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Plumb Bobbing Putts

I think it's hilarious that surveyors plumb bob while surveying land to take measurements in slope and grade but people think plumb bobbing putts is a myth. LOL
 
Thainer21 said:
I think it's hilarious that surveyors plumb bob while surveying land to take measurements in slope and grade but people think plumb bobbing putts is a myth. LOL
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Using a plum bob while surveying will give you the slope where you are measuring it AT THAT POINT, not where the slope is ahead of you. Different.

I think people's drawback from it is between holding the putter, eyeballing the sight line, and than determining the correct the break is not going to help their putting game because of those variables. I personally have never tried it but am interested to give it a shot to see if it helps me reading a break.
 
Jjmorris said:
Using a plum bob while surveying will give you the slope where you are measuring it AT THAT POINT, not where the slope is ahead of you. Different.

I think people's drawback from it is between holding the putter, eyeballing the sight line, and than determining the correct the break is not going to help their putting game because of those variables. I personally have never tried it but am interested to give it a shot to see if it helps me reading a break.
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I know. But with many putts having a pretty consistent break, especially if you do it ball to hole, then hole to ball, it's a good tool. Even if you don't know if the putt breaks, a plumb bob will confirm a subtle slope if done properly.
 
Thainer21 said:
I know. But with many putts having a pretty consistent break, especially if you do it ball to hole, then hole to ball, it's a good tool. Even if you don't know if the putt breaks, a plumb bob will confirm a subtle slope if done properly.
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That is true and a good point. I want to give it a try as I can see where it would be a useful quick check when reading a green.
 
Thainer21 said:
I think it's hilarious that surveyors plumb bob while surveying land to take measurements in slope and grade but people think plumb bobbing putts is a myth. LOL
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Sorry again. I get that plumb bobbing can help one see if the ground around the hole slopes in a particular direction by being able to estimate the angle between the putter shaft and the surface of the green. If that helps one estimate the break good for them.

It's the concept of the hole "shifting" from behind the shaft to one side or the other that makes no sense to me.
 
Jeanthemachine said:
Sorry again. I get that plumb bobbing can help one see if the ground around the hole slopes in a particular direction by being able to estimate the angle between the putter shaft and the surface of the green. If that helps one estimate the break good for them.

It's the concept of the hole "shifting" from behind the shaft to one side or the other that makes no sense to me.
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The putter shaft will hang perfectly 90degrees from the ground if held correctly. The hole moves when the ground isn't perfectly flat. It's not something that is easily explainable, but when done correctly it actually works. There are plenty of theories on why it works or not, I believe it helps me get a read on which was the putt goes.

Don't apologize!! You certainly didn't do anything that warrants one.
 
Thainer21 said:
I think it's hilarious that surveyors plumb bob while surveying land to take measurements in slope and grade but people think plumb bobbing putts is a myth. LOL
Click to expand...

What you have to remember Thain is some people have less dominance in there eyes than others, while it has been scientifically proven that one eye is at least somewhat more dominant than the other, it may only be slightly more dominant and for that reason plumb bobbing doesn't appear to work. Also alot of people are cross dominant....they are right handed but left eye dominant and they may not know that.
 
"It's the concept of the hole "shifting" from behind the shaft to one side or the other that makes no sense to me."
this is what I don't get either - the explanation has also changed from the start w two eyes and close one -- to when you look with your dominant eye
Also hole to ball and ball to hole measurements? maybe pictures would help
I am all for it - if it works or if I knew how to work it!
 
BTW I am right handed , left eye dominant - uh oh?:banghead:
 
Some of you guys just aren't grasping the concept. There is no shifting whatsoever. Shut the non-dominant eye, line up the dominant eye directly behind the shaft on a straight line through the center of the ball toward the hole. If there is a break to the putt the shaft will lie on one side of the hole. That is the side where you will aim your putt, pure and simple, no shifting of image at all.
 
bajapalm said:
"It's the concept of the hole "shifting" from behind the shaft to one side or the other that makes no sense to me."
this is what I don't get either - the explanation has also changed from the start w two eyes and close one -- to when you look with your dominant eye
Also hole to ball and ball to hole measurements? maybe pictures would help
I am all for it - if it works or if I knew how to work it!
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Okay here is the easiest demonstration of what he is refering to......take your hands and extend your arms all the way out....now use your index fingers and your thumbs to make a small "hole" about the size of a soda can.

