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The Putting Challenge

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I finally made some 4-6 foot putts with the Lean Lock today! Don’t know what was different today but I lining up and making a good stroke on the putt just felt more better today. I didnt feel like I was having to fight to use this method right. I am still having trouble with distance control as the 20-25 fit putts I want to blow 4-6 ft long but the 35+ ones I want to leave 10 ft short.
 
Slowmo said:
I finally made some 4-6 foot putts with the Lean Lock today! Don’t know what was different today but I lining up and making a good stroke on the putt just felt more better today. I didnt feel like I was having to fight to use this method right. I am still having trouble with distance control as the 20-25 fit putts I want to blow 4-6 ft long but the 35+ ones I want to leave 10 ft short.
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I feel you 100% on the speed. I feel like the roughly 30 foot range is kinda automatic for me but the longer and shorter range is less intuitive. Not sure why.
 
Hey guys, thanks for keeping the discussion going while I was traveling! I'm expecting to get some more action in with the Lean Lock this week getting back to basement putting to work on Brian's feedback on my setup, and hopeful for a sim round this weekend as well.
 
Hopefully I can get out for a full round sometime this weekend and that will make 5 full rounds with the Lean Lock and shotscope as I don't usually wear my watch for 9 hole rounds (they are mostly spur of the moment) and I've forgotten to wear it once on a full round. I'll be able to have some decent data at that point I think to either back up or refute what I've been feeling.
 
Did some basement putting yesterday working on the setup things Brian pointed out to me in my last video to him (quoted below with details). In fiddling with it I'm finding I tend to pull it worse when I lean back too much, and the line stays much more true when I focus on staying at a more upright spine angle. Almost like Brian knows what he's talking about or something...Feeling a lot better about my line maintenance after that brief session of putting. Planning on getting out this Sunday for a round and I'll be doing more basement putting in the coming days, hoping to see an improvement vs my last round referenced below with this tip and a little bit of work.
SkiBumGolfer said:
Brian got back to me and said I was leaning back too much and that I should be keeping the spine angle fairly vertical but just pushing the right shoulder down slightly. Tried to put that into effect in my round Sunday and had limited success. My speed was kinda off, and I kept having these 6-8 footers, and kept missing them just barely. I definitely have a little more work to do on correcting this issue, as I feel like that round was a bit of a step back putting wise. Feel like I'm equipped to make an improvement though with Brian's feedback once I return from this ski trip.
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ok, got a 5th round recorded on Shotscope today. Lets not talk about how bad the round was! just to make it easier to refer back to data pre LeanLock...
Slowmo said:
Let me start this by saying that I am a terrible putter. It is by far the worst part of my game. @Hawk got to see this first hand at the Srixon experience and tagged me in the sign up thread. I am open to try anything that will help me make some putts.

That said, let’s take a look at some putting data. View attachment 9226681
All data is compared to a 10 cap, I am currently at 9.9 so we are pretty much comparing apples to apples here. As you can see I am clearly giving away a lot of shots on the greens.
View attachment 9226682

A 3 putt every 5.4 holes is just bad any way you slice it.

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Almost 35 putts a round when I have a positive strokes gained short game compared to a 5 and only lose 0.05 strokes to a scratch in short game really kills my scores.
Here is the big kicker…you might want to hide your eyes, the next picture is pretty graphic.
View attachment 9226685
Yes you are reading that right. Anything outside 3 foot and I’m awful. It is deflating to hit a beautiful chip over a bunker to a short sided pin to about 4-5 ft and then miss that putt 75% of the time.
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so, new data. Yes it's only 5 rounds, I have had 3-4 9hole rounds in there and another full 18 where I forgot to take my Shotscope watch so I have had a little more practice than just those 5 rounds (plus some indoor practice and some time on the putting greens before each of those rounds)

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Overall strokes gained got worse, but I think this is a bit misleading and I will show you why in a bit.

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Distance control has been an issue. It's kind of hard to get a feet for it really. I find myself on 15-20ft putts blowing it by the hole 3-4 ft but on putts under 10ft I leave them short. I guess I'm just scared of them. Average holes per 3putt is better than before at 8.1, but it feels like that's been better the last 2 of the last 3 rounds (not today as I had 3)

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Make % from 3-6ft is drastically better but everywhere else it got worse inside 12ft.


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strokes gained inside 10 ft still looks horrible, but here's why I think the data is a little skewed right now....

