Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
Depending on your handicap, 3 putt avoidance can be a pretty decent strategy....
10 Golf Myths
- Thread starter Robster59
- Start date
irip
Head Pro
Is that your way of telling us Fragger would be a 3 handicap if he could putt?
Lucifer MorningStar
Well-known member
It’s absolute tripe. Either way you missed the putt the side is irrelevant and you still have another putt to make. Quite a few pros have said they don’t care if it’s high or low all they care about is it missed.To have a (slight) change of topic - but still putting
Why is it considered to be a better miss to miss a putt on the high side (also called the pro miss)? The miss on the high side leaves a downhill putt which is usually considered harder than the same distance uphill putt - and players are congratulated when they leave their approach shot below the hole.
Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
Fragger couldn't be 3 handicapper if he hijacked Rory's soul and passed it off as his own......Is that your way of telling us Fragger would be a 3 handicap if he could putt?
SteveW86
Head Pro
Oh I know that, but all the arguments haven’t been about that.
Never up never in is true, if it doesn’t get there it’s not going in. Hit hard enough and it might go in.
Orikoru
Tour Winner
I never said that, it was simply what you inferred for whatever reason. What I said was, I don't expect to never leave any short, because the only way to ensure that would be to focus your dispersion too far past the hole, which in turn will give me a lot of 5 & 6 footers, which I'm likely to miss. And this is what the data shows, and why people are now stating that 'never up never in' mentality is unhelpful.
So, as an upshot of all of that, I don't beat myself up if I do leave one short. I just accept it as a by-product of having a good dispersion and minimising three-putts.
I do hope that makes sense this time.
For the avoidance of doubt, no I'm not trying to leave any putts short.
Pants
Challenge Tour Pro
I recall Peter Alliss in conversation with Alec Hay (I think) and the comment made was along the lines of "It's a proven fact that 84% of putts not hit hard enough don't go in the hole". He knew a thing or two about golf did Peter. 
Pants
Challenge Tour Pro
I played this morning in a mixed social friendly. The greens were very good although a tad slow, as you would expect after recent weather. One player left most putts short - anywhere between 2 inches and 4 ft depending on the length. Every time the line was good and if the putt had been a little stronger then there was a good chance that a good number of them might have been holed. Never up never in was mentioned 
There were a couple of times that the ball went past the hole leaving 3/4 ft knee tremblers coming back.
There were a couple of times that the ball went past the hole leaving 3/4 ft knee tremblers coming back.
Orikoru
Tour Winner
We did discuss this already, guess it got lost in the ether. But if you miss high, the ball is at least rolling towards the hole and will finish closer. If you miss low it could take off and finish much further away.To have a (slight) change of topic - but still putting
Why is it considered to be a better miss to miss a putt on the high side (also called the pro miss)? The miss on the high side leaves a downhill putt which is usually considered harder than the same distance uphill putt - and players are congratulated when they leave their approach shot below the hole.
Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
Voyager EMH
Slipper Wearing Plucker of Pheasants
Can we do dress codes tomorrow?
WorldHandicapSystem
Well-known member
It’s a decent strategy at every level.
Backache
Assistant Pro
Is three putt planning a poor strategy?
For those whose strategy is avoiding three putts how careful are they about implementing the strategy. Do they deliberately miss greens so they can chip close?
For those whose strategy is avoiding three putts how careful are they about implementing the strategy. Do they deliberately miss greens so they can chip close?
sunshine
Well-known member
Why? You missed either way.Going past the hole with the wrong line didn't "have a chance" any more than getting the line correct but 3 inches short of the hole.
I think we’ve established the problem: you’re a terrible putter
. Specifically you struggle with line. When you hit a putt hard enough to go 2 feet past the hole, it goes 2 feet past because you had the wrong line. You’re scared of 3 foot putts because you can’t roll it on line. So you adopt the strategy of dribbling it towards the hole in the hope it finishes within gimme distance. What you are struggling to understand is that when average or good putters hit a putt hard enough to go 2 feet past the hole, a significant percentage drop, especially within 10 feet.
