Heads up putting

[Payton333]

Was playing a practice round tonight behind a slow group so I decided to fool around on the greens a bit. I tried putting heads up. It’s kind of like pitching or bowling, you don’t look at the ball, you look at the target. Anyhow, I made a couple of doozies, and a lot of tap-ins on those that didn’t fall. I’m not saying I’m convinced, but I’m certainly intrigued. Anyone here put heads up? Anyone try? Your results?
If my experience means anything at all, give it a go on the practice green for fun. I know I will!

 

[Jman]

Was playing a practice round tonight behind a slow group so I decided to fool around on the greens a bit. I tried putting heads up. It’s kind of like pitching or bowling, you don’t look at the ball, you look at the target. Anyhow, I made a couple of doozies, and a lot of tap-ins on those that didn’t fall. I’m not saying I’m convinced, but I’m certainly intrigued. Anyone here put heads up? Anyone try? Your results?
If my experience means anything at all, give it a go on the practice green for fun. I know I will!

I will make some of my kids do it in practice when they start getting really manipulative in their stroke, it tends to free them up

 

[Desmond]

I find it's a good drill, and it's fun.

 

[Payton333]

I found it rather amazing how your brain/eyes can just make it go where you are looking!

 

[Annhl8rX]

I found it rather amazing how your brain/eyes can just make it go where you are looking!

I’m a terrible putter, so I might as well give it a try. I imagine there will be some whiffs though.

 

[Annhl8rX]

When you do this on a putt with significant break do you still look at the hole? Do you look at some intermediate target? Do you just not do it on those putts?

 

[Payton333]

When you do this on a putt with significant break do you still look at the hole? Do you look at some intermediate target? Do you just not do it on those putts?

When you do this on a putt with significant break do you still look at the hole? Do you look at some intermediate target? Do you just not do it on those putts?

No, you look at the target. So in a big break you look at the apex.

 

[Payton333]

When you do this on a putt with significant break do you still look at the hole? Do you look at some intermediate target? Do you just not do it on those putts?

Found this. This indicates you pick a spot in the target line and not the apex. Like I said, I’m completely new to this!!!

 

[jpgolf]

I have found, personally, that it works well for me from roughly 5 feet and in. It takes your eyes away from manipulating the stroke - and you just do it. It’s sort of my last gasp effort to make putts when all goes squirrelly.

 

[MrDC]

I like to think I basically putt this way, although I do look at the ball just before swinging, I never stare at the ball for too long, prefer to setup, stare down the hole, then look at the ball and swing.

 

[Daddio]

Thanks. I putted awful last round, just so mechanical and tight. Going to see how this works when I get back from this little trip I'm on. Might even give it a go in the scramble I'm playing in Illinois tomorrow if my stroke is still OTL.

 

[oumagic]

I have been putting kind of like this for a bit. I pick out the line and then look at a point about 2-3’ in front of the ball where I have the hole in my peripheral vision. I am not sure I am putting better than before on the long ones, but I do think I am putting better from inside 15’. I tend to get too focused on putter/ball than target and this has helped. No clue if it is a permanent change.

 

[WLG1952]

I look at the cup when practicing sometimes. It seems to steady my putting stroke, while adding to distance control.

When actually playing, I watch my intermediate target in front of my ball. I still see both the ball, and my my intermediate target at set up, I just pay more attention to the spot in front of the ball.

 

[Elbow Jobertski]

I've been doing it a while. It has been a massive positive. Mostly because I'm a yippy headcase who couldn't stop watching the putter head go back.

I usually look at the hole on breaking putts unless they are really obvious and severe. Like if I'm trying to just let it roll off a ridge or something.

I'm terrible at methodically reading greens and do better if I just sort of subconsciously process what I see and go with it. Which leads to some seriously horrific results here or there but in the long run it is an improvement.

For me the biggest adjustment was that because I wasn't decelerating (from looking at the clubhead) and making a smooth stroke I had to mentally recalibrate distance. I still choo-choo one occasionally but that's getting better.

Sometimes I'll feel foolish when I'd blow a short one or roll one off the green and think I should go back, but I'd remind myself the goal was to go from a horrific putter to just kinda crappy and that's been about the result.

 

[YukonLiving]

I look at the hole to gauge distance and stroke during pre-shot swings, but put my eyes back down to my ball to make my putt.

I've considered trying to putt just looking at my target... maybe I should just give it a try.

 

[KEV]

I've played around with this and did surprising good with it. When my putting goes south I'll go back to it for awhile and I seem to putt a little more freely. I guess my brain must shut off a bit.

 

[rollin]

When you do this on a putt with significant break do you still look at the hole? Do you look at some intermediate target? Do you just not do it on those putts?

No, you look at the target. So in a big break you look at the apex.

Found this. This indicates you pick a spot in the target line and not the apex. Like I said, I’m completely new to this!!!

Im not suggesting anyone here was dictating a proper way to do it....but honestly how can any of this actually be written in stone or suggested as any more of a proper/correct way of doing it then anything else? when in reality it can only be subjective as well as personal choice.

Looking at target line (far target) imo is no different from looking at ball and close target line. I feel this may throw one off speed wise and even line read wise as the eyes/brain sees a large picture. So Im thinking when a sloped break involved why not look at cup anyway while taking in (absorbing) the entire picture?

