Putting find

Found this:

https://www.golfgooroo.com/why-putting-is-a-stupidly-simple-skill/

Tell me what you think. It's a multiple page thing.

Its a flawed piece.
Sure the mechanics are not rocket science, but the margin of error vs that of a full swing are enormous by comparison. You are hitting to a target that is tiny vs a large fairway or green. Then add the ability to read the green, slope, grain and gauge speed.

I just don't understand the piece...

Hogwash. What he describes is exactly the way I used to putt for years ... until lessons from a pro taught me the right way, the way he says to ignore. My putting has improved tremendously since those lessons.

He also prattles on about not thinking too much, and just walking up to the ball and putting with an uncluttered mind. What he conveniently skips over is that in order to get to that level of confidence and efficiency requires a great deal of practice on those things he says to ignore so they become so second nature that you don't have to think about them anymore.

This "guru" reads like any other false prophet to me.

JB said:

Its a flawed piece.
Sure the mechanics are not rocket science, but the margin of error vs that of a full swing are enormous by comparison. You are hitting to a target that is tiny vs a large fairway or green. Then add the ability to read the green, slope, grain and gauge speed.

I just don't understand the piece...

Click to expand...

Almost seemed like a psychological approach to free yourself of thoughts using some common sense.

I hate multi page clickbait, especially when it is as worthless as this.

I don't trust anyone with a popped collar.

That being said, I am all for ideas for freeing your mind and being less analytical and more free thinking.

JB said:

Its a flawed piece.
Sure the mechanics are not rocket science, but the margin of error vs that of a full swing are enormous by comparison. You are hitting to a target that is tiny vs a large fairway or green. Then add the ability to read the green, slope, grain and gauge speed.

I just don't understand the piece...

Click to expand...

I found it useful personally. It describes what happens to me when I'm on the putting green and make everything, then when I get to the course I miss everything.

I agree with you, it is the most difficult thing in golf. It's truly the one thing that not one person can master. He means the stroke is easy compared to the full swing. Swinging without thought. I think he forgets to add the thinking part, which is what you think about behind the ball. Reading the green as an approximation, not as an exact science, and the walk to the ball, which is the transition from thinking to non thinking, or rather, to put it another way, performing the stroke without conscious input. I have his full putting system since this interested me about a week back, and it takes time to really get. But I have lowered my average putts using his (full product) method, from 38 to 32. Just had a bad day today, and he explains that as well.

Not saying I agree with everything. He talks about stroking the putt freely, which I agree with, but he talks about when you walk to the ball you need to focus on the ball. It's difficult for me to trust my system enough to get aligned properly when I watch the ball while walking in. I also don't like how he acts like it's easy to putt well, though he does describe that most all putts that we make are within 10 feet. Those 20 footers he says you're trying to get close, and that I can agree with because I've heard it not only from him but from multiple sources, including touring pros.

Gauging speed is more of a feel thing. It's more like throwing a ball to someone. If they moved further or closer, we'd be able to get it to them on target consistently. Speed is feel, like throwing. I don't practice my technique on putting, because there's been so many different ways over the years that successful people have used, that there's really no one way to do it. Ben Crenshaw used a looping putting stroke, which is what I do on my short putts. It worked for him, why not me? I do more of a conventional putter stroke on my longer ones. Besides, technique is more for getting the right line, and going back to the throwing analogy, how would you throw if the person moved left? Right?

Overall, I didn't mean to make this so long. I don't like a lot of it, but some of it does work for me personally.

So for me putting is purely feel, like the short game. The short game is all feel, and getting distance right. The line is mostly straight, but allowing for slope. Same for putting, you putt straight, but allow for break. then all that's needed is feel. I think this is what he's on about.

Just my thoughts.

Nate said:

Almost seemed like a psychological approach to free yourself of thoughts using some common sense.

Click to expand...

I think what he's saying is it's all feel. This isn't his full product, which I have. When we putt, it's a straight line. We hit the ball straight, but aim and allow for break.

Phil Mickelson in his short game videos talks about putting and green reading. He says that most all amateurs who read greens under-read break 100% of the time on putts of 20 feet or longer. It's because they try to push or pull the putt on line, rather than hitting it straight and allowing for break with their aim. But then again, distance control is all feel, not technique. Technique is ok, but only in small bits. Technique is based on getting the right line. But how hard is it to hit a ball straight along the ground? It's simple, at least compared to the full swing.

I think Phil's short game videos are good. His chipping technique is correct, as far as I'm concerned. Hinge and hold is the way I learned it naturally, being self taught (no longer fully self taught, bought some things and got a playing lesson).

Out of the rough hinge and hold works well. As long as you follow through, which is the hold part, the ball will come out.

Putting may seem like an art and that is how a lot of people view it, but I am not sure. You have almost complete control of everything, the ball on the ground, you know how far it is, you know the slope of the green. There is very much a right answer. It is like some of the Euro events they have the Rolex putting line thing. Basically it overlays a line that basically a computer program spits out on where they need to hit it. There is a touch of wiggle room for speed but I can't recall every seeing someone who hit the ball on that line miss. It is very easy to figure out the break on a 15 foot putt with a 10 stimp at 3% slope.