Mandofred
Well-known member
If you are in the trees and in trouble.....do you take the safer sideways shot to play it safe, or do you go for that tiny little gap in the trees that is just possible to get through? Aggressive or safe? To answer my own question....it depends on what kind of a day you are having. If my round has gone down the toilet I'd probably go for the risky shot.....if I'm having a good solid round I'd go for the safe shot.
Same with putts. No right answer....although plenty will insist there is a right answer.
Same with putts. No right answer....although plenty will insist there is a right answer.
Voyager EMH
Slipper Wearing Plucker of Pheasants
Two things.
What you are attempting to do.
Execution of that.
Firstly you assess the putt and make a judgement.
Then you have to execute the shot you want to do.
Errors.
Error in judgement.
Error in execution.
One's judgement may have been about right, but the execution did not match it. Putt is too long or too short. (or wide, but we are considering length here mainly)
One's judgement was in error. This is very interesting. If execution is correct, the putt will be wrong. But if execution is wrong, putt could be doubly wrong or corrected.
The more common error in judgement is short.
The more common error in execution is underhit.
What you are attempting to do.
Execution of that.
Firstly you assess the putt and make a judgement.
Then you have to execute the shot you want to do.
Errors.
Error in judgement.
Error in execution.
One's judgement may have been about right, but the execution did not match it. Putt is too long or too short. (or wide, but we are considering length here mainly)
One's judgement was in error. This is very interesting. If execution is correct, the putt will be wrong. But if execution is wrong, putt could be doubly wrong or corrected.
The more common error in judgement is short.
The more common error in execution is underhit.
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Golf is fun
Well-known member
If you want to look at it purely from a putting perspective its something like:
| 1 Putts | 2 Putts | 3+ Putts | |
| PGA Tour Pro | 42% | 55% | 3% |
| Scratch | 32% | 63% | 5% |
| 15 Handicap | 23% | 60% | 17% |
Obviously the higher the skill level the likely closer starting proximity, but mid handicappers make about half as many 1 putts as pros but make about 5 times as many 3 putts.
In reality 3 putt avoidance is effectively just bogey or worse avoidance, after you have successfully (or somewhat so at least) navigated the potential score wreckers prior to reaching the green. Obviously you could be putting for an 8, but in this case whether you hole out in 1, 2 or 3 putts is of less consequences as the card is likely already ruined.
For a scratch golfer the average number of birdies or better per round is around 2, the average number of bogeys or worse is around 5. For perspective for a 15 handicapper the numbers are around 0.5 and 15 respectively.
Basically for anyone except plus handicaps and elites avoiding 3 putts and bogeys has more impact than making 1 putts and birdies. This is the "boring" golf that tends to lead to good scores
Neilds
Assistant Pro
Of course you go for the gap. You just missed a 30 yard wide fairway, you can certainly hit the next shot through a foot gap in the trees
DeanoMK
Club Champion
Not that I really want to get in on this, especially as it's been done to death now, but the one thing you're all missing is capture speed. Because of this, I do agree with what Olly is saying, and can see that some people are not reading what he's saying.
Here's a very good tweet explaining:
Here's a very good tweet explaining:
Orikoru
Tour Winner
Not at all.I think we’ve established the problem: you’re a terrible putter
What you are struggling to understand is that when average or good putters hit a putt hard enough to go 2 feet past the hole, a significant percentage drop, especially within 10 feet.
I was responding to him saying he'd rather miss long than short. Which is nonsense because they both missed so it's irrelevant. Obviously we all want to play the correct speed and line and hole putts, I shouldn't really have to explicitly say that. 
You would actually hole more putts by aiming one foot past the hole than two feet past, because the effective size of the hole increases (i.e. the faster the ball is travelling, the more likely it is to lip out).
