Becoming a scratch or better player.

[Canadan]

I need to really figure out what will make the difference in my putting. Obviously getting a full glimpse of putters in ATL will help, but there has to be something more than that.

Last week I spent a bunch of time trying to refine my putting game, and it was reflected beautifully in a scramble on Saturday where I was dropping bombs. Since then, I can't stop burning edges. Just slightly off each time. Heck, I had 9 straight 2 putts tonight and shot a 37.

I really think finding my putting game will be the difference in my current 2.0 and scratch. Right now, it's either don't make a mistake and shoot a 74-75, or make a few mistakes and shoot 77-78.

 

[GrantD]

I need to really figure out what will make the difference in my putting. Obviously getting a full glimpse of putters in ATL will help, but there has to be something more than that.

Last week I spent a bunch of time trying to refine my putting game, and it was reflected beautifully in a scramble on Saturday where I was dropping bombs. Since then, I can't stop burning edges. Just slightly off each time. Heck, I had 9 straight 2 putts tonight and shot a 37.

I really think finding my putting game will be the difference in my current 2.0 and scratch. Right now, it's either don't make a mistake and shoot a 74-75, or make a few mistakes and shoot 77-78.

I feel the same way with my putting dude. I just can't seem to get the birdies to drop for me. I was actually at a golf shop the other night and there was this guy doing putter fittings there. He had some computer system which measured your stroke and if you were squaring the face. It was only $20. I decided to go for it. I realized I was leaving my face open slightly and this was causing my misses to the right of the cup. He helped me adjust my stance, due to be right eye dominant and bent the putt up 1*. Everything was going straight in after that. I was really amazed. He gave me a few drills to try too. If I see some progress out of this stuff, I might get another lesson from him. I think if I could get my putts down to the 30 mark, rather than 34 avg. It would lower my scores incredibly.

 

[coolbreeze]

I need to really figure out what will make the difference in my putting. Obviously getting a full glimpse of putters in ATL will help, but there has to be something more than that.

Last week I spent a bunch of time trying to refine my putting game, and it was reflected beautifully in a scramble on Saturday where I was dropping bombs. Since then, I can't stop burning edges. Just slightly off each time. Heck, I had 9 straight 2 putts tonight and shot a 37.

I really think finding my putting game will be the difference in my current 2.0 and scratch. Right now, it's either don't make a mistake and shoot a 74-75, or make a few mistakes and shoot 77-78.

I totally understand man, right now with the SPI method and the Seemore putter I'm putting the ball on my intended target line, I'm just wrong....a lot. I missed a ton of easy birdie putts today just by misjudging the break. I had 16 2 putts, 1 1 putt and 1 3 putt. Thats 36 putts and I don't feel like I putted poorly.

 

[CharlieMoy]

It'd probably save you like 4 strokes a round or close to it.

I feel the same way with my putting dude. I just can't seem to get the birdies to drop for me. I was actually at a golf shop the other night and there was this guy doing putter fittings there. He had some computer system which measured your stroke and if you were squaring the face. It was only $20. I decided to go for it. I realized I was leaving my face open slightly and this was causing my misses to the right of the cup. He helped me adjust my stance, due to be right eye dominant and bent the putt up 1*. Everything was going straight in after that. I was really amazed. He gave me a few drills to try too. If I see some progress out of this stuff, I might get another lesson from him. I think if I could get my putts down to the 30 mark, rather than 34 avg. It would lower my scores incredibly.

 

[GrantD]

It'd probably save you like 4 strokes a round or close to it.

That is a pretty huge drop on a score. A few tweaks with the rest of the game and my scores could be lower. It is just hard to invest in lessons for something so simple.

 

[Canadan]

I feel the same way with my putting dude. I just can't seem to get the birdies to drop for me. I was actually at a golf shop the other night and there was this guy doing putter fittings there. He had some computer system which measured your stroke and if you were squaring the face. It was only $20. I decided to go for it. I realized I was leaving my face open slightly and this was causing my misses to the right of the cup. He helped me adjust my stance, due to be right eye dominant and bent the putt up 1*. Everything was going straight in after that. I was really amazed. He gave me a few drills to try too. If I see some progress out of this stuff, I might get another lesson from him. I think if I could get my putts down to the 30 mark, rather than 34 avg. It would lower my scores incredibly.

Sounds like 20 dollars very well spent.. I'm playing 18-27 tomorrow and am hoping to see a bit of a recovery or I am going to start getting desperate haha.. I'm cycling through putters faster than ever.. Time to stop making excuses for myself I think.

I can't wait to hear how it works out for you.. What kind of drills did he have you working on?

