How far....

TonyN

TonyN

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The other post about 10 foot putts being luck got me thinking.

2 Questions.

1)Upto how far out are you realistically confident that you SHOULD sink the putt?

2)Upto how far away before you are happy to leave it in the dust bin lid?
 
Around 1 foot realistically all putts should drop, anything over that and other elements begin to affect the roll of the ball. I dont think there is a definitive distance where you think, another inch and I will miss this.
All you can do is set the ball off on the correct line and pace, the quality of the greens and amount of wind can easily rob you of a putt that you might have thought was virtually a gimme.
 
What I mean though is that we all have a comfy distance. Mine is anything inside 4ft. It used to be more. I would expect to hole anything inside 4ft. I used to be 6ft but I havn't played for so long.
 
1)Upto how far out are you realistically confident that you SHOULD sink the putt?

2)Upto how far away before you are happy to leave it in the dust bin lid?
Click to expand...

1) around 14 feet
2) over 14 feet :rolleyes:
 
Dust Bin lid? why on earth would anyone aim to miss the hole. Every put you make should be with intention of holing it. You can bet your life the pros don't believe in the dust bin lid theory for any of their putts, no matter how long.
 
I'm going through a short putt wobble period just now. I am more confident in holing >4 foot rather than <4 foot ( although I improved that stat on Sunday past)

I agree with the Bob Rotella approach to "sink every putt" in reality, Ilook to hole everything up to 15 feet, further than that I'm happy if I leave it dead ( and take my par ??)
 
I don't know about others, but I don't aim to leave it in the dust bin lid over sinking it. I aim to sink EVERY putt.

But if I do miss it, it has to finish within the lid for the 2 putt.

Lets not get carried away, i'm not a pro and I know, i'm going to miss the majority of my long putts, this doesn't mean i'm not trying to hole it. It just means that I am considering my next putt for par or bogie.
 
Always an interesting one this, but even out on the PGA Tour where they have just about every putting stat imaginable, there is some interesting variation in success rates.

Just looked up a few sample distances, and it makes for interesting reading in places...

4ft - Top, Yang - 100%; Bottom, Els - 80%

6ft - Top, Poulter - 90%; Bottom, JP Hayes - 50%

9ft - Top, Goosen - 66%; Bottom, Els - 24%

10-15ft - Top, Snedeker - 41%; Bottom, DJ Trahan - 17%

15-20ft - Top, Jarrod Lyle, 31%; Bottom, Stuart Appleby - 10%

Not sure what people will make of that overall - clearly holing 54 out of 54 4-footers as Yang has done is pretty impressive, but Appleby's strike rate from further out isn't great
 
I personally don't have a distance that I'm certain that I'll knock it in from. But sometimes I get a feeling that I can't miss a putt, be it a 4' or a 30', if it suits my eye I normally know that I'm going to hole it.

On the flip side I also get putts where I think that no matter what I do I can't hole it, usually sub 6 footers with about 18" of break in them.

D2
 
SO the best putters make 2 out 3 (66%) of their 9 foot putts.....

Time to get out putting into perspective don't you think..?
I guess an average golfer would sink 2 in 10..?

This is making me feel a lot better about my current abysmal putting.
 
I'm pretty confident up to about 2 feet and after that its a lottery. On a good putting day I can feel confident I'll make most up to about 4 feet and maybe 50% of the 6-8 footers too. On anything from 10 feet ou I'm trying to make them but they are a bonus if they drop. Even on the 25 foot ones I'll be trying to hole them but at the same time I'm realistically looking to hit it pretty much dead weight to leave a tap in second putt. On a bad day anything can and usually will happen and none of it will be good
 
I'm pretty confident up to about 2 feet and after that its a lottery. On a good putting day I can feel confident I'll make most up to about 4 feet and maybe 50% of the 6-8 footers too. On anything from 10 feet ou I'm trying to make them but they are a bonus if they drop. Even on the 25 foot ones I'll be trying to hole them but at the same time I'm realistically looking to hit it pretty much dead weight to leave a tap in second putt. On a bad day anything can and usually will happen and none of it will be good
Click to expand...

That pretty much sums my putting up as well. :(
 
Who says you should always go for the hole?

I don't always putt to hole it - depends on the game. :o :o

Yes I would always like to hole it but sometimes protecting a score or in matchplay will mean you lag one close as possible without risking a tricky putt back.

There are a couple of greens on our course - depending on pin position - where if you take on the putt you are either in the hole or 10 foot past and off the green. If I can get a par (nett birdie) for 2 putting I will usually cosy up to the hole without risking it.

Other holes you may take it on if its more accessable or for a half in matchplay or point in stableford and nothing for missing anyway.
 
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