Lucifer MorningStar
Well-known member
Careful talking about 3 putt avoidance that’s new aged and could never catch on surely! (Despite it literally being part of tour players coaching practices )
10 Golf Myths
- Thread starter Robster59
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3 jabber
Well-known member
This is very negative, I play with plenty of guys around your handicap that make birdies by giving the first putt a chance. Spend more time on your putting green and learn the pace of your greens. It’s not difficult and you may end up a better putter and shoot lower scores. Or spend your life worrying about 3 putting, your choice. Personally I don’t care which route you take I’m just trying to offer you some constructive advice.
garyinderry
Ryder Cup Winner
You simply cannot attack every single putt that is presented to you.
The danger of letting a putt have the energy to roll 2 or 3 feet past the hole also gives the ball the opportunity to take a slope and move even further from the hole.
There is also the possibility of rolling past the hole and leaving yourself a serverly breaking left to right 3 footer. This is a lot different to a bog standard flat putt.
A good putter will assess what is likely to happen should I over run a putt and what might I be left with. Once you have made this assessment the player can decide if its a putt worth giving a good run at the hole.
Quite often the prudent play is trying to hit a putt that dies into the hole or at worst just comes up shy to leave a tap in.
The closer the player is to the hole the more likely they are to get it to and past the hole.
If the question is would i rather be two foot short or two foot long assuming all these putts miss. The answer for me is id rather leave it 2 feet up hill. That makes the next putt easier.
I had a quick look at the stats for tour pros. Seems like around 35 feet it becomes 50/50 for coming up short and going long. They are not racing every putt at the hole and are considering where they want the next putt to be or are not able to judge the pace correctly.
There's a time and place for being aggressive on the greens and also for playing somewhat defensive.
Factors will include, green speeds, players position in the tournament, slope of greens, players ability, confidence etc.
The danger of letting a putt have the energy to roll 2 or 3 feet past the hole also gives the ball the opportunity to take a slope and move even further from the hole.
There is also the possibility of rolling past the hole and leaving yourself a serverly breaking left to right 3 footer. This is a lot different to a bog standard flat putt.
A good putter will assess what is likely to happen should I over run a putt and what might I be left with. Once you have made this assessment the player can decide if its a putt worth giving a good run at the hole.
Quite often the prudent play is trying to hit a putt that dies into the hole or at worst just comes up shy to leave a tap in.
The closer the player is to the hole the more likely they are to get it to and past the hole.
If the question is would i rather be two foot short or two foot long assuming all these putts miss. The answer for me is id rather leave it 2 feet up hill. That makes the next putt easier.
I had a quick look at the stats for tour pros. Seems like around 35 feet it becomes 50/50 for coming up short and going long. They are not racing every putt at the hole and are considering where they want the next putt to be or are not able to judge the pace correctly.
There's a time and place for being aggressive on the greens and also for playing somewhat defensive.
Factors will include, green speeds, players position in the tournament, slope of greens, players ability, confidence etc.
3 jabber
Well-known member
You are correct but on a pretty straightforward putt anywhere inside about 20ft or so I will be aiming to give the putt enough pace to reach about 2ft past the hole if it misses.
pendodave
Tour Rookie
Man who analyses numbers in golf for a profession agrees with Orikuro shocker. ...
https://golf.com/instruction/putting/common-putting-strategy-worst-advice-play-smart/
https://golf.com/instruction/putting/common-putting-strategy-worst-advice-play-smart/
garyinderry
Ryder Cup Winner
And you would be right in doing so. You are close enough to be able to judge the length of putt to a certain extent and as you say there's little danger if it can be described as straightforward.
The issue online here is everyone is envisioning putts of 20 feet that you simply cannot go mad at as it only ever ends in tears and 3 putts.
Orikoru
Tour Winner
Once again - I am giving my putts a chance. I am trying to hole them. Whacking them several feet past the hole isn't necessary to achieve that. It's not 'worrying' either it's simply a strategy. Why have you implied I don't know the pace of my greens?
