putting

hi,

my problem with putting is i can putt good from a long distance and get close but those little 1-2metre putts i never really seem to sink.do u think i am under estamating the little putts.if i sink these putts golf would be a very more enjoyable game

p.s.no advice from naz089 because u r not the best putter yourself.
THANKS

I really need some help on putting too and I'm not going to try and give sam advise because I am even worse. I judge the slope Ok but I can't hit the ball with the right power sometimes on very long putts I only get the ball halfway and on other ocassons I hit it so far past the hole I am barely on the green afterwards. Any advise to sam555 will be helpfull to me as well
Thanks Naz089

Perfect Practice is the key to good putting. When you practice here are some drills to help. Remember only use 2 balls and line up every putt. Practice how you play, and you will play better golf.

1. The fringe drill - Walk off a distance away from the fringe and put to it. Try not to lay it short or long, just pull up and stop within a short distance. This is a distance drill.

2. Putt 5 meter putts to a golf tee. Set up 4 tees on a slope and putt in a square to these tees. Five trips in each direction. Use only 2 balls. To complete a side of the square the ball must tap the tee lightly. This will help with concentration, distance and accuracy. You get good at this one your handicap will be under 20 soon. Think about hitting the tee in one shot, keep saying in your head, "This is a putt for birdie"

3. Putt 9 meter putts to half a meter. Walk out 9 meters and drop 2 balls. Put a few tees half a meter around the hole. Think about hitting the hole in one shot, keep saying in your head, "This is a putt for birdie". The goal is to hit the putt past the hole but not further than the tees. At least 95% of putt will not go in if they don't get to the hole. On the second putt, if there is one!!!, think in your head, this putt is to save par.

You have to train your brain as well as you touch. Always think positively and the likelyhood of hitting good shots increase 25%. It's a medical fact!!!

Keep it in the short grass,

GolfBald

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The guy in the white hat!

Hello there

I have read many articles which all seem to say to pick out a spot 6" or so in front of your ball for alignment, but I find this to be a complete opposite to what you should actually do.
Instead place your putter 6 to 10 inches behind the ball to get a line on which to putt (asuming that you are ok at reading the line)then pick a spot 6" behind the ball and make sure you putt along this line into the back fo the ball.
Common sense says that if you do this then your putting stroke will be square. This also works great for chipping I regularly hit the flagstick with my short chips.

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STAN THE MAN

I readily admit that i am NOT a good putter. I have bought so many putters i could open a putters R Us store. But having said that i have had a little success lately and if you want to try these ideas out maybe it will help.

1. I carry two putters and heres why. when i'm out there missing every 2 and 3 foot put i get so frustrated it's a sad day. and the rest of my game goes where the putting take it...in the tank. I need to have somewhere to go when that happens and if i have another putter in the bag i have somewhere to go..do something different, change something because this just ain't working. Anothere reason is i carry a belly putter and a reg length putter..i find that the belly putter helps me relax on the long lag puts and i get them a lot closer than before when i had to really bang the ball. I use the reg putter on short puts and it's a Taylor Made Nubbins with that rubber stuff on the face and it keeps me from hitting the ball off the green. anyway it's working for me

2. I have tried every grip and stance there is. even the knee putting promoted by Tiger's coach Buch Harmon. It looks horrible but it worked for awhile but was embarrasing to do. Anyway i oped for putting somewhat like Phil Milkelson (he's not know as a putter either) I keep the left arm straight, open stance a little so i can see the line, then straight back and through. Also i use a strong grip to keep my left wrist from acting up.

3. The last thing is to really take a look at the line you want the ball to go...not just a quick glance but a concentrated look. then keep looking at it until it is ingrained...even and especially on the short putts.

hey it's helped me and my playing partners will tell you i need help.

yo

Yo,

Are you having trouble with The Line or The Speed?

GolfBald

if u r talking to me its the line and thanks to everyone for the advice

Another trick of the trade that has really helped me is to mark a nice thick 2inch line on the equator of the ball.

I then adjust this line exactly where I belive the correct line to the hole is.

Take your putter back slowly and make sure your sweet shot line on the putter makes a nice smooth follow through onto the line marked on the ball.

Its really amazing how when your over the putt the marked line doesn't look like it is correct (ignore this) I have found out the hard way you must TRUST the line you marked earlier.

thanks 4 ur help i will give it a try and hope it helps

I would like to add some info to shortgames's post.

Most golf balls are not balanced. On the inside there are different Hardnesses of material. The equator of the ball is difficult to find. The equator would be the heaviest point.

Dave Pelz teaches the following and has proved it through testing. If a ball is not aligned on the ballance point it will fly or roll (in the case of putting) off line, even though it is hit squarely and on line. Dave recommends using a "Ball-spinner". It is a gadget that spins a ball at about 7200 rpm or higher. There is a cage over the top of the ball and a hole in the cage. After the ball has spun up to the max speed and settled with the equator to the outside a marker pen is inserted in a hole and the balanced equator is marked. The ball is then spun down to a stop. You can watch the ball to see how balanced it really is. If you find one that the line is visible during the entire spin down, Keep it in a safe place it is a truely balanced and round ball. It is rare indeed.