 

[Canadan]

I totally understand man, right now with the SPI method and the Seemore putter I'm putting the ball on my intended target line, I'm just wrong....a lot. I missed a ton of easy birdie putts today just by misjudging the break. I had 16 2 putts, 1 1 putt and 1 3 putt. Thats 36 putts and I don't feel like I putted poorly.

This is definitely a huge part of it for me.. Missing on the pro side one hole, compensating on the next hole and missing on the short side.. It's always just a touch off, and unfortunately the putts just simply aren't dropping right now, Lipping out or falling just behind the hole.

I know it's a process, and I'm totally committed to it.. bought a birdieball to putt at home.. Sadly though, their 'private course 9-10' speed is faster than any course I've ever played on I think haha

 

[CharlieMoy]

Dont adjust your line, adjust your speed. Stay high on the putts.

This is definitely a huge part of it for me.. Missing on the pro side one hole, compensating on the next hole and missing on the short side.. It's always just a touch off, and unfortunately the putts just simply aren't dropping right now, Lipping out or falling just behind the hole.

I know it's a process, and I'm totally committed to it.. bought a birdieball to putt at home.. Sadly though, their 'private course 9-10' speed is faster than any course I've ever played on I think haha

 

[GrantD]

Sounds like 20 dollars very well spent.. I'm playing 18-27 tomorrow and am hoping to see a bit of a recovery or I am going to start getting desperate haha.. I'm cycling through putters faster than ever.. Time to stop making excuses for myself I think.

I can't wait to hear how it works out for you.. What kind of drills did he have you working on?

Right now just 3, 6, and 9 drills. I worked about 45 mins the other day on it. You line three balls up at 3', 6' and 9'. You then start with the 3' and have to make it to go to the 6'. Then you have to make that to go to the 9'. He said if I could get it down 3 times in a row. I would see a lot of change in the area I have been struggling.

He also gave me a good lag drill. Go to the center of the green and put a tee down. Then take 10 balls and hit them to 10 points on the fringe around the green. He said it would help with distance variation since greens are not perfectly round.

 

[Canadan]

Right now just 3, 6, and 9 drills. I worked about 45 mins the other day on it. You line three balls up at 3', 6' and 9'. You then start with the 3' and have to make it to go to the 6'. Then you have to make that to go to the 9'. He said if I could get it down 3 times in a row. I would see a lot of change in the area I have been struggling.

He also gave me a good lag drill. Go to the center of the green and put a tee down. Then take 10 balls and hit them to 10 points on the fringe around the green. He said it would help with distance variation since greens are not perfectly round.

The thing that really helped me with confidence on the choker putts was the pull back drill. 6 putts from any given area, and any that miss need to go away from the hole a full club length. Continue until all are holed. I found it to really give a great variety on each hole and for at least a day, really really helped my personal efforts on course.

I look forward to checking out your drills dude! Hopefully they add to the solution I'm seeking haha

 

[Cowboy08]

Right now just 3, 6, and 9 drills. I worked about 45 mins the other day on it. You line three balls up at 3', 6' and 9'. You then start with the 3' and have to make it to go to the 6'. Then you have to make that to go to the 9'. He said if I could get it down 3 times in a row. I would see a lot of change in the area I have been struggling.

He also gave me a good lag drill. Go to the center of the green and put a tee down. Then take 10 balls and hit them to 10 points on the fringe around the green. He said it would help with distance variation since greens are not perfectly round.

I have actually been bringing a tape measure to the putting green with me and putting tees in the ground at 5, 10 and 15 feet to practice putts. Would it be better for me to do 3, 6, 9 instead?

 

[Texasbrons]

On the days I'm working on my full swing I will spend most of the time with my long and mid irons working on whatever it is that I need to work on. I don't just stand there firing off balls, but take my time and try and go through my full shot routine with every ball. I will then move on to driver, and woods, and then I will play my course in my head, meaning I will play the course on the range and hit each shot based on the shot I hit before it, and then give myself a two putt on every green.

I've thought about doing that very thing!! How effective do you believe that this drill is? I think that it really would be more of a mental drill than actually hitting the ball because you have to imagine the course in your mind, then plan your next shot accordingly? Do you strictly look at distance or do you really get into and consider the shape of the shot vs. the shape of the hole in your mind. In other words if there is water and you pull a ball or slice one, do you guesstimate that the ball would have gone into the water or maybe sand or whatever. That may be moot if you are not tracking your score with this drill, but it sounds like you are since you are tracking the 2 putts. I know I'm kind of geeking out about this, but I've never heard of anyone else talk about doing what I've been thinking of in this regard!!

 

[Smoot]

My golf coach used to say the difference between a 10 HC and a scratch was course management and a short term memory for bad shots. I think that he was on to something.