With your arms fully extended and BOTH eyes open, use that hole to sight something in the distance...now close one eye at a time....the eye that keeps the object in the hole when open is your dominant eye...but this also show how an object can appear to shift.

This is the same theory that Keagan Bradley uses when you see him turn his head sideways when reading putts, that is because he is right handed but left eye dominant and he is trying to get the left eye over the line of the putt.
 
Don't know which eye is dominant. You can figure it out in 5 seconds. Point at a fairly distant object with both eyes open. Hold that point and now shut one eye first, then open it and shut the other eye. Whichever eye maintained the pointing finger directly on the object is your dominant eye. I am right-handed and left eye dominant.
 
Thainer21 said:
The putter shaft will hang perfectly 90degrees from the ground if held correctly. The hole moves when the ground isn't perfectly flat. It's not something that is easily explainable, but when done correctly it actually works. There are plenty of theories on why it works or not, I believe it helps me get a read on which was the putt goes.


Don't apologize!! You certainly didn't do anything that warrants one.
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Actually, if you hang the putter, it will be perpendicular to the center of the earth and not at 90* to the surface of the green.

Do you first hang the putter with the shaft covering the ball and hole and then adjust the shaft so that it is 90* to the ground? If that's the process I am beginning to understand.
 
I always wondered what the hell people were looking at when they did this hahaha
 
Unless it's perfectly flat ground and no break, you won't be able to hang a perpendicular putter that covers the center of the ball and the hole, that's what shows you which side of the cup you need to putt toward. So you first hang it through the center of the ball and try to get it straight to the cup, but it will be on one side or the other.
 
I am curious about something. If plumb bobbing really worked and gave an advantage to people when putting wouldn't the USGA and R&A banned it by now?
 
It has got to work a bit, one of my friends dad does it religiously and was so good at reading putts he was giving plum bobbing lessons half way through our golf trip to everyone else
 
Attempo said:
Don't know which eye is dominant. You can figure it out in 5 seconds. Point at a fairly distant object with both eyes open. Hold that point and now shut one eye first, then open it and shut the other eye. Whichever eye maintained the pointing finger directly on the object is your dominant eye. I am right-handed and left eye dominant.
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When I am looking at something in the distance and I am pointing at it, I see two fingers pointing. The one that feels more natural is to aim the one on left on my right hand and the one on the right on my left hand! Using my right hand, my right eye naturally lines up the left finger. Using my left hand, my left eye naturally lines up the right finger!
 
I always thought it was a myth to plum bob but that was a great explanation. How do you know what eye dominate you are? When those that plum bob don't do you miss more putts? How much better are you when you use?
 
Make a circle with your forefinger and thumb hold it up about two feet in front of your face and with both eyes look through it at a door knob or some other object. Then close one eye. If you can still see the object then the open eye is your dominant eye, it not, the other eye is the dominant eye.
 
BradMorris64 said:
Make a circle with your forefinger and thumb hold it up about two feet in front of your face and with both eyes look through it at a door knob or some other object. Then close one eye. If you can still see the object then the open eye is your dominant eye, it not, the other eye is the dominant eye.
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Thanks
 
Hmm, interesting. I thought I new what plumb bobbing was, but your explanation was really good. I was a little off. Has me intrigued and maybe something I can incorporate on my 10-15ft putts.

In my experience, the reason I hate plumb bobbing is that it does hold up play. After your explanation, however, I'm certain the guys in my league who do this are doing it wrong. They are absolutely horrendous putters, and if they didn't pick up there ball before they get frustrated they would almost certainly 4 putt, maybe even 5 putt. It's a joke. One guy probably takes a good 2 mins on his routine. He walks around the green and plumb bobs different angles. I just want to shout, just f'ing go you're gonna 3 putt anyway! haha.
 
One of the more impressive aspects of plum bobbing ... is that the guys who can do it not only read the break direction, but there's some way of correlating the distance between your shaft and the hole with the measurement of break. So, some guys can do it and say 4 inches break.
 
Seamus MacDuff said:
One of the more impressive aspects of plum bobbing ... is that the guys who can do it not only read the break direction, but there's some way of correlating the distance between your shaft and the hole with the measurement of break. So, some guys can do it and say 4 inches break.
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That's the point of it though.
 
Plum Bobbing pisses me off. It's always the terrible putters that do it and they have to do it from behind and in front of the ball. Takes forever.

I never see pro's doing it but I could be wrong.
 
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