I can't putt. How do you.....

[Maninblack4612]

I'm missing lots of putts around 5 feet. I know you can't hole them all but I'm missing most of them. I can't decide whether I'm misreading the putts or hitting them off line as most of them lip out or just miss.

When I first got my Cure putter I could hardly miss. Is the honeymoon over?

How do you decide whether it's the strike or the read that's wrong?

 

[bobmac]

Find a straight putt on a flattish green. If you miss that then its the stroke/alignment

 

[apj0524]

I'm with you on this, but my issues are both missing 5 foot and in and distance control, I fear my expectations are too high, but now I spend at least 30 mins every time I practice block putting 6 balls around a hole and hitting random puts to holes 10 ~ 20 feet. It is getting better and the increase in confidence is helping on the course

 

[srixon 1]

Draw a line all the way around the circumference of the ball, as if it were an alignment mark. Go to the practice green and line the ball up for a 10 foot putt aiming the line at the hole. Pick an area of the green that will give you a flat straight putt. Line yourself up to hole the putt as you do out on the course. Hit the putt. Now watch the line on the ball. If the line wobbles massively then your stroke is not square to the putter face.

This works best with those old ping balls that had two colours.

 

[ScienceBoy]

One word...

Putting Rail

You just cant buy them these days, I have one and it is always a quick fixer of little issues.

 

[spongebob59]

Book a lesson in SAM if you can.

Did this last week and bingo, back on track

 

[Beezerk]

Can’t believe a new putter hasn’t been suggested yet 😉

 

[shortgame]

Practice them. A lot. Flat putts, sloping putts, the lot. A bit of string stretched put on the line by a couple of tent pegs is IMO every bit as good as a mirror or rail (I interchange all 3)

 

[Garush34]

Arc putting matt, putting gates and about 30 mins evry couple of nights. That's what I've done this year, spend time a few nights a week just hitting putts working on getting the face square at impact.

I'd also say perspective of how many you hole or not, go look at the stats of the pros and see the percentages of what they hole its not as many as you think and they do it for a living and practice alot. So we shouldn't measure on the same basis as them.

 

[MadAdey]

SO 2 things I have always noticed with people that struggle to just knock in those 6 footers. Lifting your head to see if you've made it or not and taking too longer backswing so that you are just slapping the putter at the ball, not striking through it.

THe best advice I can give is to speak to Bob nicely and get hold of a V-easy. I was struggling like hell with my putter, but now I am a demon on the putting green, to the point that I believe I can hole anything from any distance.

 

[Capella]

Another way of testng if your ball starts online (besides the one bobmac already suggested) is to put down two alignment sticks on a flat part of the putting green parallel to each other, about a quarter of an inch apart, so that the ball rolls on them like on tracks. If you do push or pull the ball, it jumps off that track.

Because I agree with bobmac. You first have to establish if you are missing the putts because you are misreading them or because your putt does not go into the direction you want it to go.

Also, do you line your putts up from behind? I find that on some days, I really can't get the line right when I am standing over the ball. It is totally different from what I see from behind (it's true for chipping and even full shots as well, I really need to find a spot on the ground to aim over, otherwise I am lost). On other days, the images match. That might just be me, though. I suffer from regular migraines and in the time leading up to an attack, a long time before I feel any pain or nausea, my eye sight goes wonky like that and I can't form a 3dimensional image.

 

[bobmac]

THe best advice I can give is to speak to Bob nicely and get hold of a V-easy. I was struggling like hell with my putter, but now I am a demon on the putting green, to the point that I believe I can hole anything from any distance.

It must be brilliant if it fixed your putting

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Can you set your camera up to record directly behind where you putt? It will help to show if you are pushing pulling or just lining up incorrectly.

 

[Maninblack4612]

Can you set your camera up to record directly behind where you putt? It will help to show if you are pushing pulling or just lining up incorrectly.

Not sure this would help, LT. I'm missing by such small margins it might not be noticeable.

 

[Maninblack4612]

Thanks for the suggestions, folks. There's a SAM lab at American Golf next to the range. I might inquire there. Tried to find a straight putt on our practice green yesterday & couldn't! I adjusted the lie angle on the putter to steeper (you can do that with a Cure!) because I sometimes get too big an arc & that seemed to help. My partner on Sunday said the putter wasn't staying low enough to the ground so I'm experimenting with this too. Back up again today to practise until my back hurts - usually about 20 minutes.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Not sure this would help, LT. I'm missing by such small margins it might not be noticeable.

Makes sense. I had quite a big push going on, take back was all wrong, and that showed up really clearly. Ironically having a big issue is likely to be easier to pick up than a subtle one. Saying that it also suggests that you are nearly right, just a minor tweak from being back on the putting wagon

 

[bobmac]

Thanks for the suggestions, folks. There's a SAM lab at American Golf next to the range. I might inquire there. Tried to find a straight putt on our practice green yesterday & couldn't! I adjusted the lie angle on the putter to steeper (you can do that with a Cure!) because I sometimes get too big an arc & that seemed to help. My partner on Sunday said the putter wasn't staying low enough to the ground so I'm experimenting with this too. Back up again today to practise until my back hurts - usually about 20 minutes.

Do you putt with your elbows tucked in to your side or sticking out?

 

[Maninblack4612]

Do you putt with your elbows tucked in to your side or sticking out?

Tucked in

 

[bobmac]

Tucked in

That's a good start.

Have you tried the drill below........keep an even pressure with both cheeks against the chair throughout the stroke.

[video=youtube;vsTLHVK9DqY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsTLHVK9DqY&list=PL7Uf2W3sfvqYBJ3OUldKvQT7 ZWYEmPOyW&index=14&t=0s[/video]

 

[Maninblack4612]

That's a good start.

Have you tried the drill below........keep an even pressure with both cheeks against the chair throughout the stroke.

[video=youtube;vsTLHVK9DqY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsTLHVK9DqY&list=PL7Uf2W3sfvqYBJ3OUldKvQT7 ZWYEmPOyW&index=14&t=0s[/video]

I'll try that in the privacy of my own home!