 

[GrantD]

I have actually been bringing a tape measure to the putting green with me and putting tees in the ground at 5, 10 and 15 feet to practice putts. Would it be better for me to do 3, 6, 9 instead?

Most putts are missed inside of the 10ft range. I think the Pro told me at 3ft Pros are 95% proficient, 6ft Pros are 65% proficient, 9ft Pros are 43% proficient. These are guys that have time to practice way more than we do. I think the best area to practice is inside of 10ft and lag putts.

 

[T2GRN18]

Right now just 3, 6, and 9 drills. I worked about 45 mins the other day on it. You line three balls up at 3', 6' and 9'. You then start with the 3' and have to make it to go to the 6'. Then you have to make that to go to the 9'. He said if I could get it down 3 times in a row. I would see a lot of change in the area I have been struggling.

He also gave me a good lag drill. Go to the center of the green and put a tee down. Then take 10 balls and hit them to 10 points on the fringe around the green. He said it would help with distance variation since greens are not perfectly round.

I have used the 3 6 9 for many years. It helps tremendously. I have never tried the fringe drill. But will work on that tonight. It's a great drill by the sounds of it

 

[coolbreeze]

I've thought about doing that very thing!! How effective do you believe that this drill is? I think that it really would be more of a mental drill than actually hitting the ball because you have to imagine the course in your mind, then plan your next shot accordingly? Do you strictly look at distance or do you really get into and consider the shape of the shot vs. the shape of the hole in your mind. In other words if there is water and you pull a ball or slice one, do you guesstimate that the ball would have gone into the water or maybe sand or whatever. That may be moot if you are not tracking your score with this drill, but it sounds like you are since you are tracking the 2 putts. I know I'm kind of geeking out about this, but I've never heard of anyone else talk about doing what I've been thinking of in this regard!!

I just do it the best I can, I pick a target on the range for each shot, and then based on how I hit it I judge where it would have gone and then play my next one. So if I have a 7 iron "into the green" and thin it long, then I will play a pitch or a chip for my next shot back onto the green and so on. I won't play a "bunker shot" but just work on my full swing.

My golf coach used to say the difference between a 10 HC and a scratch was course management and a short term memory for bad shots. I think that he was on to something.

I think there is a little more to it than that but I don't think he's way off. I'd say course management, short term memory and short game.

 

[GrantD]

I have used the 3 6 9 for many years. It helps tremendously. I have never tried the fringe drill. But will work on that tonight. It's a great drill by the sounds of it

He also told me another one about getting your tempo for the day.

He said to do the 3, 6, 9 drill on the fringe before a round. He said this would help me get a tempo and figure out the speed for the day. He said your tempo can change due to drinks before the round (slows it down) or coffee in the morning (speeds it up). One crazy thing he said, was about different tempos for where you were born in the US. He said the south had slower putting tempos than the north. I am not sure about out west. He said NC was at a .75 tempo.

 

[Smoot]

I just do it the best I can, I pick a target on the range for each shot, and then based on how I hit it I judge where it would have gone and then play my next one. So if I have a 7 iron "into the green" and thin it long, then I will play a pitch or a chip for my next shot back onto the green and so on. I won't play a "bunker shot" but just work on my full swing.

I think there is a little more to it than that but I don't think he's way off. I'd say course management, short term memory and short game.

I agree with the short game, but I always believed that you had to have the ability to understand that the short game is really where the scoring is. I was always thinking of Cory Pavin, and players like him that had great success without hitting the ball a long way. Phil, Tiger, Rory, all of the great players now hit it a ton, yet, they have immaculate short games.

 

[Cowboy08]

Most putts are missed inside of the 10ft range. I think the Pro told me at 3ft Pros are 95% proficient, 6ft Pros are 65% proficient, 9ft Pros are 43% proficient. These are guys that have time to practice way more than we do. I think the best area to practice is inside of 10ft and lag putts.

that is awesome to see the #s broken down like thank, thanks! My biggest problem putting is hitting it to hard/far. My line is usually good but I end up hitting it too far so when I miss I don't have any easy shot or tap in but another 5-7 foot putt

 

[gioguy21]

overall ball striking and putting. ball striking helps off the tee, irons, and wedges...and putting is where the money's made. as it's been said, lags and inside 10feet are everything...

 

[War Eagle]

While I am not a scratch or better player, over the past few months my scores have improved greatly. Talking with Trout Bum and Freddie about it yesterday, the biggest thing that has allowed me to improve is the fact that my short game has been much improved.

When missing a green, the ability to get my chip/pitch shot close for an easy par saving putt has been a tremendous help. Yesterday wasnt my best day on the course by any means, but the fact that I was able to get up and down 6 times yesterday was definitely the difference. I shot an 83, got up and down 6 times after a missed green. Take the short game work away and I am looking at 6+ more strokes, and staring at a score in the 90s.