You see,,,,,when I see a good putting line from afar I tend to see it through a large field of view with the cup being the end point. I can easily putt the ball through a targeted non cup line while looking at cup anyway and knowing the ball should follow the path required towards the hole based on the pre-visual analysis. .

Ever walk up to a long putt pretty quick (perhaps an outing or just dont give much thought your tired and its late , etc)? and you simply look at that the entire picture and step up quickly and while viewing the hole you do actually make a real good loooong putt along the required non hole target line? Wel''''imo its the same thing Im trying to describe.
People do hit draws and fades into fairways and on to greens all the time via looking at landing areas while actually swinging to a target line not directed at that landing area but while still looking there. here again imo very much the same concept. No? Just an interesting thought.

 

[Payton333]

I

Im not suggesting anyone here was dictating a proper way to do it....but honestly how can any of this actually be written in stone or suggested as any more of a proper/correct way of doing it then anything else? when in reality it can only be subjective as well as personal choice.

Looking at target line (far target) imo is no different from looking at ball and close target line. I feel this may throw one off speed wise and even line read wise as the eyes/brain sees a large picture. So Im thinking when a sloped break involved why not look at cup anyway while taking in (absorbing) the entire picture?

You see,,,,,when I see a good putting line from afar I tend to see it through a large field of view with the cup being the end point. I can easily putt the ball through a targeted non cup line while looking at cup anyway and knowing the ball should follow the path required towards the hole based on the pre-visual analysis. .

Ever walk up to a long putt pretty quick (perhaps an outing or just dont give much thought your tired and its late , etc)? and you simply look at that the entire picture and step up quickly and while viewing the hole you do actually make a real good loooong putt along the required non hole target line? Wel''''imo its the same thing Im trying to describe.
People do hit draws and fades into fairways and on to greens all the time via looking at landing areas while actually swinging to a target line not directed at that landing area but while still looking there. here again imo very much the same concept. No? Just an interesting thought.

I get what your saying and I’m certainly not the one that knows the “proper” way of doing this. I don’t usually pick a spot when putting. I usually find myself trying to gauge how much a put will break and align myself (the line on the ball) that same distance to the left or right of the hole. So long story short, I pick a target line which seems to be conducive with this technique.

 

[Ab Crevoiserat]

After reading all of these posts it started me thinking. In every sport involving throwing a ball you look at the target, Baseball, Bowling, Cricket, even Cornhole . Okay no ball there but you get my point. But if you are hitting the ball, the ball is actually the target and you are taught to look at the ball otherwise you'll never hit it or at best you'll miss hit it. Baseball and Tennis for example. I think this teaching carries over to Golf for most of us. " See the ball". Yes, in both you try to hit the ball where you want it to go but that's more of a guiding / timing thing then aiming. Now Golf is different you actually have two targets, the ball and the hole. You have to hit the ball to get it to the hole but you also have to but it where you want it so it will go in. Thinking of your putter as an extension of your hand is an interesting thought but usually you are holding the ball in your hand when you throw. I'm going to give this a try, it kind of makes sense to me.

 

[TxAggie2018]

I'll have to try this on the practice green.

 

[Elbow Jobertski]

Im not suggesting anyone here was dictating a proper way to do it....but honestly how can any of this actually be written in stone or suggested as any more of a proper/correct way of doing it then anything else? when in reality it can only be subjective as well as personal choice.

Looking at target line (far target) imo is no different from looking at ball and close target line. I feel this may throw one off speed wise and even line read wise as the eyes/brain sees a large picture. So Im thinking when a sloped break involved why not look at cup anyway while taking in (absorbing) the entire picture?

Abandoning yourself to that kind of instinct can be a bit scary unless you already think in those terms.

When I started golfing as a kid it was just me and some clubs and I would look at the hole when putting because it seemed natural. I never broke down a put in terms of aim line or anything. It was just instinctual. Until my college coach insisted that was bad and I start looking at the ball and being more mechanical in terms of line and speed and I'd go slap him but he's probably dead by now. I went back to the instinctual read after a few years of misery but still looked at the ball and it took 20 years to figure out how much even that was screwing me up.

Anyway...

I guess the looking at a line/waypoint at hitting it there method makes sense for people who read the green mechanically but can't make a smooth stroke looking at the ball because they follow the blade or get tense and flinch or whatever.. but I can't see teaching someone to do it that way from the start because like you say it would be more precise to just look at the contact point.

I don't know if this is a learning thing or sort of like how some people have internal monologues and some internally think in the abstract. Maybe the latter group would be better just doing it the way I do...

 

[Elbow Jobertski]

The biggest pitfall of putting like this is that when you inevitably have a real stinker of a day you get doubts about putting in a non-standard way.

I'll look down sometimes when things are going bad just to switch, more on longer putts than short ones though.

If people want to add some head up into their game I'd suggest trying it five feet and in for a while for those days where the confidence in the short ones is gone. On a straight simple short putt head up is really effective because distance control isn't a thing.

 

[pattyboy21]

It certainly helps if you have a tendency to watch your putter head in your backstroke. I have a buddy that putts this way 100% of the time and he's known to make a lot of putts.