So, You Want to Be a Great Putter

[leftshot]

Gary Player said it best: Analysis, paralysis.

I think it is worth noting Gary Player's point as just seeing these two words could give people the wrong impression. Gary Player said this around 22 years ago and he very specifically was talking about some modern day professional's over-reliance on their coach. These players were getting so much input from their coach that in Gary's opinion, they had lost the ability to make decisions on their own and totally disregarded what he called the instincts of the player. Some of these coaches were now traveling to the tournaments to coach the player during the tournament. Gary was bemoaning these player's inability to make decisions on their own.

I don't see many of us having coaches follow us around all the time giving input. That would be really EXPENSIVE. But I do think there are a few relevant lessons in what Gary said. The kind of coaching we need has to be the kind that enables us to make good decisions on the golf course, and if we have good instincts about some of those decisions, it should include those good instincts as part of the decision-making process. Moreover, improvement in any part of our game should have the byproduct of INCREASING the confidence we have in the decisions we make. Being committed and focused on a course of action in and of itself produces better outcomes.

If you are interested in a contemporaneous article on what Gary said, here's one that was pretty good. https://www.independent.ie/sport/golfers-suffering-paralysis-by-analysis-26155768.html

 

[leftshot]

The best putter I regularly play with has horrible mechanics. Open stance, takes the head outside the line, cuts across the ball. Deadly inside 10' and almost never 3 putts.

My wife has even worse mechanics but makes more long putts and hits the pin more often than anyone else I play with. Her philosophy? What break? Hit it to the hole! She also has a lot of long putts coming back to the hole and occasionally will miss a break and end up farther from the hole than she started.

Quick story. She had walked up to her ball on the green while I parked the cart a year or so ago. She yells over "I have no idea what this one's gonna do!" She had to hit it up a big slope with a severe left to right break. As I got out of the cart, I could see it that the line was directly where I stood. I said, "Hit it hard, right at me" She did and dropped a 35 footer like it was nothing... Yeah, she likes me as her caddie.

Lots we could talk about with this one. But let me focus on this item. What you did for your wife on that putt can be a great putting diagnostic tool. When I play in 4 person scrambles I often give my playing partners the starting line similar to what you did. You find out quickly who can start the ball on the intended line and who can't, who has good distance control and who doesn't. Who rolls the ball well and who doesn't. Who can read greens themselves and who can't. This same test can easily be done on a practice green.

 

[pattyboy21]

Going with the saw grip this weekend. I've been messing around in the living room after watching Morikawa in the British Open, and I like how there's no breakdown in my wrists. I had a couple of putts during the past 2 rounds I played that were very strange, kind of wristy through impact and coming up short (definitely a new experience). We'll see...

 

[Bucketsofjoy]

James Robinson did a good video where he had a lesson from a Tour Coach. The big thing I took away from it was two things. Keeping the ball at least in the middle of your stance or further back so you don't hit up on the ball, and not swinging the putter head further through than I do back, so not to accelerate but more of a natural swing.

It's got me in the mood again actually, so I'm going to nip down the local range and do a few putting drills.

I've recently bought a new Ray Cook putter so need some practice with it.

Edit - Link to video

FWIW I've been taught the EXACT opposite of both of those tips.

Putting is wizardry.

 

[Desmond]

Anyone ever just walk up to the ball, address it, see what you see, then let it go?

No reading from 4 sides, aimpoint, devices, practice strokes, yadda, yadda. Nothing. All feel.

Some of you might be surprised....

It's called a one-footer.

 

[leftshot]

Let's talk about achieving a ball that rolls well (end-over-end, no side spin, optimal loft/launch). Many top instructors describe this as immediately achieving topspin or overspin with no sidespin. Putts that achieve topspin have more distance for the same force applied thus impacting distance control. In addition, you want a square face without any side spin. All this helps the ball go where you intend.

Let's get back to talking about rolling the ball with topspin or overspin and no sidespin. In my observation, the percentage of players that do this is in the small single digits. The advantage of doing this is the ball holds your line much better. Also, less effort is required to roll the ball a given distance. So when you first start stroking the ball with topspin it does require some adjustment to your distance control. The payoff though is once you've made that adjustment both your distance control and line will be more consistent and predictable.

Try it next time you are on the practice green.

 

[Zonadub]

Two thoughts … one to echo previous posts and one I have not yet read.

First is 3 putt avoidance. Get the first putt inside your comfort zone, whether it is 18” or 6’. If your comfort zone is 5 or 6 feet, you can really roll your first putt confidently.

