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97% of us don't aim the putter correctly...

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tahoebum

tahoebum

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After hearing on TV a couple weeks ago that Rory discovered last year that he was aiming the putter about 4 inches off of his intended target on a 12 foot putt, I bought one of the putting alignment mirrors and decided to check my own alignment. Sure enough, I've been aiming the putter to the right of my intended target for probably my entire golfing life!!! After laying down some chalk lines in my man cave that doubles as a 14' X 15' putting green, I discovered that I pull each putt to make up for my right of target aim. And by right, I mean about 3-4 inches right on a 10 foot putt. After working with the chalk lines and the mirror, I'm now on track and am amazed at the improvement in my putting, especially inside of 10 feet.

The funny thing about my discovery is I have noticed my whole life that 90% + of the golfers I see are not aimed on the correct line when they putt, even on short putts. At my index it's common to look at other golfers and notice flaws in their set up or swing and think nothing of it. It never occurred to me that I also had crappy putter alignment!:act-up: I have always been a good lag putter but below average putter overall for my index because I don't make enough putts inside of 12 feet. It's not uncommon for me to miss 2 or 3 birdie putts inside of 10 feet during a round. For me this is a real epiphany only surpassed by the one I had 30 years ago when I truly learned how to hit down on and compress the ball. I guess I'm sharing this because I know there are others out there that could benefit greatly by checking their alignment. I'm probably going to buy a Dead Aim putter or another similar laser to train with. And yes, I already have a SeeMore putter, but I have managed to figure out how to aim that one incorrectly as well. I've only played one round so far with my new alignment and I did make a couple more putts than usual. The fun part is the 4-6 footers seem very easy now - I'm hitting the center of the hole more often than not!
 
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Best putting tool I've ever used is seemore triangulator works great to check your lines
 
tahoebum said:
After hearing on TV a couple weeks ago that Rory discovered last year that he was aiming the putter about 4 inches off of his intended target on a 12 foot putt, I bought one of the putting alignment mirrors and decided to check my own alignment. Sure enough, I've been aiming the putter to the right of my intended target for probably my entire golfing life!!! After laying down some chalk lines in my man cave that doubles as a 14' X 15' putting green, I discovered that I pull each putt to make up for my right of target aim. And by right, I mean about 3-4 inches right on a 10 foot putt. After working with the chalk lines and the mirror, I'm now on track and am amazed at the improvement in my putting, especially inside of 10 feet.

The funny thing about my discovery is I have noticed my whole life that 90% + of the golfers I see are not aimed on the correct line when they putt, even on short putts. At my index it's common to look at other golfers and notice flaws in their set up or swing and think nothing of it. It never occurred to me that I also had crappy putter alignment!:act-up: I have always been a good lag putter but below average putter overall for my index because I don't make enough putts inside of 12 feet. It's not uncommon for me to miss 2 or 3 birdie putts inside of 10 feet during a round. For me this is a real epiphany only surpassed by the one I had 30 years ago when I truly learned how to hit down on and compress the ball. I guess I'm sharing this because I know there are others out there that could benefit greatly by checking their alignment. I'm probably going to buy a Dead Aim putter or another similar laser to train with. And yes, I already have a SeeMore putter, but I have managed to figure out how to aim that one incorrectly as well. I've only played one round so far with my new alignment and I did make a couple more putts than usual. The fun part is the 4-6 footers seem very easy now - I'm hitting the center of the hole more often than not!
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This is one of the reasons I bought a seemore. The problem for me is that what I think is square to the hole is actually a few inches right so on straight putts I tend to slide the putt past the hole every time. I am better on breaking putts because I am not actually aiming at an object but an area.
 
I definitely agree with this that most people don't aim properly. That is why I switched to my current putter, I just couldn't aim properly with a blade putter. I needed double sight lines and I needed them to be a little longer. Mallet putters bug me so I went with the mid-mallet and I have never putter better than I have since I started using my Odyssey ProType #7. Blade putters look cooler I think, but cool won't save me strokes.
 
I personally think people focus too much on aim. I think starting the ball on intended line is far more important which is driven by having the putter position correct at impact. Failure to start the ball on your intended line will ultimately result in difficulty reading greens and judging speed.

Even if I aim correctly, having the face open or closed to the target line at impact will result in missed putt.
 
Gonna finally take the triangulator out of the plastic today and hit the practice green. Too many rounds over 40 putts.
 
I would disagree but considering how much I 3 putt, I'll definitely say I don't aim properly lol
 
I don't aim at the right spot, but I make up for it by not keeping the putter square through impact and/or not putting a good stroke on the ball.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk.
 
For sure, getting down the line correctly is key. I've found the putting stroke to be finicky during longer layoffs between rounds. Anytime I'm able to have a total putting round of 30 or less, then I chalk it up to a good day.
 
