of balls with a swing length from the inside of my right foot to the inside of the left foot and note the distance.  Then do the same for the outside of my feet, and then the same for one foot length beyond the outside of my foot.  For a medium fast green I played on last Monday the numbers were 9 feet, 15 feet, 21 feet.  I take that to the course and extrapolate from there.

Needless to say I'm a fairly analytical guy.  I've tried doing it based on feel, but have found that I do better with this method.

Just did a google search and found this which is basically what I'm doing:

http://www.golfchannel.com/media/bowe-calibrate-your-putting-stroke/