SteveJay
Head Pro
Why would you want to? Is there a hole in the roof?Why can't I wear a hat in the bar? No reason whatsoever
sunshine
Well-known member
Probably worth clarifying that this conclusion only applies to lag putting.
A golfer trying to die short putts into the hole is going to leave some short. I don’t think it’s a good strategy to leave a 5 foot putt short and then be happy because the next putt is just a tap in.
Golf is fun
Well-known member
You're right on the first part, for option 2 I was actually writing about the target being 3 feet past so nothing is short because "Never up never in", but wrote 18" as the number was on my mind.
I think you are wrong on the second part though. You say 90% have a chance of going in, but at a speed that finishes 1.5 feet past the effective hole size (to avoid a lip out) is about 50% and at the speed to go 3 feet past it's 33%, so the line has to be better to make up for the speed, so I don't think it would be close to 90%.
In reality I do think context matters. The speed and surface of the green will have an impact. On a slow bumpy green, hitting it a bit harder will remove the effect of bobbling and help keep the ball online, one a lightning fast glass smooth green dying it in the hole may be safer. Interestingly there is also a school of thought that you should hit it to go as far past the hole in inches as the stimp reading of the green, as the faster the green the more pace you want to avoid breaks especially around the hole.
sunshine
Well-known member
the only thing I wouldn’t wanna see in a golf course is a football shirt but that’s because I think that grown men that wear them outside of football matches look like knobs
Here’s me thinking your avatar is a picture of you, an adult wearing a football shirt
Some of my lightweight golf shirts are very similar to football shirts, I don’t see the difference really.
Golf is fun
Well-known member
I think it's fair to assume that was a given, that the shorter the putt the smaller the target and expected dispersion. If you're trying to leave a 5 or even 2 footer within a 3 foot circle, things have likely gone very wrong.
Lucifer MorningStar
Well-known member
Unless I look like Tom Ellis the actual Lucifer Morningstar you’d be mistaken. Wouldn’t mind though Damn handsome chap and not vertically challenged like me.Here’s me thinking your avatar is a picture of you, an adult wearing a football shirt
Some of my lightweight golf shirts are very similar to football shirts, I don’t see the difference really.
But they’re not football shirts are they covered in sponsors and club crests with some choppers name written on the back
sunshine
Well-known member
What’s the difference between options 2 and 3 in your scenario then?
As you state, it really depends on the green speed. On my course you can have a fast downhill putt which only just trickles past the hole and then rolls on another 4 feet.
Style 
irip
Head Pro
3 jabber
Well-known member
I actually don’t care how you putt, I was trying to offer you constructive advice but you know bestOnce again - I am giving my putts a chance. I am trying to hole them. Whacking them several feet past the hole isn't necessary to achieve that. It's not 'worrying' either it's simply a strategy. Why have you implied I don't know the pace of my greens?
Orikoru
Tour Winner
This article directly contradicts your advice though.I actually don’t care how you putt, I was trying to offer you constructive advice but you know best
It seems like you're suggesting you never leave a putt short and never three putt either, which makes you better than the world's most elite putters. I can never compete with that anyway.
3 jabber
Well-known member
Have you actually read that article? Did you notice that it refers to putts over 30ft? Did you notice that all my comments in this thread about giving the ball a chance refer to putts inside 20ft? Do you actually pay attention to anything that people post? Wasting my time trying to help you out, just do it your way. Good luck.This article directly contradicts your advice though.
It seems like you're suggesting you never leave a putt short and never three putt either, which makes you better than the world's most elite putters. I can never compete with that anyway.
sunshine
Well-known member
Unless I look like Tom Ellis the actual Lucifer Morningstar you’d be mistaken. Wouldn’t mind though Damn handsome chap and not vertically challenged like me.
But they’re not football shirts are they covered in sponsors and club crests with some choppers name written on the back
I watched a bit of TGL the other day and noticed Theegala had EIGHT sponsors logos on his shirt. Each sleeve, collar, chest and 2 on his back.
A lot of golfers now have 4+ logos. Looks worse than most football shirts, similar to an F1 driver. The Nike players look more elegant in comparison, sporting just the simple swoosh.
