Putting Mats ?

[Jigger]

When I went for my new putter fitting , the told me I need to start having a arc in my swing and lines would certainly help me

No, no, no,no, no!

your arc is your arc in my opinion and you need a putter to fit it! There’s plenty of contradicting evidence over arc vs straight which backs up my belief that your putter swing is your putter swing.

the put out cup thing is awesome but I also have the mat, and gates with mirror thing and they are all pointless, again in my opinion.

personally I’d say get the cup which works fine on carpet. Then get a really good alignment marker for your ball and the practice using that alignment on the practice greens. You need to hone in you visualisation of a putt.

from a fellow ex 5p user. I hope this helps.

 

[Skytot]

No, no, no,no, no!

your arc is your arc in my opinion and you need a putter to fit it! There’s plenty of contradicting evidence over arc vs straight which backs up my belief that your putter swing is your putter swing.

the put out cup thing is awesome but I also have the mat, and gates with mirror thing and they are all pointless, again in my opinion.

personally I’d say get the cup which works fine on carpet. Then get a really good alignment marker for your ball and the practice using that alignment on the practice greens. You need to hone in you visualisation of a putt.

from a fellow ex 5p user. I hope this helps.

Thanks for replying and advice . I’m confused a bit now . When I had my fitting I asked the pro/fitter if I can split the 1hr slot into half lesson and half fitting . He used the Sam Lab system and advised me to try and arc my putting stroke and also have my hands & putter more upright. The 2nd part , the fitting he had using 33” putters and he recommended mallet type putter. I tried varies type and settled on a TM spider GT slant 33”. I’ve not had much chance to use it yet but 1st thoughts are I love it . Much more forgiving and consistent than my old 30yr Ping Eye 2 . So, my confusion is , surely I should take the advice of a professional putting coach/ fitter regarding my arc ?

 

[Deleted member 25575]

I guess the question is, do you trust the pro/ coach who is suggesting that?
If you work with them and they are suggesting a change to your putting stroke, then yes go with it.
If it’s a random putter fitting and it doesn’t fit what the coach you’re working with, then no don’t.
If you don’t have a coach or pro, then you need to make a decision, do you want to implement this arc in your stroke on the say so of this person? Can I commit to it, will it do me good?
I’d suggest taking a step back, contact a pro you trust and work with/ talk to them first

 

[Jigger]

Thanks for replying and advice . I’m confused a bit now . When I had my fitting I asked the pro/fitter if I can split the 1hr slot into half lesson and half fitting . He used the Sam Lab system and advised me to try and arc my putting stroke and also have my hands & putter more upright. The 2nd part , the fitting he had using 33” putters and he recommended mallet type putter. I tried varies type and settled on a TM spider GT slant 33”. I’ve not had much chance to use it yet but 1st thoughts are I love it . Much more forgiving and consistent than my old 30yr Ping Eye 2 . So, my confusion is , surely I should take the advice of a professional putting coach/ fitter regarding my arc ?

first He’s a professional and I’m an amateur which gives you your answer. However, I’ve had plenty of lessons over the years with a few full swing coaches who all have differing views and the best ones have been with my present coach who simplifies everything.

if you’ve got a putter that works really well, you’ve got a great fit and my advice is just practice with it. For me, I firmly believe putting is a feel for distance and an eye for a line. That’s nothing to do with your arch, it’s practice. Putting big lines on your ball will also help you see how straight you’re hitting it and that’s largely position over the ball.

Maybe I’m lucky enough to be able to keep my mind out of it but friends who had the yips have all been over thinking it to the point of stress. thinking gets in the way for putting in my opinion. i also heard/read a great quote. Maybe bob rotella. “There no reason to have the putting yips anymore and there are several grip and tens of putter options out there now that can suit anyones game”. It’s so true. Putting is about a positive approach with what you have.

A couple of things I do on the practice green……

I start by hitting long distances, ideally past the hole. If two to three feet past I’ll try to rattle it into the hole, otherwise I move onto the next. I forget about the bad ones. Never worry.

then I do some lining up of putts from six feet, moving the putt line every time. I accept that I’ll miss a few of these but they will improve the more I practice. Rome wasn’t built in a day and all that.

finally I do round the clock with one ball and no setup. Just pick the ball out and drop it two to three feet away and again my intention is to hit the back of the cup or rattle the flagstick.

for too long I was one who would try and die it into the hole and that invariable builds in more break into the line. By accepting that my ball maybe sail two foot past the hole but accepting I will mainly hole the return (even if I don’t at times), I can afford to play a lot less break and hole more putts.

Also, My mindset is always, it doesn’t matter how bad I putt, I forget the bad ones and I am a good putter. In know I can hole putts. People say this should be true for any swing but I find it easy to convince myself on putting.

indoors at this time of year, I’ll not even line up but will use my putt out cup on a carpet and putt until I’ve got the ball to stick in the little hole from 2, 4 and 6 feet. Maybe go longer. If thats not working I’ll reduce my target to 5 to 10 hits where the ball rolls back, trying to beat personal bests but honestly, I rarely use a mat. Watch a recent you tube video on Christmas gifts by Peter finch. Lastly don’t spend hours. Stop when you get boarded. And come back to it. Maybe just do several 5min practices between jobs or tv add breaks.

