2 Putting.....Acceptable or not???

[stanleyboy]

Hi guys,

Just wanting opinions on how some of you look at putting when you hit the green.

Personally I look to 2 putt which is ok but not great, anything over 8-10 feet i dont expect to hole and 9/10 times will 2 putt which I have been happy with upto now.

Looking at a previous post talking about putting i feel my putting could be much better? Its almost accepting mediocracy when really should I be looking at making putts of that length?

V Easy maybe.....

 

[brendy]

Your putter is the best tool for putting the ball in the hole, you should be looking to hole everything with the putter. That said, a man has got to know his limits (Clint Eastwood), inside 20 feet, I try to hole everything unless the green is so severe that a normal dead weight putt would run several yards by the hole.

 

[UpminsterGas11]

If i 2 putted every hole i'd be chuffing ecstatic.

 

[Aztecs27]

If it's within 10ft 2 putts is not ideal but will do on most occasions. Anything outside of that 2 putt is what I'm playing for the majority of the time.

 

[stanleyboy]

The frustration is its almost always a gimme tap in away so could be knocking shots off my rounds but i just cant seem to hole em!

 

[coolhand]

Remember 2 putts per green is PAR.

So it depends on your standard.

 

[Curls]

I was very much in the same boat until I had a lesson, now I'm looking to hole it from 10 feet every time. Not that I make it every time, but I'm certainly trying. I used to try to tap the ball into the general area of about 1 foot around the hole, I was afraid of 3 putting and was leaving things short, right, left. Never in! And inevitably sometimes I quit so bad I got the 3 putt I feared.

Look at it this way. A gimme is 2 feet, from 10 feet you should always be able to put it within 2 feet (unless the green is very sloping), so next time out every time you get to that length visualise the ball pouring into the heart of the cup, and go for it. Okay, you might be too aggressive and put it 2 feet past, so what, its better than 2 inches short and the same score, but you're much more likely to see a couple drop than tapping the ball in the general direction of the hole.

See the ball roll in in your minds eye and then step up and execute. Much more positive and gets better results.

 

[Lawrence22]

For me it would be great. Last week I was on the green in regulation 3 times in a row at our 3rd, 4th and 5th holes. I had 3 bogeys , the worst being on the 5th where I was 12' from the hole after 2(par4)
At the moment 36 putts would probably be 10 off my score.

 

[Mightymoose]

If you take statistics from HDID, for men, all clubs per category you have

Cat 1 32.37
Cat 2 33.75
Cat 3 35.21
Cat 4 36.76
Cat 5 38.04

So between 1.79 and 2.11 per hole, a difference of 6 shots per round on average.

Don't worry about it too much, if it's your day the putts will drop in, if not you walk off with easy tap-ins.

Easy for me to say, I've been working on my putting technique this season and got my average down from 36.5 to 35.5!

 

[daveyc2k2]

Thanks for that moose, that shows as a Cat 3 the average for me would be 35.21 putts per round. Just checked my stats and in my last 5 rounds I have had on average 34.8, with my best being 31 and worst being 39.

 

[Alex1975]

If you take statistics from HDID, for men, all clubs per category you have

Cat 1 32.37
Cat 2 33.75
Cat 3 35.21
Cat 4 36.76
Cat 5 38.04

So between 1.79 and 2.11 per hole, a difference of 6 shots per round on average.

Don't worry about it too much, if it's your day the putts will drop in, if not you walk off with easy tap-ins.

Easy for me to say, I've been working on my putting technique this season and got my average down from 36.5 to 35.5!

Very interesting, thanks for this..

 

[fundy]

Have to say Im astounded that the range between cat 1 and cats 4/5 is so small, understand cat 1 players hitting more greens etc but very few cat 4/5 players ive played with lately who would average anywhere close to 36 putts

 

[Alex1975]

@ OP, If you go to the green with the idea that its ok to two putt then that is what you will do more times than not. I think you should try to putt everything in the hole but I am not usually upset with a 2 putt but it is not what I am looking for. However I am always very very upset with a three putt.

This is new thinking for me this year, I always used to aim for a two putt, I just think its a bit defeatist.

 

[AMcC]

Have to say that if I 2 putted each green I wouldn't be too upset either, I suppose it depends on the quality of your approach shots to the green. Inside 10 feet is really when I would go for them and my biggest fear is leaving long putts more than 3 feet from the hole.
Had a playing lesson with the pro last night and his only comments on my putting were to be a bit more positive with the stroke and more decisive. He thought I was too tentative and this maybe relates to my worry on long putts.
My last 3 complete rounds have been 35, 31 and 34 putts, so not too bad against cat 3 average.
Have to say that the more greens you are hitting also is likely to mean more putts, because a short chip from just off is likely to lead to one less putt!!

 

[bobmac]

Unless you putt from off the green

Ducks

 

[RGDave]

Personally I look to 2 putt which is ok but not great, anything over 8-10 feet i dont expect to hole and 9/10 times will 2 putt which I have been happy with upto now.

I'm looking to make everything I can under a certain distance. That distance depends on the green more often than not. A 15 footer that is flat or just outside the cup, sure, why not.
My target figure is 32, but I'll take 36 if I've hit a lot of greens. Last time out, I had 31, two of which were just plain undeserved. I don't get lucky that often.
I do sometimes 3 putt. The way I see it is that if I miss a green, chip to a decent place and miss a short-medium putt, then OK, I probably deserved a bogey. If I'm miles away from a hole, on the green, I just try to relax and do my best.
I don't see the crime in 3 putting from long range and beating myself up about it, when I could be nearer but off the green and accept bogey.

 

[dotty001]

does it not depend on the putt youre faced with

10ft downhill not aggressive
10ft uphill aggressive

and so on ...... like some1 else has said if its a breaking put then yes maybe try and lag it down nr the cup but otherwise why not try and hole everything

 

[Imurg]

If you take statistics from HDID, for men, all clubs per category you have

Cat 1 32.37
Cat 2 33.75
Cat 3 35.21
Cat 4 36.76
Cat 5 38.04

Interesting......

Not saying that this is wrong or that Scoresaver2 is right but my average number of putts this year is 31.16. According to SS2 that's just under my handicap of 9.
Averaging 31.16 on the other figures gives me Cat1 status or even a +handicap.

One of these ain't right.

 

[chris661]

If you take statistics from HDID, for men, all clubs per category you have

Cat 1 32.37
Cat 2 33.75
Cat 3 35.21
Cat 4 36.76
Cat 5 38.04

Interesting......

Not saying that this is wrong or that Scoresaver2 is right but my average number of putts this year is 31.16. According to SS2 that's just under my handicap of 9.
Averaging 31.16 on the other figures gives me Cat1 status or even a +handicap.

One of these ain't right.

SS2 says I am 32.08 which gives me a 12 handicap equivalent yrt according to this I am firmly in cat 1

 

[Neil20]

You can only embellish holes you complete on HDID, so there's a selection bias on the stats when it comes to Stableford comps.

Also - there's going to be a higher percentage of people bother to embellish their 93-25=68 on their medal round than their 119-18=101 - again, selection bias.

Edit: On the other side of the coin, cat one players will probably, as a group, gravitate towards tougher courses.