Putters - THE most valuable too me thinks.....

M

Macster

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Aug 21, 2008
Messages
2,427
Location
East Yorks
Visit site
I'm sure we all pick the latest Drivers from time to time in the never ending search for extra length and/or straighter drives, but some things this week have shown me that
1. length isnt everything, .....and
2. a Hot Putter is worth a helluva lot more

Length - I played at Ganton on Thursday, and predominantly used my trusty 4Wood off the tee, to great effect, leaving me with mostly shortish irons into greens, and more importantly, missing every Bunker on the course. Happy Days.

Putting: yesterdays Medal saw me end up with a pretty decent score, playing exactly to my Handicap of 10, despite 2 Double Bogey's on the front 9. :mad:

However, my 34 putts, whilst not bad, doesnt give the whole story.

Analysing the round, I had good 'makeable putts' of perhaps 12' or less, on no less than 11 occasions, which didnt drop.
Some where short, some slid by very near, some for Par, some for Birdie, but most importantly, they didnt drop.

So, after some years with my 2Ball, I feel its time to change.

I know its the person holding the thing, but it showed me yesterday the neccessity of holing those putts when you need to.
I'd go as far as saying the real difference between my 10H/C and a 3/4 H/C is quite possibly down to putting stats alone.

Anyone want a 2Ball lined ? ;)
 
Surely noone has much expectation with 10 foot plus putts ?

Four footers, yes, you'd expect to hole more tahn you miss, but anything over 6 foot is surely only going to be holed on rare occasions ?

Don't pros miss more 6 footers than they sink ?

So what hope is there for us ?
 
Biggest putting distance with them and us is not the amount of single putts from inside 15' but that they have FAR fewer 3 putts than we do.

Give me 36 putts (or chip lus putts to make up n down) per round any day of the week - unless you're playing like a donkey tee to green you'll be playing to single figures.
 
I'd tend to agree with Craphacker

The 2 ball is a proven weapon and the professional stats show that a touring pro will sink about 40% of 10 ft putts, a handicap golfer will do it about 25% of the time
http://probablegolfinstruction.com/Oneputt%25.jpg

A tour pro will be hitting about 80% of 4 ft putts I will do it about 60% and you being a lower handicap about 70%

This means that you will miss about 30% of putts from 4 ft

OK on this occasion you didnt have any long putts drop, it may be bad luck, the weather, humidity etc

But the fact that you were often close tells me that there aint much wrong, You may need a putting lesson rather than give up on a tried and tested stick

Fragger
 
Putting is a lot about confidence. Sometimes a change of putter might be enough to let you hole a few more.

I missed way too many putts yesterday and felt the one I'm using is maybe too light. However had a swing of a few Pings, Odysseys and Scotties earlier today at a pro shop but none of them were saying 'buy me' so I guess it's just me putting a poor stroke on it at the moment.

Maybe alter your grip and with one of those putting mirrors see if your dominant eye is actually over the ball at address. I'm going to have a good practice and look at putter set up this week as somethings not right with my short putting presently.
 
ive been thinking the same way after yesterdays medal i played great for my standards (net 67) and lipped out 5 or 6 times. I have a taylormade spider and theres a used 2 ball in my pro shop.The putts that i missed wernt 11 footers though. maybe it was just one of those days pal im proberly going to give mine another couple of rounds if it doesnt start behaving its getting locked away in the dark cubboard with the other naughty clubs!
 
Sometimes you do lose faith and confidence in a club - any club. Its hard to to get that confidence back and if you don't fairly rapidly then changing it is an easy option.
I've had an Odyssey White Hot Tour Number 5 for the last year and honestly thought I'd found a lifelong friend. But I've had issues with shorter putts recently and found myself dreading a 3 footer. Couldn't get past it so I found a Sabertooth going cheap and things seem to be getting better. The Tour 5 isn't going to fleabay but its got a lot of persuading to do to get back in the bag.
 
One of the pro's on TV hit 18 greens in regulation yesterday (or the day before) and shot 67, so he made 5 of 18 putts.... on perfect greens,.... and he does it for a living,.... full time,..... with millions in the bank.

Don't sweat it. Putting yourself in the position to have the putts is more important.
 
I play a Links course and on Saturday played a 'bounce' game away from home, on a parkland course. I had a problem getting used to the heavy, no run, conditions BUT the greens were something else!!

The grain on the grass meant that a 100% putt at my home course went 140% or 60% distance, up or down grain and across the grain meant taking this as a factor as well as the borrow.

I think it must have been the length or type of grass but to see your ball pull up short from three feet as if it were going through mud or dive off at right angles as it slowed down at hole side, when it looked straight - did nothing for the putting confidence!

Congratulations to all golfers who putt at all times on this type of greens, I am going back to my slick links ones!!
 
I don't understand why you would change your putter. I might change my irons when I become a better player or my wedges when the grooves run out but why the flat stick? Surely if it worked before it is either a bad day at the office or you need to practice more often? :D
 
Tiger, as a man on a mission, you have invested heavily in your tools I see, for someone new to the game.

However, from time to time, and year to year, what is pleasing to your eye, or to the feel in your hands, just changes.
On my own course, I may use a Driver 4/5 times, my irons on perhaps 20-25 occasions, my 4 wood on maybe 8 occasions, but my putter for anything between 25 & 38 times.
When its that valuable, it has to feel right, and sometimes a change is needed.
 
I am finding the transition between slow bumpy greens to slick true surfaces difficult at the moment. It isn't my putter, it is definately me misreading the greens, seeing borrows which aren't there. In a couple of weeks time, I will be fine again.
 
Tiger, as a man on a mission, you have invested heavily in your tools I see, for someone new to the game.

However, from time to time, and year to year, what is pleasing to your eye, or to the feel in your hands, just changes.
Click to expand...

I bloody hope not!!!! I'm struggling as it is to buy my kit (2 clubs, DMD and a cart bag to go, not to mention lessons, subs etc...) let alone trading my current kit in to buy new stuff

It may be a psychological thing but I still don't get it. It reminds me of people who used to throw away perfectly good football boots in the actual belief the latest offerings would make them better players. Fingers crossed you guys aren't offering me a big portion of humble pie in the future.

Actually on a side note why is it humble pie and not humble crumble?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Deep in the stat cave
Replies
3
Views
2K
HomerJSimpson
HomerJSimpson
SteveW86
Putter fitting at Precision Golf
Replies
10
Views
5K
Kennysarmy
Kennysarmy
Don Barzini
When you haven't played the game for a long time.....
Replies
4
Views
3K
Imurg
Imurg
GG26
Putting and short game lessons in the quest to achieve a handicap of 18
Replies
16
Views
5K
RangeMonkey
RangeMonkey
Slab
Look at the hole when putting
2 3 4
Replies
79
Views
16K
Canfordhacker
Canfordhacker
Top