 

[Cowboy08]

While I am not a scratch or better player, over the past few months my scores have improved greatly. Talking with Trout Bum and Freddie about it yesterday, the biggest thing that has allowed me to improve is the fact that my short game has been much improved.

When missing a green, the ability to get my chip/pitch shot close for an easy par saving putt has been a tremendous help. Yesterday wasnt my best day on the course by any means, but the fact that I was able to get up and down 6 times yesterday was definitely the difference. I shot an 83, got up and down 6 times after a missed green. Take the short game work away and I am looking at 6+ more strokes, and staring at a score in the 90s.

my chipping off the green has been pretty good but lately I have found myself in the 30-60 yard range where I don't know if I should bump and run and hit a little pitch shot and it has cost me strokes. Also, when I am that close I am not really sure if I should be using my 56, 60, pitching or approach wedge. I guess I have to practice those little pitch shots more.....off to the range I go!

 

[Tadashi70]

The thing that really helped me with confidence on the choker putts was the pull back drill. 6 putts from any given area, and any that miss need to go away from the hole a full club length. Continue until all are holed. I found it to really give a great variety on each hole and for at least a day, really really helped my personal efforts on course.

I look forward to checking out your drills dude! Hopefully they add to the solution I'm seeking haha

the pull back drill is an excellent drill. Thanks for reminding me of it.

Well a typical practice session for me is different every time depending on what I'm working on. Most of my sessions are about 1-2 hours and I like to divide up what I'm working on. If I'm working on my short game then it will be just that, my short game. I will only take my wedges and my putter down to the range and will work on everything from full shots with my wedges, to pitches, chips, bunker shots, flop shots everything, and with every wedge. Then I starting doing putting drills and might play a game of getting one ball up and down to every flag on the practice green.

On the days I'm working on my full swing I will spend most of the time with my long and mid irons working on whatever it is that I need to work on. I don't just stand there firing off balls, but take my time and try and go through my full shot routine with every ball. I will then move on to driver, and woods, and then I will play my course in my head, meaning I will play the course on the range and hit each shot based on the shot I hit before it, and then give myself a two putt on every green.

I'm still not a great practicer, but I'm getting better and am learning every time I go to the range.


Glad to have you on board, sounds like you are making great progress and you are much more disiplined than I am right now. I am playing more right now as its the playing season, but this winter I will be working on my game much more than I will be playing. Really looking forward to following you as you get there and its clear with the work you are putting in that you will.

great drill, do you even play you misses?

Most putts are missed inside of the 10ft range. I think the Pro told me at 3ft Pros are 95% proficient, 6ft Pros are 65% proficient, 9ft Pros are 43% proficient. These are guys that have time to practice way more than we do. I think the best area to practice is inside of 10ft and lag putts.

grant next time out take note of your proximity to the hole. Are you inside 10', 15', 20' the majority of the time? I would 1) work on those distances 2) working on dialing it in closer if you are outside of the 20' range.

While I am not a scratch or better player, over the past few months my scores have improved greatly. Talking with Trout Bum and Freddie about it yesterday, the biggest thing that has allowed me to improve is the fact that my short game has been much improved.

When missing a green, the ability to get my chip/pitch shot close for an easy par saving putt has been a tremendous help. Yesterday wasnt my best day on the course by any means, but the fact that I was able to get up and down 6 times yesterday was definitely the difference. I shot an 83, got up and down 6 times after a missed green. Take the short game work away and I am looking at 6+ more strokes, and staring at a score in the 90s.

your short game has improved since we started playing. It shows around the green as you pointed out. Just remember to keep those feet wider than they were yesterday.

 

[wadesworld]

I have a question for the scratch, near scratch, or just dang good golfers among you.

We've all heard stories of folks that are naturally good at golf. You know, you buddy who was a baseball player in high school, but decided to give golf a try 2 years ago and is currently playing to a 3 handicap.

However, I'm interested in those of you that came from the top (high handicapper) and worked your way down.

Was there a breakthrough in your game? Was it a particular instructor? A change in technique? Just lots more hours of practice? Or was it just slow and steady improvement?

Just curious to see if anyone made any big jumps and where those jumps happened if so.

 

[coolbreeze]

the pull back drill is an excellent drill. Thanks for reminding me of it.

great drill, do you even play you misses?

grant next time out take note of your proximity to the hole. Are you inside 10', 15', 20' the majority of the time? I would 1) work on those distances 2) working on dialing it in closer if you are outside of the 20' range.


your short game has improved since we started playing. It shows around the green as you pointed out. Just remember to keep those feet wider than they were yesterday.

Yep, I'll play my misses based on where they go and then decide what the most likely next shot will be.