Leaving Everything Short

[Inferno2ss]

I typically have really good speed control, however, all of a sudden I am leaving every putt short. Had 4 putts last round that I read really well that all stopped less than a foot short of the hole.

When I make a conscious effort to hit it a bit harder I blow it 6 feet past the hole.

Feels like a mental block, even on the practice green, I will hit 5 putts from the same spot and 4 of them will be just short and the other one I blow by the hole. It is starting to drive me nuts.

Anyone experience anything similar or have any advice for me?

 

[TCB2010]

How long are the typical putts left short?

 

[Inferno2ss]

How long are the typical putts left short?

The ones from 10 to 15 feet are the worse, I can live with a longer lag putt coming up just short, but when you have putts in that range I want to at least get them to the hole. Can't make a putt if they never make it there.

 

[Callahan1556]

Perfect excuse to go putter shopping! That’s my solution!

 

[Acesteve]

I'd recommend starting with some 4 ft putts on a practice green and ensure you are hitting them fully end over end to center of the cup. Then slowly add distance in 2ft increments. I'm thinking you might not be making quality accelerating strokes through the different distances. The follow-thru and end over end roll is really important on a 15ft putt. I might poke at a 4fter and make it but a stab generally does not work on a 15ft. When I get to 50ft the stroke is so big no way to do anything but follow-thru

 

[Sox_Fan]

I am in the same boat. Left 3 or 4 short from 10 - 15 feet dead in the middle of the hole. When I hit it a little harder than I think I need to, I often do not properly square up the putter face and either push or pull the putt. Very rarely have a problem of blowing it way by.

 

[mikeg_74]

You need a new putter!

Seriously it sounds like you are decelerating on impact. It’s all mental and something you just need to trust on the shorter putts.

 

[GolfTravelDude]

I am in the same boat. Left 3 or 4 short from 10 - 15 feet dead in the middle of the hole. When I hit it a little harder than I think I need to, I often do not properly square up the putter face and either push or pull the putt. Very rarely have a problem of blowing it way by.

You still gaming the Indi Allison?

 

[Sox_Fan]

You still gaming the Indi Allison?

Had to put it on the sidelines for a while. The Satin Chrome finish on the larger mallet head is way too reflective in the bright sunlight.

 

[M2Giles]

Has impact location moved?

Off putting days I end up noticing I'm hitting more toe side than expected. I dont notice the ball rolling offline much but definitely has a bit less pace than expected.

 

[Phil75070]

Are you putting with the flagstick in? As someone who used to remove the flagstick except for very long lag putts, ever since the "COVID rules" leaving the flagstick in I have had a tendency to leave a lot of putts short or that die off to one side of the hole or the other just as it gets there. That could be the ball being subject to any imperfection in the green at that slow speed or due to cups improperly cut with raised lips (we play early morning just after they have cut the holes for the day). In my case I believe it is a subconscious effort on my part to try to "die" the ball in the hole due to that flagstick being there instead of being properly aggressive. Since they removed the foam from the cup I have actually taken the flagstick out on three occasions, making the putt each time.

Edited to add: I was the last one to putt on those three occasions. The guys I play with seem to prefer it being in so I have bowed to majority wishes.

 

[Snickerdog]

Usually on putts that I leave short it is from not following thru completely. I am a firm believer in however the length of backstroke that the follow thru needs to also be that much.

 

[Flipit]

I typically have really good speed control, however, all of a sudden I am leaving every putt short. Had 4 putts last round that I read really well that all stopped less than a foot short of the hole.

When I make a conscious effort to hit it a bit harder I blow it 6 feet past the hole.

Feels like a mental block, even on the practice green, I will hit 5 putts from the same spot and 4 of them will be just short and the other one I blow by the hole. It is starting to drive me nuts.

Anyone experience anything similar or have any advice for me?

yep this was me yesterday. Realize I was putting to the hole instead of a foot past it. Gotta get it in my head that a foot past has a chance to go in, 6 inches short doesn’t.

 

[Inferno2ss]

I'd recommend starting with some 4 ft putts on a practice green and ensure you are hitting them fully end over end to center of the cup. Then slowly add distance in 2ft increments. I'm thinking you might not be making quality accelerating strokes through the different distances. The follow-thru and end over end roll is really important on a 15ft putt. I might poke at a 4fter and make it but a stab generally does not work on a 15ft. When I get to 50ft the stroke is so big no way to do anything but follow-thru

I bought the Odyssey Stroke Lab Double Wide putter back in October and was struggling with the speed on longer putts, maybe I have been practicing those too much to avoid the 3 putts and need to focus on the ones inside 20 feet. I use to start on the practice green with 5-foot putts and work backward but stopped doing that at the end of 2019. Going to give this a try and see if it helps out.

