Putting

Why is it that when people are asked about their game it's often stated to be fine with the exception of their putting...

What is it about this innocent and to be honest fairly straightforward, part of the game that causes so much difficulty?

It's because people much prefer to blast balls at the range than practice their putting.

It's a bit silly because being a good putter is what gets your handicap down, and is also the one area of the game where with a lot of practice, pretty much anyone can become pro-standard.

But then there are so many 'diseases' in the putting area of the game. The yips for one... Where do they come from?

The same place shanks come from... nothing to do with poor technique... it's all in the head.

LJ

I think the nearer we get to the target(ie.the hole)the more the pressure can build up.
I feel I am, very slightly, a better than average putter and I tend to use my first impression of line and length for most first putts ,particularly on my home course.
However I certainly think putting gets harder mentally as you get to the range where you know you should make the putt more often than not.
I agree ,it does give many of us severe problems,witness the different styles of, not only the putter we use but the many strange ways people stand for the shot itself .
I often feel, on a good day that I could hole putts with an umbrella handle and the next can get no feel on a stroke of just a few inches.

A funny old game within a game.

The plumb bob disease is worse than you think, nobody will play with me now as it's a 7-hour round As has been mentioned 90% of us, including me practice driver, irons, maybe short game (Not enough do) and not putting. It's the club we all use most and practice with less.

Nonsensical really and all of us who don't practice should be ashamed. I'm going to tell myself that if I don't do at least 1-hour each week on the greens then I will have to have man-sex. Guaranteed to make me get the flat stick out. In fact I'm going on Sunday

Doc wrote:The plumb bob disease is worse than you think, nobody will play with me now as it's a 7-hour round As has been mentioned 90% of us, including me practice driver, irons, maybe short game (Not enough do) and not putting. It's the club we all use most and practice with less.

Nonsensical really and all of us who don't practice should be ashamed. I'm going to tell myself that if I don't do at least 1-hour each week on the greens then I will have to have man-sex. Guaranteed to make me get the flat stick out. In fact I'm going on Sunday

I shall assume that you will also have to be the taker in this instance.

Come on people... there have to be more reasons for these diseases... then I can put on my best white suit and sell a tonic to cure them!

LJ one of the problems with putting is that there are so many different techniques on show now. Playing golf we all use the same swing with different variances on a theme - even Bubba swings it like us but with a variance. But putting brings all sorts to the party now.

1) Different range of putter heads
2) long putters, belly putters and standard putters.
3) Shaft/hozel position into the putter head, and of course different shaft neck designs.
4) God knows how many different grip techniques are on display, crossed hands, locked arms, pendelum

In other words the game changes from standard clubs, swings and grips etc when you get on the green. So maybe now we have too much to think about after seeing some of the crazy things that happen on tour.

My biggest problem on the greens is pace, or rather, lack of! I seldom get long putts past the hole, it doesn't matter what speed the greens are. Obviously, I would rather be 3 feet past than 3 feet short, at least then I've given myself a chance.

But what I don't understand is that you know as soon as you hit a putt that it's going to come up short. If that is the case, why can't I tell myself to hit it harder??

drive4show wrote:My biggest problem on the greens is pace, or rather, lack of! I seldom get long putts past the hole, it doesn't matter what speed the greens are. Obviously, I would rather be 3 feet past than 3 feet short, at least then I've given myself a chance.

But what I don't understand is that you know as soon as you hit a putt that it's going to come up short. If that is the case, why can't I tell myself to hit it harder??

I have a solution to this problem.

You need to get yourself a golf ball with a politicians face painted on it to practice your putting.

However I cannot guarantee that you will get the right pace... only that you'll hit it harder.

being used to links greens, i really struggled on a parkland course the other day. alright it had bucketed for the previous 36hrs but they were sooooooooo slow that i couldn't bring myself to hit the putt any harder as it just felt that i was losing all control and just whacking it.

i think putting is so much about confidence that any slight dent to said confidence and it goes to hell in a handcart pretty much immediately. you can smack a ball 150yds and be happy when it ends up on the green/ in the right section of the green but once you reach the green, it should be going in that tiny little hole.

how hard, what break? do i take a longer stroke or hit it harder? if i hit it more firmly, will that take the break out of it? gah, but what if i miss and it goes 6ft past?? etc, etc...

as marcus says, it's all about the the practice and knowing and trusting your stroke. much easier said than done.

Maybe we should all play a variance on the game of golf, whereby you only need to hit the green, then walk to the next tee. Some great cards: Albatross, eagle, eagle, birdy start anyone 8)

LondonJonnyO wrote: Come on people... there have to be more reasons for these diseases... then I can put on my best white suit and sell a tonic to cure them!

Age!! Get yer white suit on and sell me a cure.

D4S - allow me to show you how to get a long putt past the hole - as you know, I can twitch it off the green!

I do however agree with what others have said. It's lack of practice (I also intend to sneakily try LJ's one handed tip when next on the green stuff - that was a free one)

Three putts must be the biggest waste of shots you can have on a round. Usually resulting from poor long range putting placing too much pressure on the 4-10 footers. Really honing your long range putting so as to minimise the chance of three putting will really knock shots of your round. Always facing six footers for par will really cause a lot of stress in a round that could affect other areas of your game.

It is all about master the pace of long putts, you will not hole very many but you need to get them close. A good line is surely not that much of an issue.

LJ, I thought you were more innovative than that!

Rather than bottle up the secret to great putting you need to get them to subscribe to it on a monthly basis at a special introductory price for the rest of their golfing lives!

The simple reason behind a golfers' struggles on the green is that their brains generally do not work properly. Whether it be thinking that belting drivers on the range will improve their scores or putting to not three putt - a golfer will always get in their own way...