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Putting. Getting back to basics

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After hearing from all of you guys I think my two biggest mistakes over the last year or so of bad putting were: One, changing my grip. Two, focusing too heavily on my putting arc and almost obsessing over it.

So, I'm going back to my old grip which is just a very minor adjustment of putting my index finger straight down the grip. Then, I'm going to only focus on rolling that ball end over end - no more focus on my arc.
 
m3golfjackson said:
After hearing from all of you guys I think my two biggest mistakes over the last year or so of bad putting were Two, focusing too heavily on my putting arc and almost obsessing over it.
no more focus on my arc.
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Again I think this was my problem. I was always thinking about SBST trying to keep the face square and not concentrating on rolling the damn ball. Going to use my hands to feel the roll and use my imagination to see the lines and speed. And just have f*cking fun. Im tired of beating my head in wall when on the greens.
 
2BFAST said:
Again I think this was my problem. I was always thinking about SBST trying to keep the face square and not concentrating on rolling the damn ball. Going to use my hands to feel the roll and use my imagination to see the lines and speed. And just have f*cking fun. Im tired of beating my head in wall when on the greens.
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I'm with ya man. Sounds a lot like me. Here's to a year of making a ton more putts!
 
m3golfjackson said:
For most of my golf life I have been a great putter while the rest of my game struggled. The last few years I've worked so hard on the rest of my game that I've almost forgotten how to putt and it's become somewhat of a struggle for me. I've gone through about 5 putters in a year. But, I'm realizing it's likely user error and not the putters fault.

Simple question: What was your lightbulb moment that turned around your putting in recent years?
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You can make putting as difficult, or as easy as you want it to be.

I've had two very different putting lessons from two different PGA pros, both of whom I respect.


Putting Lesson 1:

Had me putt with a "putting rod" in my chest to help increase the connection between the putter and my upper body. Then had me stand on two balance disks and putt to increase my awareness of the importance of balance in my stroke. Recommended 5 different drills to be done at least 20 reps each week. If I were to keep at it with the drills for somewhere between 3-9 months, I would groove a "repeatable" stroke.

Putting lesson 2:

After having some, but not dramatic improvement with lesson 1 and putting in significant work, I happened to be going to a Shawn Clement clinic. I was interested to see whether or not he would recommend the same drills and practice routine.

Here's his lesson:

-- Pay very careful attention to reading the putt behind the ball. Pick out an intermediate point and use that to align your club and body. Do NOT pay attention to what you see when over the ball

-- Take your stance where the putter can truly hang beneath your arms and can be swung back and forth without manipulation.

-- Look at the putt, especially imagining the last 3-4 feet. What speed do you want the ball approaching the hole? See it drop in. Will it just drop over the front edge? Will it drop in without touching the sides? Will it bang against the back and drop in?

-- Once you have that picture, look back to the ball and let the club swing without manipulation, focusing on making contact with the sweet spot.

That's it.

I know you'll think I'm crazy, but give it a try. You'll be amazed.

Will you make every putt? Of course not. You'll misread some. You'll let your mind wander sometimes and make off-center contact. Sometimes you'll feel the need to guide the putter, which will almost always result in a miss. But more often than not, if you just focus on letting the putter swing without manipulation and that visual picture, you'll make an excellent putt.

The hard part is separating the outcome. You have to be content that you just let putter swing. Sometimes the ball will drop, and sometimes it won't. But if you let the putter swing without manipulation, you've done the best you could. When you start attaching the outcome is when you start guiding the putter, to "make sure" you make that 3-footer.
 
Im digging lesson two
 
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