What do you consider a good putt?

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With people talking about putting with lines on the ball I have another thing to throw in the mix.

What do you consider a good putt?

Does the putt have to go in to be considered good?

For me if I hit my line with the speed I wanted I am happy even if the results are terrible. This is actually why I preferred to use a certain marking on my ball and found that when I stopped using that particular setup my putting results were a lot worse.


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It's all relative. Some putts are good if I can get them to stop on the green. Some, I'm just hoping to stop within 10'. For the most part, I feel like I should make most within 6-8' and a few within 10-15'. Beyond 20' or so, unless it's a dead straight putt and level, I'm just hoping to get it within 2' or so to make the next one fairly simple.

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Two feet by, high side.
 
If I get the speed right and hit my line I’m happy with putt. Being happy with my read is another story.
 
2ft past if I miss and end over end putt---- my line around the ball solid and no wobble. Not my stroke or putters fault if I can't line up the ball. The better I get at rolling the ball properly the more I can focus on my alignment and speed.

another metric- how many times do you play and no one hits a putt outside 10ft??? that can't happen if anyone in the group has a decent stroke. I personally look to hitting 1 to 2 putts outside 10ft as a metric.
 
For me, even if I miss I think a good putt is one that gets even with or a little past the hole.
 
if it is a putt that statistically I should make, nothing but a make is a good putt for me. If it is a reasonable percentage, I want to leave it within a few inches. If it is a lengthy putt I am unlikely to make, a good putt is one I leave within range to ensure or make very likely a 2-putt.

Couple notes that affect my answer: putting is an area of the game I actually do statistically incorrect. I try to die it in the hole, whenever I run it past the cup you know I missed what I was trying to do. But that requires a precise control of speed taking into account up/downhill, grass type, direction, etc. If I can get the speed right I feel like a miss is always going to be close enough to make the next one.

If I actually were trying to shove it 12-18" past the hole my answer(s) might change
 
if it is a putt that statistically I should make, nothing but a make is a good putt for me. If it is a reasonable percentage, I want to leave it within a few inches. If it is a lengthy putt I am unlikely to make, a good putt is one I leave within range to ensure or make very likely a 2-putt.

Couple notes that affect my answer: putting is an area of the game I actually do statistically incorrect. I try to die it in the hole, whenever I run it past the cup you know I missed what I was trying to do. But that requires a precise control of speed taking into account up/downhill, grass type, direction, etc. If I can get the speed right I feel like a miss is always going to be close enough to make the next one.

If I actually were trying to shove it 12-18" past the hole my answer(s) might change

When I was putting my best I was a die putter. Right now I have a depth perception issue that has led to me having longer come back putts than the initial putt lol. I still think that it is the best way to putt outside 3 feet.


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What do you consider a good putt?

Good stroke, pace, and contact is a good putt. If it misses after a good putt, it was a bad read. So yes, you can have a good putt itself and miss IMO.
 
Ultimately it should go in the hole.

That aside I want to be 18” past the hole on the high side to be considered a good putt.
 
Any time I hit my line at the pace I think it needs I call it a good putt. They don't all go in, but they do all at least make it to the hole.
 
Good stroke and correct speed are what I ask for. If I misread the line and miss the put, I still might not like it, but I won't be too disappointed.
 
When I was putting my best I was a die putter. Right now I have a depth perception issue that has led to me having longer come back putts than the initial putt lol. I still think that it is the best way to putt outside 3 feet.


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I have noticed that on the occasions I give in to peer pressure... "never leave a birdie putt short"...I tend to also not score a par as I have a 6' come-backer that I duly miss. Statistically speaking it has been shown the best speed to make putts does take it past the hole, but there are folks out there like you and I who miss by more more often leading to more lengthy comebackers. I need to remember that a missed birdie putt 6" short of the hole is better than a missed birdie putt 8' the other side...and all the "100% of the ones that are short don't go in crowd" that clowns me inevitable gets a response along the lines of "100% of the putts going so fast they can't stay in the hole are misses too" line

I am fully aware that statistically speaking I am not following the math for the majority of golfers but I have charted it and my total putts are way down doing it this way
 
I have noticed that on the occasions I give in to peer pressure... "never leave a birdie putt short"...I tend to also not score a par as I have a 6' come-backer that I duly miss. Statistically speaking it has been shown the best speed to make putts does take it past the hole, but there are folks out there like you and I who miss by more more often leading to more lengthy comebackers. I need to remember that a missed birdie putt 6" short of the hole is better than a missed birdie putt 8' the other side...and all the "100% of the ones that are short don't go in crowd" that clowns me inevitable gets a response along the lines of "100% of the putts going so fast they can't stay in the hole are misses too" line

I am fully aware that statistically speaking I am not following the math for the majority of golfers but I have charted it and my total putts are way down doing it this way

I putt to die in as well. If i try to hit it past, it messes with everything I'm doing and I tend to hit it way too hard because at that point I lose my target. I try to putt to the hole and that's it. Sometimes that takes it past and sometimes it leaves it short. A bad read is a bad read, and a missed putt is a missed putt in my book. It may be the minority way of doing it, but it's the only way I feel comfortable putting.
 