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the last 2 rounds have been MUCH better from a strokes gained perspective. My take away from this is that there is a HUGE learning curve with the LeanLock putter and method. The first few times out with it I was REALLY hitting putts WAY past the hole! That has gotten better but it's taken a lot of practice. On those 9 hole rounds when I"m out by myself I would take 3-4 balls to the green with me and putt those 20ft+ putts multiple times to work on pace. The aiming is also a HUGE learning curve. The system has you taking a much more open stance and I still find it challenging to line up right, especially on putts that break left to right...I just cannot open up enough to play enough break on those.

The LeanLock method has been feeling better the last few weeks. I finally figured out some things stance wise when putting in my office with it before that Feb7 round you see and those shorter putts have been much better since then.

I've also toyed around with holding the putter like a hockey stick with a big split grip. I walked up and tapped in a few balls like that from inside 2ft a few times and just felt really instinctual I know that's not the LeanLock method so I haven't putted full rounds like that. After I get 5 more rounds of data for you guys though I might then get 5 rounds with the hockey method just to compare.
 

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Got a round in today, and I did see some improvements over my last round in early Feb (weather has not been conducive to golf here until recently). Last time was a disaster with 38 putts, much more respectable today at 33. Also I made a couple mid length putts which saved some strokes, including a nice 10 or so foot slider for my one bird of the day. However, I'm still missing a few shorter ones (inside 10 feet) here and there, which is frustrating as I seem to have them dialed on the putting mat, and at times on the longer putts I just can't seem to hit it hard enough. Generally I'm feeling pretty confident over the ball though, and I'm hopeful that with more reps as I'm able to play more consistently, things will start to dial in better.

This chart from Shot Scope is fairly indicative I'd say. I struggled on the shorter ones and the speed on the long ones, but did pretty well on the mid ranges.
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This is where it gets a little more interesting though - I made everything but one putt inside of 6 feet, but really struggled up to 10 feet. And I have a 6 foot putting mat... Maybe I need to size up to a 10 foot to practice these more.
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Also, here is my data since I have gotten the Lean Lock. If you refer back to my first post HERE, you'll see that I was making essentially everything inside 3ft, 60% inside 6 feet, and 20% inside 9 feet. Proud to say all those have improved:
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REALLY big improvement inside 6 feet from 60% to 87% which I have definitely noticed. From 20% to 28% inside 9 feet. Outside of that hasn't gotten better, but the short and mid range putts are more impactful.

Overall strokes gained putting is about 0.25 better - not a lot. But average holes per 3 putt went up by 3.5 holes, and my 2 putt percentage and 3 putt percentage both improved as well.

So we've still got plenty of room to go, but the data say I'm making progress.
 
I have had the Lean Lock out twice on these lvery early season, lumpy spring greens in SE MI. I made a bird in each round from 8-12'. More importantly I was putting a great stroke on the ball. My misses were due to bad pace, misread break or just poor greens the the ball was hopping from lump to lump. I think I am going to have this in the bag for quite a while.
 
I had the lean lock out yesterday for the last 3 of 9 holes. It can't unseat the Cleveland in my bag, but damn if it isn't real close. I was putting well yesterday, but my foursome was super impressed with the lean lock results. I'll keep playing around with it, but the Cleveland still has a slight edge.

I'll add, I have not stuck with all of the videos or read the book... Now that I have some more free time, I plan to dive in more. The videos I did watch really helped my putting in general.
 
Unfortunately no further rounds to report, but continued basement putting has yielded more confidence in the 6ft and under range. I really need to get out to the putting green soon and work hard on the mid range putts to catch up the performance there, as I shared in one of my posts above.
Coloradomrg said:
I had the lean lock out yesterday for the last 3 of 9 holes. It can't unseat the Cleveland in my bag, but damn if it isn't real close. I was putting well yesterday, but my foursome was super impressed with the lean lock results. I'll keep playing around with it, but the Cleveland still has a slight edge.

I'll add, I have not stuck with all of the videos or read the book... Now that I have some more free time, I plan to dive in more. The videos I did watch really helped my putting in general.
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I find that at least in basement 6 foot putting, the Lean Lock is very close to my old Odyssey #4. I will need to take it out on a round here in the coming month or so to do a direct comparison on course with the Lean Lock. It's entirely possible that the overall putting work I've been doing with the Lean Lock will prove beneficial to my conventional putting stroke as well.
 
