Putting help please.

[Alex1975]

I have been working very hard the last year on my golf, I play or practice 3 to 4 times a week in one form or another and I had a lesson with a new pro this weekend. He was very impressed with my swing and said that with a little more help I would be down to single figures and that it must be my short game that is holding me back. This of course was food for thought and so I took a good look at my stats and traced my loss of scores largely down to putting.
I got a new putter a few weeks ago and I took allot of time over choosing something that “talked to me” something that felt good off the face. Since getting the new putter I have actually got worse at putting. This I know is not down to the putter but more likely to do with the pressure I now put on putting because of the new toy.
When I think about it, I have never learned to putt. I try to make my stoke back and through and I try to line my ball up to the break but that is as much as I know. I will talk to my pro but any help or tips however small would be very interesting to me. Feel free to treat me as a total newbie as I would like to work from the ground up.

Thanks all

Alex

 

[USER1999]

Bob, sales opportunity!

You should keep your wrists passive, a light grip, and putt by rocking your shoulders. It is a popular view that your eyes should be vertically over the ball.

The stroke should be even, in that the back swing is equal in length to the through swing. The acceleration should be smooth. Don't decelerate into the ball.

Keep looking where the ball was, until you hear it drop, or it is likely to have missed. If you look up, you will pull the putt left.

For short putts, straight back and through. For longer putts, there will inevitably be an in out in swing, like a garden gate.

For longer putts, take the club back further, and accelerate through.

Check you are aligned parallel to the line to the hole, not at the hole.

 

[Farneyman]

Putt without consequences, so what if you miss it, its only a game. Dont put pressure on yourself to hole everything.

So keep your hands relaxed and putt without pressure leads to a more relaxed stroke and in my opinion better stroke.

Welcome by the way

 

[bobmac]

Bob, sales opportunity!

I'm here.

You could buy the world's greatest putting aid or focus on the above or both
Get yourself a routine.
Take care over the address and ball position and do the above, not forgetting of course to keep your lower body (waist down) absolutely still.
Something like this guy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOnTFoY-VX8

It has been rumoured by greater men than me that this is quite good at keeping your wrists firm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rPa1gXfoi0&feature=related

 

[Alex1975]

Thanks guys, this is good stuff. I think I need to take a little more time to practice, i spend allot of time over my swing and not enough over my putting. I will take these tips and put some time in on the practice green.

 

[bobmac]

Thanks guys, this is good stuff. I think I need to take a little more time to practice, i spend allot of time over my swing and not enough over my putting. I will take these tips and put some time in on the practice green.

So you don't want a V-Easy then?

Good luck and let us know how you get on

 

[HomerJSimpson]

My advice would be to have a quick lesson (or buy a V-Easy off Bob). I had trouble with my putting and it was my alignment with my shoulders that was out and causing to many pulls. A quick change to my grip and set-up and my putting has improved dramatically. On a bad day there is only one three putt per round and more often than not these days I'm getting none at all.

 

[sawtooth]

Try this putting drill I recently found you will be pleased with the results i'm sure.

Its a elaboration of what you see in the picture below. Instead of just 1 set of tees as pictured add 2 more sets 1 in front of the ball by a few inches and another behind by a few, creating like a tunnel on the practice putting green.

Line this "tunnel" up at a hole any distance you like , I recommend 4 or 5ft and trust me with the tees in place you start holing every one after no time at all.

After a while take the tees away and voila you still make the putts. This will hopefully groove a good solid technique.

I had 4 birdies today and I put that down to better putting.

Give this a go.

 

[Owen_Thomas_14]

Try this putting drill I recently found you will be pleased with the results i'm sure.

Its a elaboration of what you see in the picture below. Instead of just 1 set of tees as pictured add 2 more sets 1 in front of the ball by a few inches and another behind by a few, creating like a tunnel on the practice putting green.

Line this "tunnel" up at a hole any distance you like , I recommend 4 or 5ft and trust me with the tees in place you start holing every one after no time at all.

After a while take the tees away and voila you still make the putts. This will hopefully groove a good solid technique.

I had 4 birdies today and I put that down to better putting.

Give this a go.

I also do this best putting drill out there i think

 

[HomerJSimpson]

HID got me one of these for Christmas and so I use it a lot at home and it is great for building a back and through stroke especially on the short ones.

http://www.improvemygolf.co.uk/acatalog/Pathfinder.html