 

[Inferno2ss]

Usually on putts that I leave short it is from not following thru completely. I am a firm believer in however the length of backstroke that the follow thru needs to also be that much.

I am not sure, this is definitely a possibility and worth looking at.

 

[blueonblack]

Make sure you use a loose grip. Let the putter hang in your hands and rock it back and forth.

On an equipment note: I added 1/2" to the length of my putters years ago and that little change really helped to get better contact/distance control.

 

[GoldenBuff]

I get cases of the shorts when I go back and forth between fast and slow greens. It doesn't matter which way -- fast to slow or slow to fast -- I find myself leaving putts shorts. Typically the cause is tentative putting. I try too hard to cautiously "feel" my putt and lose good fundamentals.

 

[WLG1952]

The ones from 10 to 15 feet are the worse, I can live with a longer lag putt coming up just short, but when you have putts in that range I want to at least get them to the hole. Can't make a putt if they never make it there.

Those would be the length putts (10'-15') I would put some practice time into. Actually 11'-16' foot putts might even be better to practice at.

Myself, I practice a lot 15' footers, and 2' footers. I seldom have putts over 15' feet. The 2' footers I practice are for the longer putts I miss, and/or my missed chip/pitch shots.

 

[Chef23]

I try to control distance based on length of the stroke not how hard I hit the putt. Hitting putts harder leads to inconsistency. Try to maintain a consistent pace on your stroke and manage how far the putt goes based on the length of your stroke.

 

[U_of_Bucky]

When I start leaving putts just short it is the putting practice green time. The error, for me, is hitting the ball rather than rolling it. A strike rolling the ball has me releasing the putter after contact. Basically a follow through post strike. I also want a line or trademark on the ball to roll to the target. This results in a better feel for tempo and no side spin.

hope this helps

 

[G-Man]

I always putt through the hole. I want to make sure I hit it hard enough to make the hole behind the cup. Don't blow it past but have enough momentum it goes through the hole.

 

[BluesManDan]

People often leave it short because they are mentally dying it in the hole, and no one’s skill can hit it quite that precisely. You have to train hitting it just past the hole.

My personal drill is to take a 2-3 foot 2x4 board and lay it behind a hole (fake hole or coin is better) as a backstop. Practice hitting it and making sure you always hit the board, but try to only let it bounce back a few inches. The sound will be a gentle tap and not a sharp whack when it does. Then when you play you can just mentally imagine the board behind the hole, and try to gently tap the board.

This drill and mental image will keep you from habitually bombing it by or leaving it short.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Inferno2ss]

Usually on putts that I leave short it is from not following thru completely. I am a firm believer in however the length of backstroke that the follow thru needs to also be that much.

I think this was probably the issue, I played yesterday and made a conscious effort to make sure I completed my follow through and it made a world of difference.

Right off the bat on the practice green, I was getting everything a foot or 2 past the hole from 5, 10 and 15 feet. It gave me the confidence to trust my stroke and just hit the ball. Only left one a bit short inside 15 feet the whole round.

Thanks, everyone for the input, guess it is easy to forget the little things sometimes.

 

[Desmond]

That's tough to take. Suggestions

Target - downhill putts - look short of hole; uphill putts and up and sidehill, look past the hole as your target.

Relax arms and shoulders

Have a firm but relaxed grip on putter

 

[leftshot]

I typically have really good speed control, however, all of a sudden I am leaving every putt short....
Feels like a mental block

Maybe. Let's explore together.

Something obviously changed. Here are the possibilities.
- Quality of contact
- Quality of roll
- Velocity at impact (which has these potential causes: Missing or changed power source, change in mental approach)

I'd focus on dissecting these one-by-one to identify which of these three is the culprit, then further dissect from there.

If it were me, I'd start at the top and strike some 6 footers on a flat surface examining whether I'm striking it square and centered and whether or not the ball is rolling immediately end over end or skidding then rolling. The latter will reduce the distance the ball rolls. A ball hit heel or toe side will transfer less energy and result in less distance. A ball struck with even a minimal glancing blow (not square) will reduce distance. Look for these faults.

A common physical fault for reducing velocity at impact is shortening your backswing or similarly a quick transition from backswing to through swing. Another is not allowing the putter head to extend after striking the ball (jabbing at the ball or stopping shortly after impact). A third is subtracting a power source. Do you power your putts with your shoulders? Your arms? Your wrists? Some combination of these? If so, have you removed or de-emphasized one of those power sources? BTW, this is one reason why I favor powering my putts only with the shoulders. There is no blending to maintain.

If you find any of the above, you know what to work on. If you don't, you are left with a purely mental approach issue. In that case, do drills that focus solely on stopping the ball 12-18 inches past a cup on a flat surface.