2 rounds this week but I only got one of them on Shotscope. I’m still having all kinds of trouble with those little 3-4 footers. I also found it very hard to adjust yesterday. The greens on Wednesday were nice and fast, yesterday they were the slowest greens I’ve putted on as long as I can remember. It was so hard to make the change.
 
Back from my ski trip as of Thursday, and played a scramble Sunday. I had an up and down day with the Lean Lock...

On the upside: Buried a 25 footer for an unlikely birdie, and my lines were really good all day. I think I've made more 15' + putts with this putter than I've ever made in the past. Also didn't miss anything inside 6 feet - although only had a few of them, as others made some shorties also.

On the downside: My speed was off, in particular I had 3-4 longer lags (30-50 foot range) where I left it 5 feet short or even 10 feet short in one case. I need some more work on speed. BUT some of that is just from not really touching a club in the last 2 weeks with the ski trip. So I think I should be able to lock this down.

I'm continually finding that I actually really like the feel of this putter. It's not the absolute densest / best I've ever gamed, but it's pretty darn nice. And the roll I get is always nice and positive - I get a LOT less jumping than I would get on other putters, especially on the longer stuff.
 
Going to a good course Friday. First outdoor round in a while. I'll have a report anon.
 
Slowmo said:
2 rounds this week but I only got one of them on Shotscope. I’m still having all kinds of trouble with those little 3-4 footers. I also found it very hard to adjust yesterday. The greens on Wednesday were nice and fast, yesterday they were the slowest greens I’ve putted on as long as I can remember. It was so hard to make the change.
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I was using one of the Bridgestone Mindset balls with the Lean Lock putter the other day and I was automatic in that range. For some reason, looking at that green dot and the Lean Lock stroke was the perfect combo!
 
Wasn't able to get out this past weekend but got some basement rolling in. Still feeling really good about this 6' and in range. And the combination of a True Track ball and this #7-esque head shape makes this setup so easy to align.

I just really need some reps with the speed per my previous post, and sadly that probably won't happen until at least Friday given the aquatic weather forecast in PA this week. Good news though, a scramble this weekend should be good practice!
 
Did an 8" cup scramble with @dAS0 @blazinden and @Sarzar yesterday and was able to get some time in with the Lean Lock on some fast greens with some big breaks. Generally it went pretty well, though I STILL have a tendency to leave the longer ones a bit short. Planning on getting some time this week out on the practice greens to work on the speed. Had some highlights though, the best of which being a drained putt from off the false front from about 30 feet or so. Got it there that time!!

I continue to lean on (see what I did there...) the line maintenance as the key selling point for this putter. I'm nearly always right on the intended line, and if not, I'm pretty darn close. The miss does tend to be left. But I know that the dispersion left to right is smaller than with my conventional putter.

Between the ducky polo and the Lean Lock putter I definitely got some looks from the peanut gallery yesterday though 😅
 
Played yesterday and is was a very mixed bag with the LeanLock. Stat wise shotscope says the round was a -4.11 strokes gained but it didn't feel as bad as that. I had 3 3putts which was frustrating but 2 of them were from like 60ish feet. I'm still just so tentative on short putts as if I miss the putt it's going 4ft past the hole. I did make a few longish (18-20ft) putts though so that was nice.
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
Did an 8" cup scramble with @dAS0 @blazinden and @Sarzar yesterday and was able to get some time in with the Lean Lock on some fast greens with some big breaks. Generally it went pretty well, though I STILL have a tendency to leave the longer ones a bit short. Planning on getting some time this week out on the practice greens to work on the speed. Had some highlights though, the best of which being a drained putt from off the false front from about 30 feet or so. Got it there that time!!

I continue to lean on (see what I did there...) the line maintenance as the key selling point for this putter. I'm nearly always right on the intended line, and if not, I'm pretty darn close. The miss does tend to be left. But I know that the dispersion left to right is smaller than with my conventional putter.

Between the ducky polo and the Lean Lock putter I definitely got some looks from the peanut gallery yesterday though 😅
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An interesting putter when I first saw it on the course yesterday. Your putting stroke looked smooth and a lot of putts ended up close and certainly on line.

I like the heavy weight of it, too. Addressing the putt at an angle would take some getting used to, but I do think it is an option
 
dAS0 said:
An interesting putter when I first saw it on the course yesterday. Your putting stroke looked smooth and a lot of putts ended up close and certainly on line.

