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learning to putt

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F.N.G

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I was wondering how much time a week is ideal for putting practice. As well as the best drills to work on. I am a decent putter, but I want to be a great putter.
 
Lessons are a good way to get better. Time wise my instructor recommends a 70/30 putting/shorts game to full swing ratio.
 
Thanks, I have looked into lessons but I have more time them money at this point in my life. I can't afford to spend the money on lessons, or I won't be able to play for a while. So since putting on the practice green is free I tend to do that a couple hours a week.
 
F.N.G said:
Thanks, I have looked into lessons but I have more time them money at this point in my life. I can't afford to spend the money on lessons, or I won't be able to play for a while. So since putting on the practice green is free I tend to do that a couple hours a week.
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Then check out the thread I mentioned as it will give you some drills and ideas of how to pin point the areas you need to work on. What are you struggling with specifically?
 
8-10 footers are killer for me. I can lag it pretty well but I seem to miss the 8-10 footer about 75% of the time. With my short game being lacking at best I tend to leave myself 8 foot short or past most of the time. I'm working on the short game quite a bit to help with that. But until then I need to be able to save par more often to get to my goal of getting a 79 this season.
 
I think the professionals average about 50% conversion from 10ft so don't feel bad if you're missing 75%.

Are you missing more push/pull? Or misreading?
 
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I'd read Unconscious Putting. It's a system that has really helped me, and there are several tips discussed for reading greens and maximizing practice for putting.
 
Howzat said:
Getting lessons is always your best bet. I struggled for a long time and they turned me from an awful putter to a pretty solid one. I know that is not an option for everyone and this thread has several drills in it that can help give you some things to think about: http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?49380-SeeMore-SPi-Cyber-Coach
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I'm going to go back through this thread as part of my grandaddy prep. Putting is my weakness but by the end of the year it won't be.
 
F.N.G said:
8-10 footers are killer for me. I can lag it pretty well but I seem to miss the 8-10 footer about 75% of the time. With my short game being lacking at best I tend to leave myself 8 foot short or past most of the time. I'm working on the short game quite a bit to help with that. But until then I need to be able to save par more often to get to my goal of getting a 79 this season.
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After reading this, I have to ask how many greens do you hit in regulation? I know my game is driven by GIR and if I miss a lot, my short game can't handle that much pressure. Might want to work on short/mid irons to help you reach your goal of 79. Leaving yourself 8-10 footers on chips/short pitches isn't good either. I would probably focus on irons and chipping/pitches instead of putting.
 
Most of my 8 ft. Are a speed issue and hitting it harder or softer then I think I need to. So I am either short and on line or 2 foot passed and just missed it by a little.

My gir, have been the worst part of my game since I started. A push to the right was always my miss till I started aiming left to make up for it and it would pull or push slice as my brain tried to fix my swing half way threw. So I know I need improve there, however bucket of balls and swing lessons cost money so we are back to that again sadly.
 
F.N.G said:
Most of my 8 ft. Are a speed issue and hitting it harder or softer then I think I need to. So I am either short and on line or 2 foot passed and just missed it by a little.

My gir, have been the worst part of my game since I started. A push to the right was always my miss till I started aiming left to make up for it and it would pull or push slice as my brain tried to fix my swing half way threw. So I know I need improve there, however bucket of balls and swing lessons cost money so we are back to that again sadly.
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If it is distance control that you are struggling with and you consistently hit your intended line, I would suggest doing a ladder drill to know how far you hit the ball with each length of stroke. You need to ingrain how long of a stroke to make for a 3,5,7,10, etc foot putt. Then when you get to the course you can take your X length stroke and see if the greens are running faster or slower than your baseline. As an example if your 10 foot baseline stroke is only running 9 feet, you know you need to make the stroke a little longer.

That drill requires you to go to a course. I spend a lot of time in the evening rolling balls over something no larger than a dime that is about 16" in front of the ball to ensure I can roll the ball online everytime no matter what stroke I make.
 
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