Put the dark 2" line like shortgame described and be prepared to make a few long ones that stay on line.

GolfBald

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The guy in the white hat!

This idea is also the philosophy behind the Wilson TRUE ball series. Perfect balance, that is.

Whether it really is a "truer" ball, I don't know, but it might be worth a try.

Please can anybody tell me what the correct swing path is when using the putter?

I've been following David Leadbetter, which is the putting on a straight rail theory. However, I tend to pull a lot of short putts doing this. I've been reading some material where the authors suggest that the putter head must come back slightly on the inside.

If any of you master putters have a recommendation, then it would be much appreciated

AlanN,

I posted a few drills in 2 threads in the swing section. David Leadbetter is a great teacher. If your having trouble with line, try the laser drill, I'll post a picture of this thing later. It works the fastest in grooving a putting stroke. The metronome works great for tempo.

Keys to great putting, strict posture no slouching; tempo; relax from the shoulders and feel the rocking in the lower part of your back, it's not a twist just an up and down rock.

Think smooth!!! This is a stroke not a hit. The smoother the swing the more the ball will roll at the begining and not skid then roll.

Putting is very individual but there are some fundamentals to look for.

1. Squareness of the club, take your putter head and line up some tees (use a ruler to make sure they are straight) and make a tee tunnel for the club head to travel through stroke balls through the tunnel without hitting the tees.
Drill 2: take 2 tees and place them so if you stroke a ball through them the putter will hit both tees. Place a ball slightly ahead of them, try to contact both tees at the same time. If you hit one then the other your not square through impact.

2. Speed - Train your brain to hit ball 1/2 a putter length beyond the hole. 98% of the balls that are short will not go in, and most people can make a 17"putt coming back.
You can hit uphill putts harder bacause more of the back of the cup is exposed above the front of the cup. Conversely, downhill putts should die into the cup. Hard hits will travel over the cup.

3. Front of the hole location - what you see with your eyes as the front of the cup is not the front of the cup the ball sees on a sidehill putt. When you are lining up a side hill putt track the ball with your eyes in the arc you want the ball to travel. The ball will start to break immediately. You start the putt on a line to travel on an arc. Take 2 pencils with a string and mark the starting line of a sidehill putt, putt under the string on the line. You will see the line and the arc better.

Let'em roll,

GolfBald

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The guy in the white hat!

Hi Golfbald,

Thank you for this informative posting. I will certainly try the drills which you have suggested. Being a new boy, I hadn't realised that you had posted items on this. I will search for them.

However, my confusion is over the correct path of the putterhead. Should it come back in a straight line and straight through or, slightly to the inside then square?

best regards

AlanN

I'm not a pro - or even a specialist when it comes to putting, but here's my take on things.

The natural movement of the shoulders, the body, the arms and the wrist (most of which should not be used when putting) are all "hinged" movements, i.e. "turning on an axle".

This is why the "inside-square-inside" motion is the "natural" motion, and almost impossible to get rid off.

Ideally, I think "straight back - straight through" will definately produce the best and most consistent results, but doing it right seems incredibly difficult, and the slightest variation or mistake will make you miss your line.

So ... what I did was this:

I ditched my $19 rock hard face, lousy grip, no balance, discounted "brand X" putter, and went on a big search.

On a "par" golf round, half your strokes are putter strokes, so saving a buck or two on the putter is not the way to go.

Some - or even a lot - of the "modern" putters incorporate technology that will make it a lot easier to pull back and shoot through on a straight line. Some also incorporate new thoughts on lining up right.

I can honestly say, that spending a couple of hours on the putting green with a barrel of demo putters was a shocking experience. Some of these putters just "feel right" in your hands, has a balance that is symmetrical around the sweet spot of the contact surface, make line-up really visual and obvious and - very importantly - fills you with the confidence that the ball will actually go where you intend it to go.

I'm still not a great putter - I'm just a newbie trying to learn this crazy game - but I AM a LOT better now than I was before, simply because my new putter (I ended up with an Odyssey 2-ball) makes it a lot easier to be consistent - whether it's "straight back - straight through" or "inside - square - inside".

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//Mox
2008 bag:
Mizuno MX-500 460cc 10.5* Fujikura Tour Platform 26.3 stiff. (about to be replaced by MP-600 10,5* UST Proforce V2 stiff)
Mizuno F-50 3w 15* Fujikura Tour Platform 26.3 stiff.
Wilson Deep Red 5w 18* Graphalloy Fatshaft stiff
Cleveland HALO 3i hybrid 22* graphite regular
Mizuno MP-60e forged 5i-PW True Temper Dynamic gold R300 steel
Mizuno MP Black OX raw haze 50/6 GW, 54/9 SW, 58/10 LW
Heavy Putter B3-M
Titleist NXT Extreme