I like the heavy weight of it, too. Addressing the putt at an angle would take some getting used to, but I do think it is an option
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Regarding the angle, yes it is a little odd at first. According to Brian Tennyson (Lean Lock founder), he modeled that portion of it on Jack Nicklaus, who was famous for using an open stroke. I've tried it with a conventional putter as well and I do think there are some benefits there. Brian's book lays some of it out, but it comes down to having a better, more upward delivery and a much easier time going truly "straight back straight through".
 
OK, first league round is over. 9 holes. 17 putts. No 3 putts. one 22'er. Wasn't exactly knocking the pins over on approaches with 18-27 mph winds. Lots of long putts. Left a few lags in the 4' range. And made every darn one of them. I am really getting confidence with this putting system in real world conditions. It can only get better from here.
 
Played yesterday after work on a really nice spring day and overall it was a good day with the Lean Lock. TECHNICALLY no 3 putts - though I did have one hole with 3 putter strikes as one was off the green from 40 ish feet - and 32 putts, 16 a side. That's pretty solid for me.

Highlights:
  • I actually gained 0.55 strokes on a 10 handicap with putting!
  • In what's becoming a pattern with the Lean Lock, I made every single putt inside 6 feet. And we were paired with 2 hardasses who wouldn't give anything outside about a foot and a half, so I really had to earn them. This included a couple knee knockers, and especially a 5 footer on the last hole to make par and to keep it under 80, so there was pressure there.
  • Made 2 10-footers, half of the 4 I had. Well above average here.
  • Putts per GIR below 2 (1.9).
Concerns:
  • Still struggling to get the ball to the hole at times. Part of this is how slow the greens were yesterday, especially compared to the course I played Sunday, but it still needs work.
  • Didn't make anything between 6 and 10 feet. I had 4 opportunities - 1 for birdie and 3 to save par - in this range and I just pulled all of them. Need to work on line maintenance in this range.
The Lean Lock is definitely working for me, and I still have room to REALLY make it great with some work on speed and line in the mid ranges.
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
Played yesterday after work on a really nice spring day and overall it was a good day with the Lean Lock. TECHNICALLY no 3 putts - though I did have one hole with 3 putter strikes as one was off the green from 40 ish feet - and 32 putts, 16 a side. That's pretty solid for me.

Highlights:
  • I actually gained 0.55 strokes on a 10 handicap with putting!
  • In what's becoming a pattern with the Lean Lock, I made every single putt inside 6 feet. And we were paired with 2 hardasses who wouldn't give anything outside about a foot and a half, so I really had to earn them. This included a couple knee knockers, and especially a 5 footer on the last hole to make par and to keep it under 80, so there was pressure there.
  • Made 2 10-footers, half of the 4 I had. Well above average here.
  • Putts per GIR below 2 (1.9).
Concerns:
  • Still struggling to get the ball to the hole at times. Part of this is how slow the greens were yesterday, especially compared to the course I played Sunday, but it still needs work.
  • Didn't make anything between 6 and 10 feet. I had 4 opportunities - 1 for birdie and 3 to save par - in this range and I just pulled all of them. Need to work on line maintenance in this range.
The Lean Lock is definitely working for me, and I still have room to REALLY make it great with some work on speed and line in the mid ranges.
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Will you keep this putter for a while yet? I am curious to see how it works out on dry, quick summer greens. A heavy putter is very stable, but I wonder if it could be tricky when the Stimp climbs. This could also be your solution to leaving a few short...just wait for the weather to change :)
 
dAS0 said:
Will you keep this putter for a while yet? I am curious to see how it works out on dry, quick summer greens. A heavy putter is very stable, but I wonder if it could be tricky when the Stimp climbs. This could also be your solution to leaving a few short...just wait for the weather to change :)
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For myself, I'm hoping to get a good 10 rounds of data on Shotscope (I've already posted before stats, and after 5 rounds of data, I think I have 1 round of the second 5 collected as I just haven't been able to play much lately) and then I have an experiment I want to try gripping the LeanLock in a different way. After that I think I may offer to pass it along to another Albatross club member who would be interested in trying it.
 
I am playing a course Saturday that is known for fairly slick, undulating greens. Supposed to rain every day till then so I think slick won't be part of the equation. Hard to believe, but I am more anxious to get this putter back out than I have ever been with a swing club. Maybe because putting has always been the bane of my existence on the course. And the results are startling considering I was getting worse. Not better.
 
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