Attached is a pic of the marker I use. The rail tracks really help line a putt and are very visible when the ball is moving. The cross line is superb for face alignment.

Hopefully this all comes across as an outpouring of my way of practice rather than dictating what to do and hopefully not too many spelling mistakes or auto predicts in there as it is 5:30am ?. Best of luck with it.

 

[Skytot]

first He’s a professional and I’m an amateur which gives you your answer. However, I’ve had plenty of lessons over the years with a few full swing coaches who all have differing views and the best ones have been with my present coach who simplifies everything.

if you’ve got a putter that works really well, you’ve got a great fit and my advice is just practice with it. For me, I firmly believe putting is a feel for distance and an eye for a line. That’s nothing to do with your arch, it’s practice. Putting big lines on your ball will also help you see how straight you’re hitting it and that’s largely position over the ball.

Maybe I’m lucky enough to be able to keep my mind out of it but friends who had the yips have all been over thinking it to the point of stress. thinking gets in the way for putting in my opinion. i also heard/read a great quote. Maybe bob rotella. “There no reason to have the putting yips anymore and there are several grip and tens of putter options out there now that can suit anyones game”. It’s so true. Putting is about a positive approach with what you have.

A couple of things I do on the practice green……

I start by hitting long distances, ideally past the hole. If two to three feet past I’ll try to rattle it into the hole, otherwise I move onto the next. I forget about the bad ones. Never worry.

then I do some lining up of putts from six feet, moving the putt line every time. I accept that I’ll miss a few of these but they will improve the more I practice. Rome wasn’t built in a day and all that.

finally I do round the clock with one ball and no setup. Just pick the ball out and drop it two to three feet away and again my intention is to hit the back of the cup or rattle the flagstick.

for too long I was one who would try and die it into the hole and that invariable builds in more break into the line. By accepting that my ball maybe sail two foot past the hole but accepting I will mainly hole the return (even if I don’t at times), I can afford to play a lot less break and hole more putts.

Also, My mindset is always, it doesn’t matter how bad I putt, I forget the bad ones and I am a good putter. In know I can hole putts. People say this should be true for any swing but I find it easy to convince myself on putting.

indoors at this time of year, I’ll not even line up but will use my putt out cup on a carpet and putt until I’ve got the ball to stick in the little hole from 2, 4 and 6 feet. Maybe go longer. If thats not working I’ll reduce my target to 5 to 10 hits where the ball rolls back, trying to beat personal bests but honestly, I rarely use a mat. Watch a recent you tube video on Christmas gifts by Peter finch. Lastly don’t spend hours. Stop when you get boarded. And come back to it. Maybe just do several 5min practices between jobs or tv add breaks.

Attached is a pic of the marker I use. The rail tracks really help line a putt and are very visible when the ball is moving. The cross line is superb for face alignment.

Hopefully this all comes across as an outpouring of my way of practice rather than dictating what to do and hopefully not too many spelling mistakes or auto predicts in there as it is 5:30am ?. Best of luck with it.

Jigger & Albo thanks for brilliant replies. I went to https://www.houseofgolf.co.uk/putting-lab
I was happy with my lesson & fitting , think I’ve just got do as you say , play about with it on the carpet ( which I have been doing ) . I’ve got 3 months to wear a groove in the shag pile before season starts .

 

[Skytot]

Just bought a Puttout cup from Aldi for £9.99 great price .
https://www.aldi.co.uk/white-puttout-pressure-putt-trainer/p/718334587703000

 

[Jacko_G]

Listen to your professional - not some random on a golf forum.

 

[Jigger]

Just bought a Puttout cup from Aldi for £9.99 great price .
https://www.aldi.co.uk/white-puttout-pressure-putt-trainer/p/718334587703000

A very good price that!

 

[IanM]

I am working from home and the putting mat is in the office room... started using it this week Every half hour I get away from the desk and hit a few putts and in a few days, my stroke has improved considerably!

Well worth the use!

 

[Crow]

Thanks for replying and advice . I’m confused a bit now . When I had my fitting I asked the pro/fitter if I can split the 1hr slot into half lesson and half fitting . He used the Sam Lab system and advised me to try and arc my putting stroke and also have my hands & putter more upright. The 2nd part , the fitting he had using 33” putters and he recommended mallet type putter. I tried varies type and settled on a TM spider GT slant 33”. I’ve not had much chance to use it yet but 1st thoughts are I love it . Much more forgiving and consistent than my old 30yr Ping Eye 2 . So, my confusion is , surely I should take the advice of a professional putting coach/ fitter regarding my arc ?

Never mind all that technical bollox, the Ping Eye 2 putter is actually quite a rare putter and should make £30 to £50 on eBay.