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When it comes to putting, 2 out of 3 IS bad (sorry Meatloaf)...

pattyboy21

pattyboy21

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Here's what I've discovered with the increased hours of putting practice I've put in during the COVID crisis (I'm forgoing golf for at least a few weeks... thanks Honey!):

- My putting stroke is very good; I get the ball rolling well with excellent distance control
- I am very good at reading greens
- BUT, I have a problem lining up properly as my eyes and brain do not agree with each other once I've addressed the ball!

To consistently make putts, all 3 elements have to be there. You HAVE to: 1) Read the green properly, 2) Line up properly, and 3) Make a good stroke with good speed.

Yesterday, I used an alignment mirror and set it up on a straight 10' putt. I then marked a spot 6" in front of the ball that was directly on the target line. Every time I addressed the ball, my eyes felt like I was aiming way left. Of course I knew I wasn't and I was able to hole putt after putt with the aid. Without the mirror, I found that I would line up a bit right and slightly pull my putts to get the ball on the intended line; if I didn't do that, I would make "my miss" which is generally to the right.

So my challenge is to adopt a setup that allows my eyes to agree with the correct line. I've looked at many vids that demonstrate how to do that by using the dominate eye to line up and positioning your eyes inside, over or even outside the ball until it looks correct (for me, that happens when my eyes are WAY inside of the ball and that makes it hard to make the stroke I want). OR, I can pick my line and commit to it and just accept the fact that my eyes are out of whack.

What I can't do is line up right and pull the putt back online half the time, and miss right the other half! I'll keep spending time on the practice green until I come up with a solution (and PLEASE, any tips or advice would be MUCH appreciated). At the same time, I can take comfort in the fact that the other 2 elements are solid with my stroke and green-reading ability, and put those out of my mind.
 
I recently changed my putting set up so I could see the line properly which meant being more upright and moving the ball at address much farther from my toe line so my eyes are well inside the ball. I had to lengthen my putter(s) 3" to 37" to make this work but my putting has improved dramatically. It took some practice to break my decades-old bad set up habits but after more than a month of practicing an hour or more a day most days it feels very natural to me.
 
Lots of great putters, including Tour pros, do not line the putter face square to their target line. They make putts by consistently making the same compensations during the stroke.
I am not writing that trying to line up square to the target line is a bad thing. I am writing that square putter face alignment is not a prerequisite to good putting.
For what it's worth, my observation is that players miss putts mostly because of too much unnecessary body movement during the stroke (this body movement causes the putter face to move , and the putt is missed).
 
tahoebum said:
I recently changed my putting set up so I could see the line properly which meant being more upright and moving the ball at address much farther from my toe line so my eyes are well inside the ball. I had to lengthen my putter(s) 3" to 37" to make this work but my putting has improved dramatically. It took some practice to break my decades-old bad set up habits but after more than a month of practicing an hour or more a day most days it feels very natural to me.
Click to expand...
That is definitely the setup that eliminates the eye/brain sync issue for me. I never thought about going to a longer putter (it probably would be about 37" for me too); maybe I should give that a try!
 
DG_1234 said:
Lots of great putters, including Tour pros, do not line the putter face square to their target line. They make putts by consistently making the same compensations during the stroke.
I am not writing that trying to line up square to the target line is a bad thing. I am writing that square putter face alignment is not a prerequisite to good putting.
For what it's worth, my observation is that players miss putts mostly because of too much unnecessary body movement during the stroke (this body movement causes the putter face to move , and the putt is missed).
Click to expand...
In my youth and on through most of my adult life, I used to line up as I addressed the ball and would make small adjustments until I felt like I was lined up how I wanted. I tried this on the putting green the other day and found that I rarely made my miss to the right.

One tip I stumbled onto on YouTube was to pick a point on the ball (the vid said that many pros would often put a very tiny dot on their ball with a Sharpie) and focus intently on that during the stroke. I did find that this helps eliminate excessive movement during the putting stroke.
 
I knew a guy who had a problem agreeing with what he saw.

His fix was to close one of his eyes to putt. I forget which he closed. That, and he always used an intermediate target.

He put in countless hours "carpet putting" at home, putting balls over a coin, 18" inches front of the ball.

Apparently, closing one eye allowed for what he saw, and his brain to be more agreeable with each other.

Whether it was his one eye shut, or his coin practice, all I know is that his putting improved quite a bit.

Many moons ago, I gave putting with my eyes closed an extended try out. I'd get lined up, and in my stance, close my eyes and make my stroke. In my closed eyes mind I would see the ball rolling towards the hole. I would open my eyes when the ball stopped rolling, or I heard the ball fall into the cup. I was some what successful putting blind, but after a while I gave it up in favor of just watching the club face hit the ball, and roll the it over the intermediate target.

Putting is just another golf game with in the the game of golf. You adjust to what you need to do.
 
pattyboy21 said:
One tip I stumbled onto on YouTube was to pick a point on the ball (the vid said that many pros would often put a very tiny dot on their ball with a Sharpie) and focus intently on that during the stroke. I did find that this helps eliminate excessive movement during the putting stroke.
Click to expand...

How to keep the head/body still during the putting stroke is a question that has been asked for a hundred years.
There seems to be no one right answer for everyone. In their early days both Arnold Palmer and Johnny Miller were sensational putters. Both of those players crouched low at address and knocked their knees together (presumably this technique helped them to keep their lower body still during the stroke).
Great putters such as Crenshaw , Faxon, Loren Roberts too the opposite approach, standing relatively tall at address.
I think Langer's success with the long putter is mostly because when standing tall it is relatively easy for him to keep his body still during the stroke.
Your suggestion of a small Sharpie mark on the ball and, or, focusing on one of the ball's dimples works for some but not for others. For some a tight focus like that creates anxiety and causes the player to become "ball bound" , which can result in body movement, jerky stroke.
The best way to practice putting is to simulate golf course conditions by putting pressure on oneself. Such as, "must make 10 five footers in a row". Once the player makes 4 or 5 he/she starts to get nervous about making it to ten in a row, and that is pressure similar to golf course conditions such as "must make this putt to save par".
Mindlessly stroking putts on a practice green might be fun/relaxing, but it's of no help to becoming a better putter.
 
Few things I would try...

Change your posture and try to get your eyes over the ball

Stand taller or crouch more see if that makes a difference

Move the ball forward or back in your stance

Open your stance slightly

don't be afraid to experiment a little to see how it affects your stroke
 
picking my spot and lining up is one thing, then training your eyes and trusting the line is another, putting rails seem to help me.
 
Imagine not being able to do any of those three things and you’ll understand what I experience on the green.
 
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