I agree with many in this thread, as long as I'm on my line with good speed, I consider it a good putt. Ideally, I like it to end at the cup or just past (12-18").
 
A good putt either goes in or had enough speed to go in on the high side. It also must stop within tap in range
 
A good putt is the one that goes on the line I select, at the speed I want. Results are driven by the read after that.

The best putt is the 1 footer I don't miss.
 
Depending on distance from the hole and undulation....usually inside the grip.
 
A good putt for me will vary based on the length, break, and slope of it.

Shorter putts my tolerance is very small, anything 5' and in I expect to make. 5-10' and I would like it to stop within a foot. Over 10 and that distance gets longer. Once I add slope into the mix, if it's downhill my tolerance might be a little wider than uphill. Break would also come into but I would focus on seeing if I miss more on the high or low side and see if I noticed a trend that round.
 
Anything longer than the flag stick but fairly makeable: Inside 1 to 2 feet, preferably closer to 1, past. I'm really bad about leaving putts on the doorstep so my putting goal this year is to get them past the hole.

If it's a longer lag type of putt, inside 3 feet is usually my goal.
 
results wise, it depends on distance. Long putts, a good putt could be within 5 feet. Whereas on a 20 footer that is not a good one. For me though, mostly it comes down to hitting my line and my speed. If I under read a break, I can still consider my actual putt a good stroke if I hit the line I wanted to. Even if I miss the break, for the most part, the speed and line I choose should get me to a result that makes a 2 putt a higher probability.
 
The best putts are ones that give it a chance, roll well, break as expected and most importantly leave you with an easy putt if you miss.

Distance control is the hardest part for me, but avoiding Mr. Three Wiggle is what yields the best putts and putters in my opinion.

Stats from 2016 PGA Tour season:
PGA Tour Putting Average - makes from 3 feet: 99.42%
PGA Tour Putting Average - makes from 6 feet: 70.98%
PGA Tour Putting Average - 3-Putt Avoidance >25': 91.71%


After 6' those %'s fall quickly on makes. I believe I read correctly in Dave Pelz's Putting Bible that on a putting matt or where it was flat 6' putts for pro's is over 90%. The problem is that it isn't flat and the "donut effect" and other imperfections on the greens exponentially increase with distance, as well as, the amount of break you have to read into it. The statistics are crazy good though, for the kinds of greens they play. The impressive part is the 3-putt avoidance without question. I'd consider you a good putter if you made less than 50% of 6 foot putts and could consistently end up around the hole. And if you are leaving it closer more will be dropping. That is how I see good putting.


Great putts are different and come from a game I am unfamiliar with. When you see the greatest of all time make the ones required with the pressure on full bore, it is fun to watch. Even the misses are exciting because they played into that situation.
 
A smooth stroke with good enough speed to have the ball dying at the hole on the line I intended.

If I don't 3 putt anything over about 12-15 feet, those are good putts.
 
I'm in the group that I want the ball to fall into the hole. I will seldom hit a ball so hard that it hits the back of the cup on the way in. Those are definitely the ones within gimme range with a break. Otherwise, no matter how far away I am, I'm trying to have it just fall into the cup. Consequently, I'm probably short about 50% of the time, but then still within gimme range and an easy follow up putt.

I've found that practicing this way has made me a much more consistent putter.

The other thing that I have found that really helps is when I address the ball and I have the club aligned with the line that I want to take, I pick out a spot on the ball that I need to hit to roll the ball on that line. 100% of my focus is on hitting the spot on the ball that I pick out and then watching the club hit the spot without worrying about the break or anything else. Takes the pressure off making the putt and just hitting my target on the ball. Since I'm watching the putter head hit the ball, I don't have to worry about lifting my head and pulling the putter off target.
 
Good topic, for me, a good putt is one that starts on the line I intended (and) for putts under 25' i want it past the hole no more than 3' for putts over 25' I want it within a 3' circle.
 
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