Second, and probably more important (and a Captain Obvious moment)… 100% of the putts that are short of the hole don’t go in. Pelz states that the ideal speed is a putt that goes 17” past the hole. When Rickie Fowler was really rolling it well, his putts fell into the middle of the hole, not just barely dropping over the edge. Tom Watson did the same, and, if I recall, so did Tiger. The additional benefit here is that a ball that has momentum is less subject to the volcano effect that happens when feet get within an inch or 2 of the hole and compress the turf around the hole as players take their ball out of the hole. Pelz calls this the rough donut. Plus, as has been said earlier, you get a read of how the putt will break coming back.

 

[JAMKC]

1. On the practice green stroke 3 putts with your normal stroke, and make sure to take the putter head back EXACTLY to your right toe. The putts should all
go approximately the same distance.....pace off and record that distance.

2. Then putt three balls again, this time taking the HANDS back as far as the right toe....pace off and record that distance. The 3 balls should have traveled farther since
your stroke traveled farther and thus developed more acceleration.

3. Finally, putt three balls taking the hands back PAST your right foot.....pace off and record. Obviously, these 3 balls will have traveled farther than the last group.

REALLY like this and will work on it ASAP.

 

[Fatshot]

All I know is that it has worked well for me for several years now. As you get more comfortable with it you can add a few wrinkles of your own, like
adding or subtracting a "pace or two" to allow for uphill or downhill putts. This has made me a better, more consistent putter. One advantage that I
see is that it keeps me swinging the putter with the same tempo.....the only thing that adds/subtracts distance is how far back I swing the clubhead.
Good luck!!

 

[leftshot]

Very few golfers do this, though all the pros claim they do.

Once you've read the putt and are getting ready to step into the putt, they follow this sequence and task list.
1. Focus the eyes out toward the hole. The focus here is where do I want the ball to go. We tend to get ball bound and focus on the ball at our feet. Pros start and keep their attention on the target. Now some see straight lines and some see curves. The former need to focus on their starting line. Where right or left of the hole will they need to aim to get the ball started. Those who see curves are deriving the starting line from the curved path they see to the hole.
2. Align the putter face. Now the focus changes to getting the putter face pointed on the starting line.
3. Focus on the feet. Last you get the feet aligned to be able to stroke the putt on the starting line. Often you'll see pros shuffle their feet to get on target. BTW, this does NOT necessarily mean the feet are inline or more precisely parallel to the starting line. Some players have an open stance, some square, some closed. Ideally you need to determine what stance gives you a square strike, then stick with that forever. A common tip for getting the feet aligned as you need them is to start with the feet too far right (for right handers) then shuffle the feet progressively more left until you are on your target line for stroke.

Two more things to note.

During each of these tasks the pros continue to look at the hole, so that in total their eyes are looking at the hole, or the starting line spot next to the hole, about 80% of the time as they setup and before making a stroke.

Many pros add a fourth step. After setting their feet they then take one more good look at the hole before pulling the trigger.

 

[Daluteh]

Maybe I'm not understanding but are you suggesting to look at the hole or the line instead of the ball when you are putting @leftshot ?

I'm a decent enough putter on my home courses, but what I found this year when I go somewhere else I am a step below. I think my going to the same place 20 times has fooled me into thinking I'm better than I am because I do the same shots from the same area over and over again.

 

[leftshot]

Maybe I'm not understanding but are you suggesting to look at the hole or the line instead of the ball when you are putting @leftshot ?

I'm a decent enough putter on my home courses, but what I found this year when I go somewhere else I am a step below. I think my going to the same place 20 times has fooled me into thinking I'm better than I am because I do the same shots from the same area over and over again.

I'm talking about setting up to the ball. What you do before you pull the trigger.

 

[leftshot]

The difference between Pros and Amateurs Misses

We can learn a lot about what to work on by understanding these differences. This is a compilation of a number of repeated comments by great putters and putting instructors.

1. Both pros and amateurs miss putts because their putt comes up short. But this happens far less frequently with pros.

2. Pros almost never miss because of poor contact, amateurs can be seen pulling, cutting across the ball, skidding, scooping the ball, or striking it off center (heel, toe, thin or stubbed) with regularity.

3. Pros aim with precision and consistency. They start on their intended target line 99% of the time. They also practice this a lot. Amateurs miss their starting line with regularity, and many times they never even had a precise line.

3. When a great putter misses a putt it's almost always because of a misread or small misjudgement in speed. Occasionally, it is because the putt they are faced with demands a defensive approach to avoid a 3-putt. They've virtually eliminated everything else under their control. Amateurs suffer from so many causes they often can't correctly discern which ones were in play on any given miss.

 

[jdtox]

I need to frequent this thread more often it seems

 

[BroD]

I practice with a carpenters laser level at home to keep my stroke and line straight.

 

[leftshot]

I practice with a carpenters laser level at home to keep my stroke and line straight.

So, let's dive into this more. One of the key skills needed to be a great putter is starting the ball on the intended line. So, similar to what @BroD has done what do you do to hone this skill and how often?