Erky said:
I don't aim at the right spot, but I make up for it by not keeping the putter square through impact and/or not putting a good stroke on the ball.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk.
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Sounds like my putting sometimes. 3 wrongs make a right, right? You forgot to mention wrong speed. That helps blend it all together
 
A lot of alignment issues across the board for me too. Good friends help you see the light, along with a piece of plastic and string on the green.
 
I feel like even looking into this would open Pandora's Box for me. I'm pretty sure nothing in my putting stroke is legit but as long as I'm putting alright I don't want to mess with it.

I'll remember this during my next putting drought.
 
ArmyGolf said:
I feel like even looking into this would open Pandora's Box for me. I'm pretty sure nothing in my putting stroke is legit but as long as I'm putting alright I don't want to mess with it.

I'll remember this during my next putting drought.
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This, pretty much. I feel like the wheels would completely come off for a while if I started messing with this.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
 
When i got the Daddy long legs it really helped get my alignment corrected it will not save me from reading the putt wrong
 
Im curious of the stat? How was it measured? Who and where?
 
JB said:
Im curious of the stat? How was it measured? Who and where?
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Got it from this article. Not sure if the stat is correct but I know I putt better than most and my aim has been atrocious all these years. I almost couldn't believe it when I got the alignment mirror and chalk lines down. I'm a good wing shot and have always been naturally good at games like pool and darts so I just assumed I could aim the face of my putter at the hole. Boy was I wrong! The article also talks about what type of putters have left or right aim tendencies.

http://www.golfwrx.com/151092/the-ultimate-putting-program-part-1-aim/#hCUD3gEwPSMBfEET.03
 
I got this from my putting instructor. Here is a test to see if perfect aim will help you.

On a flat surface with no break AND NO TARGET, take a piece of masking tape 1 inch X 4.5 inches and put it on the green. Now take your putter and set it so the leading edge matches the long edge of the tape. Put a ball down and from this position make a stroke. Repeat the procedure 5 or more times. Try as best as you can to make the same natural stroke each time. Since there is no target there is no need for a correction.


Once you have a pattern, leave the golf balls on the green. Tie some string to a tee and bisect the tape on the ground so when you extend the string it is perpendicular to the tape and on a similar line to the rolling golf balls. Where are the golf balls relative to this line? If they are predominantly left or right then you can assume there is a conflict between your stroke and the putter.

You can do even try this with your eyes closed and with different length putts.

I did the drill hitting the ball 10-15 feet and the only difference from my normal routine was I setup to the tape without looking at the line and didn't find an intermediate spot on my line to aim at. Had a nice grouping and when I pulled the string tight, my balls were 3-4 inches left of the line meaning I start missing putts left at about 10 feet. I had a SAM Puttlab report and saw that I aim about 1* open. This imperfect aim compensates for the stroke.

Just as an FYI, you can search and find Puttlab reports for Tiger and see that his aim is 2.5* open. Another player considered to be a great putter is Loren Roberts and he setup 1* closed.
 
Buckjob said:
Best putting tool I've ever used is seemore triangulator works great to check your lines
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That and the SPi method could correct pretty much all of the stated issues
 
Wicked Cool Bearded Man said:
That and the SPi method could correct pretty much all of the stated issues
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It worked that way for me. I still get lined up incorrectly sometimes, but not as much as I used to, and I know it when it happens.
 
BamBooBender said:
It worked that way for me. I still get lined up incorrectly sometimes, but not as much as I used to, and I know it when it happens.
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Exactly. Another reason why I am a convert
 
tahoebum said:
Got it from this article. Not sure if the stat is correct but I know I putt better than most and my aim has been atrocious all these years. I almost couldn't believe it when I got the alignment mirror and chalk lines down. I'm a good wing shot and have always been naturally good at games like pool and darts so I just assumed I could aim the face of my putter at the hole. Boy was I wrong! The article also talks about what type of putters have left or right aim tendencies.

http://www.golfwrx.com/151092/the-ultimate-putting-program-part-1-aim/#hCUD3gEwPSMBfEET.03
Click to expand...
Interesting article, thanks for sharing but I too am somewhat skeptical of the 97% number.
 
This is why I don't aim for "2 cups right" or "a ball and a half left" of the cup. I read putts like someone is pouring water and it's running to the hole. I see a race track type of line. Once I visualize the line, I try to find a spot 6-8 inches in front of my ball and get not started on that spot with the right speed. Focus shifts to keeping the face square and getting the ball started on the right line instead of aiming it a a target 13 feet away.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Took my triangulator out today for some practice and was definitely aimed about three inches right at 8 feet. I am definitely having to retrain my eyes. Once I got squared up I made putt after putt so I must be doing something right strokewise.
 
I usually aim at least a couple inches outside of what I think I should as a general rule, as I don't like missing on the low side. Now if I could work on my speed . . .
 
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