my putting woe's

my name is neil adams i have a major problem with my putting
i just can't make a short back swing have had many lessons but nothing seems to work, i just basically take the putter back way to far and then desell on the way through .
i play off 11 and my best round is 78 . 8 over par the way my putting is at the moment i can't break 90 i just can't make a short backstroke . i am also captain of my local golf team and i played and won my fair share last year but putting so badley i don't think i can pick my self unless this putting problem is sorted

please help i'm desparate i 4 putt quite

hi
try a broomhandled putter that what turned my putting game around, worked for langer and torrance too.
bill

Hey

No expert on putting here because it is more a feel thing.But I have been doing this and has helped me alot.Depends on the length of the putt but I try not to bring the putter past my right foot going back and the same going through with the left foot.Longer putts feet wider -shorter putts feet more narrow.Keep it low back and through.

You might try placing a folded up towel, or something simular where you want to stop your back stroke. Then learn not hit what ever item you are using as a back stop. Some people I know practice this drill using their back foot as a back stop. It's a little awkward since your lead foot is in it's normal position, but you learn real quick after you have hit your your shoe a few times. GJS

place a block of wood or some object level with the back foot. After an hour or so you will either continually hit the block of wood or you will achieve the result you are after. OR find a three foot putt on the flattest part of the practice green or the carpet at home and take no backswing at all, simply push the putter at the hole. It is illegal to do this in competition however is an ideal drill to make you accelerate through the putt

I can only endorse Dawg's advice after first hand experience of improved consistency in my lag putting using his suggested method.

For the past month I have been using the suggested method to try to improve my distance/speed control in order to improve my lag putting, which in turn should lead to reduced 3 putts.

I can say I have been more than happy with my putting, as I have only 3 putted 3 times in my last 4 rounds.

Try it. I wish you the same success that I have experienced.

Cheers

Bill, is the broom handled putter going to be illegal at the end of the year?

IMO, putting is feel.

I suppose you got to find a way that works for you.

I don't mean to be long winded but:

My understanding is there are two types of putting strokes which involve the length of the stroke, ball position and the line of the club head during the stroke.

The length of the stroke is either one back one forward, or, one back two forward. The former's speed doesn't change throughout the stroke and the ball is in the middle of the stance. The latter requires accellaration through the ball and the ball placed forward in the stance.

Then, there is the stroke itself - I won't go into that.

__________________
VP

hi
there has been talk about baning broonhandled putters since a few pro's (ernie ells) complaned they made putting easy in 1998, the r&a have looks at it and said under the laws of golf there legal and have no plans to change the laws, the same player tried to have big headed drivers baned too, i have had another look on the R&A web site and there is nothing about the banning on broomhandled putter, if they were ever to be banned they would have to phaze it in over a few years or golfer would demand refunds from the makers from there putter and there is a lot of player using them now. a ping broomhandle putter can cost £200+. when the R&A banned the square groves on the ping2 clubs it was phazed in over a few years and ping did offer an exchange on there clubs if i remember right.
the R&A looked at broomhandled putters and belly putters last year and made no ruling on them.
bill

Bill,

For some reason I'm thinking that the long putter is going to be banned. I can't be precise but I seem to recall talk about a club touching the body, eg, chin or belly, will be banned.

I'm not disbelieving you. There is something sitting in the back of my mind.

Nicole

Its an age old comment, but valid here......

If these Broomhandled putters were SO good, wouldn't ALL the PGA guys be using them...

Last time I looked, maybe less than 5% of the guys at the elite level use them. Dunno, again, whatever works...

Cheers

When you are practicing the short backswing dont putt towards a hole.
You are not trying to hole putts (yet) you are trying to train yourself that you dont need a long backswing.
If you are aiming at a hole your natural tendency to take a long backswing and slow followthrough will come back automatically.
You need to break this cycle but doing something different.

hi nicole
yes the is what ells was complaning about the club touching the chin or belly. but when the r&a looked at it. the would also have to ban putting styles that had the grip touching the wrist or arm. they concluded that the use of a long handled putter was in the rules and the the the shaft lenth of a putter has always been at the golfer choice and this was in the spirt of the games rules, the said they would look at it again but have never said when, the usga was also pressured by club makers and said the usga would have to refund the player of the banned clubs if the banned them and not the makers that refunded them, i think this also stopped the usga making a rulling on them. broomhandled putter in no way break any rules in golf and there have never been shown to be better than standered putter but do seem to help pro player with the yips.

i just can't make a short back swing have had many lessons but nothing seems to work, i just basically take the putter back way to far and then desell on the way through .
Try accell on the way thorugh.

Many thanks to Goldndawg. I have tried all suggestions on site to help my putting. This not taking the putter back too far has helped my putting 10 fold. Just done a couple of rounds with nearly all 1 or 2 putts.

I had this problem as well. I practice 6 footers where I place the ball and then I setup to hit it but I place a tee about 4 inches behind the putter head so that when I take the putter back...i can't take it too far or it will hit the tee. This will make you accelerate properly because you will have to in order to make enough speed to hit the ball far enough to get to the hole. Hope it helps!