 

[BroD]

I try to practice at home every day (about 20 strokes with the laser level) then 30 to 40 without... then when on the golf course, the only reason I have for a miss is a bad read. Confidence on your ability to putt straight (or where you want it to go) is imperative. ( Honestly, I still pull and push it occasionally for various reasons which means: I am still a work in progress)

 

[leftshot]

I try to practice at home every day (about 20 strokes with the laser level) then 30 to 40 without... then when on the golf course, the only reason I have for a miss is a bad read. Confidence on your ability to putt straight (or where you want it to go) is imperative. ( Honestly, I still pull and push it occasionally for various reasons which means: I am still a work in progress)

We're all a work in progress. Some of us have just made a little more progress than others.

 

[BroD]

 

[leftshot]

Here is my go-to for practicing getting the ball rolling on the intended line.

Yes, it's a variation on the gate drill, but it has some advantages I find beneficial. One is being able to narrow the gate in a precise way.

Another is the aiming line that provides both a visual for learning to line up your face square to the target line.

The target line also has a very slight groove. It's shallower than the dimples on a ball, so it really doesn't keep the ball online, but it does provide a little visual feedback where you wander off the line. It's a steel base, so it's actually harder to keep it online than rolling on the green. So, it really helps you make a quality strike that not only starts down the target line, but also gets you to focus on getting the ball rolling with a bit of a topspin, but if you bounce it into the plate or elevate out of the groove you aren't going to stay online, which is good.

Overall, this tool really helps groove a very precise and consistent putting stroke including setup, aim, stroke and release.

You can't see it in this picture, but underneath there is a small nub back where the ball sits. This makes it easy to swivel the Putting Tutor to set the intended line. The Putting Tutor has a secondary purpose of helping you with your green reading and distance control. If you aim the Putting Tutor incorrectly and miss, you'll know EXACTLY what you did wrong. Missed the starting line and you hit one of the steel balls? You didn't start it on the target line. Didn't hit the balls, but missed the hole? Watch the rollout. If it went too long or came up short, you didn't get the speed right. If you got the speed right, you didn't read the break properly.

 

[sneaky_pete]

I watched this video years ago and it helped my putting immensely - still use it now.

 

[Luchnia]

I watched this video years ago and it helped my putting immensely - still use it now.

Kind of cool when she asked him about the mechanics of the club and he basically said he had no clue of it. I already putt this way and I notice when I get away from this my putting is not good. IMO target golf from beginning to end works much better than all the mechanical mind clutter we are bombarded with.

Not sure where I heard it, but on some youtube vid of something I remember a guy saying, "You're target is OUT THERE." He would constantly repeat that until his students that struggled got a hold of the concept. Moe Norman used to say something like, "Shake hands with the flag."

 

[Acesteve]

To be a great putter, you need to 1) be able to read greens well, 2) be able to master your speed, and 3) have a stroke that starts on your intended line and rolls well (end-over-end, no side spin, optimal loft/launch).

There are an infinite number of ways to get all that done, but poor and mediocre putting means that there are deficiencies in one or more of those 3 things and practice should identify the points of weakness and how to improve.

I think Pattyboy has nailed the three things that need to be done and anyone watching golf on the weekend knows that apparently this can be done in many ways. My only observation relative to this is that #3 has to come first. Until I was able to roll a putt end over end pure and on my line everything else could never be worrked on; not even speed. My finding is that an end over end putt rolls further then a putt with spin and tracks over small bumps in the green. My second learning was that I needed to relearn setup. I'd been pulling putts for so many years that I setup aiming right of the hole. with a more pure roll I had to remove the pull setup and that took months just like learning to roll the ball well.

 

[Acesteve]

This weekend I worked on my setup and stroke a great deal trying to determine my inconsistancies. I'm hitting putts but missing quite a few right. After much study, I conclude for whatever reason I'm not consistantly making a good pendelum motion. perfect practice has a training aid to help and just the image of Dustin putting with it helped me see what I need to do better. For me, I find it very hard to be accurate if my hands are trying to manipulate the head in any way. Counting 1 thousand on the backswing and 2000 on the downswing helps me find that back and forth less distorted rythem that I need.

 

[Desmond]

This weekend I worked on my setup and stroke a great deal trying to determine my inconsistancies. I'm hitting putts but missing quite a few right. After much study, I conclude for whatever reason I'm not consistantly making a good pendelum motion. perfect practice has a training aid to help and just the image of Dustin putting with it helped me see what I need to do better. For me, I find it very hard to be accurate if my hands are trying to manipulate the head in any way. Counting 1 thousand on the backswing and 2000 on the downswing helps me find that back and forth less distorted rythem that I need.

When my putts are going right, I make sure to return my front wrist to square at impact.