OneFootShort

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How are we supposed to perceive these? Over the last little bit, I've made a conscience effort to make a more confident stroke. Over the last two days (3-18 hole rounds), I have lipped out almost 20 putts. Anywhere from 4 feet to 15 feet. I've always thought that if you're hitting the hole, you're making a good putt but they're just not falling. While I was pretty happy with the stroke and how I putted, the amount was a little disheartening knowing that if just half of those fell, how much better the score would have been. I expect to lip a few out here and there, but not that many.

Do you all make a change if this is happening? I assume it's mainly a green-reading issue, and our club has been playing the "rotating between two holes on one green" for like 3 months, so the holes are beat up pretty good. Any thoughts?
 
As my putting has improved, so has the quantity of lip outs. I wouldn’t overthink the ones outside 5-6 feet, at least for me, since those aren’t as high probability makes. If you’re lipping out a bunch on the shorter end of that range, maybe focus on your speed and line.
 
Are they consistent on which side of the hole they're lipping out? Maybe a slight aiming adjustment is called for?
 
There could be a few contributing factors causing more lip-outs.

- I know where I play and with whom, since the stat of COVID restrictions the flagstick is being left in. So one case could be damage to the edges due to people not taking enough care when reaching into the hole to retrieve their ball.
- At my course, due to reduced maintained people and the time of year with the course seeing less play, the holes are not freshly cut every day and can be left in the same position for days resulting in subtle changes to the green contour around the cup due to people standing close to the hole to get their ball.
- Or the edges could just be "rounding" over time.
- Finally, I am of the opinion that the flagstick being in disrupts the gravity field at the hole such that balls that would normally drop are being exposed to less gravity as they cross the hole, resulting in more lip-outs. o_O
 
Are they consistent on which side of the hole they're lipping out? Maybe a slight aiming adjustment is called for?
Almost exclusively on the high side (lead to my thought of maybe I was just giving the break too much respect.)
 
There could be a few contributing factors causing more lip-outs.

- I know where I play and with whom, since the stat of COVID restrictions the flagstick is being left in. So one case could be damage to the edges due to people not taking enough care when reaching into the hole to retrieve their ball.
- At my course, due to reduced maintained people and the time of year with the course seeing less play, the holes are not freshly cut every day and can be left in the same position for days resulting in subtle changes to the green contour around the cup due to people standing close to the hole to get their ball.
- Or the edges could just be "rounding" over time.
- Finally, I am of the opinion that the flagstick being in disrupts the gravity field at the hole such that balls that would normally drop are being exposed to less gravity as they cross the hole, resulting in more lip-outs. o_O
These two are huge, the holes were definitely showing what I would consider moderate to severe wear. They have been in the same two locations on the greens since December I believe, maybe November.

I take the pin out, I just don't like it in. Makes the hole look so much smaller to me. So unfortunately, I can't use the gravity excuse, though I'd like to! :LOL:
 
How are we supposed to perceive these? Over the last little bit, I've made a conscience effort to make a more confident stroke. Over the last two days (3-18 hole rounds), I have lipped out almost 20 putts. Anywhere from 4 feet to 15 feet. I've always thought that if you're hitting the hole, you're making a good putt but they're just not falling. While I was pretty happy with the stroke and how I putted, the amount was a little disheartening knowing that if just half of those fell, how much better the score would have been. I expect to lip a few out here and there, but not that many.

Do you all make a change if this is happening? I assume it's mainly a green-reading issue, and our club has been playing the "rotating between two holes on one green" for like 3 months, so the holes are beat up pretty good. Any thoughts?

Yeah. I played in a scramble this summer on a 5400 yard par 71 course. Winning score was -13. Most years it takes -17+ to win. Main reason? No one could make putts. The course left them in the same position they had been in all winter due to Covid. This was in July.

So I think it’s probably course condition dependent as much as anything.
 
I don't lip out often, because I am a weak putter. I generally die it into the hole, or come up sadly short.
 
As my putting has improved, so has the quantity of lip outs. I wouldn’t overthink the ones outside 5-6 feet, at least for me, since those aren’t as high probability makes. If you’re lipping out a bunch on the shorter end of that range, maybe focus on your speed and line.
Yea, they were good lip-outs for the majority of them. Like hit the right side of the lip and finish on the left side or even under the left side (if that makes sense). Still have some work to do in the 4-6 foot range though. Greens are also bumpy at the moment. I just don't have a lot of confidence in them.
 
It just became the running joke through Sunday, all my playing partners started calling me Lippy
 
I'm by no means an expert at anything, especially golf related things. But, if you're consistently missing to one side, that may be something to look at.

My son and I played golf yesterday. It was his first time on a course and his putting, he kept missing to the outside of the cup... so he was pushing his putts... maybe his club face was opening during his putts, I don't know but he's going to practice on a level surface and see if it repeats itself and make corrections in his aiming if necessary.
 
This time of year, especially with the alternating holes, I wouldn't think anything of it. I would continue to do what you're doing & eventually the putts are going to drop. There are too many variables this time of year, especially here in the Northeast, where greens have frozen, then thawed, then frozen again with footprints, bounces all the way to the hole. If I were you, I wouldn't change a thing. The putts will eventually start dropping, especially as the weather warms & the greens get better. As long as your speed & direction are fine (y)
 
How far past the hole are they finishing? According to Pelz, you should putt at a speed to have them finish 17 inches past the hole. You might have too much speed. Since the optional flagstick in rule took place, I've seen an exponential increase in damage to the hole top edge as many golfers are careless with pulling the ball out of the hole and drag their fingers/hands against the lip. Several holes with amaged lips are a reality now at many courses unless you are teeing off early in the morning on those days when they have new hole locations.
 
How far past the hole are they finishing? According to Pelz, you should putt at a speed to have them finish 17 inches past the hole. You might have too much speed. Since the optional flagstick in rule took place, I've seen an exponential increase in damage to the hole top edge as many golfers are careless with pulling the ball out of the hole and drag their fingers/hands against the lip. Several holes with amaged lips are a reality now at many courses unless you are teeing off early in the morning on those days when they have new hole locations.
Yes, we had some horribly mangled up holes. I actually fixed two as I was out there. My misses were almost all within a foot and a half. Pelz was one of these reasons I changed my putting style. I was dying them in and like millsan1, I was leaving several short, not giving them a chance. I think part of the damage is either a result of the pin being left in and people digging to get the ball, old people sticking their putter in the hole to get the ball out (no offense to old people, that's just who I see do it), and people hitting the lip as they put the pin back in.
 
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