Putting and sweetspots

[kid2]

Im a bit of a freak when it comes to putting and practice routines....
So i decided to try and find out why i miss so many....I always thought that i was a half decent putter but i suppose truth be told i could be better...

On the practice green i rattle 3 footers at the hole and more often than not i try find ones that have a little break in them so that ill get more confidence on the greens....But it doesnt seem to work in a round as im always thinking "What if" i miss the hole ....It'll shoot 10 feet past and then i chicken out...

Iv lost count of the amount of 3-5 footers that iv missed when i should have been canning them...

Also im wondering have i been hitting the sweet spot properly or am i missing it.
So i decided to try and find out where it is and i came across some tests that anyone can do...

If you hold the putter half way down the shaft and tap the face with a tee or a pencil.Start at the toe end and work back towards the heel....When the putter stops oscillating and swings straight back rather than twisting at the heel or toe then you've found the sweet spot....

Trouble is the sweet spot on mine is more inside the centre line and towards the heel....
Is this test accurate and has anyone came across this before?...
If it is right i wonder how many people actually think that their putters sweet spot is its dead centre when its not?

 

[palindromicbob]

Interesting idea. Must try this and then combine with the V-Easy.

I am not the greatest putter by any means. Constant grip changes etc put a stop to that but I have found a drill on the putting green that at least improves my pace.

Don't go for a hole. I've found that when aiming for a hole you may get the line perfect but when its in the cup you have no idea of how well you actually paced the ball.

Place 2 tees in the green. about 18inches apart. Aim for the front tee with the goal being stop the ball before the outside tee. If working on a putt with break try to put it past the front tee on the high side. Better yet you could use a third tee to make a "gate" the width of a hole to aim through. Or use a ball marker instead and aim to roll over or click it. If you do hit the front tee the rebound will still give you an idea of pace.

Aim small, miss small.

 

[granters]

I don't mind admitting my putting is pants, but it's getting better. The single best drill i've ever tried is to putt everything focusing on a spot 2 inches in front of the ball, on the line you want to putt down.

I hit the ball so much better doing this as the ball is forgotten about, and it completely stops you hitting at the ball rather than stroking.

I putt like this all the time now, comps, bounce games, practice- and the speed of my putts has improved immensely as it automatically makes your stroke more aggressive. Probably the biggest failing in amateur putting is being too tentative, i suffer badly from this myself at times.

Try the drill out and see what you think.

 

[MashieNiblick]

I have tried the sweet spot thing a few years back and yes the "sweet spot" did seem to be fractionally nearer the heel than the mark on the top edge of the club. However it was very minor. Interesting though and it might be there is some reason for this. It wasn't a cheap putter by the way!

As for holing more 3-5 footers, this is my Achilles' heel. I tend to be a putter who likes the ball to drop in the front edge but on the shorter putts I have found some success by actually aiming to hit inside the back of the hole. It results in a positive stroke but stops me thinking "what if I miss" as I'm aiming, and visualising, the ball going in the hole. If you try it let me know if it works for you.

 

[Mike_j_golf]

Another good drill to make sure u are hitting the same spot is get a couple of rubber bands and put them around the putter each side of the sweet spot u will soon know if u are hitting them or not.
Mike