Putting Meltdown

[ShallowHal]

Posting in desperation really, as my putting is spiraling.

Background: My HI is 4.3 (not for long) and last year I managed to get my short game very sharp. After winter my distance control was poor but I still holed out well, just risked more 3-putts or didn't give mid-range birdies much chance. Went to the Belfry for a 3-day comp and my putting disintegrated, since then I have tried everything: changed back to conventional grip, went from blade to mallet, tried different stance alignments, moved my eyes more over the ball, probably way too much. I've done loads of putting matt practice but I think this has tended to make me 'hit' a bit too much as there is no distance consideration.

Last medal I hit 15GIR (including 2 which I putted from inches off the green) and had 42 putts for an 80. I just got humped 4&3 in a scratch knockout match where I just couldn't 1-putt anything while my opponent holed 4 lowish % birdie putts.

What would you guys suggest in terms of attempting to reset/rebuild? Should I be getting in for a lesson? If so, do I need to go for a Putt Lab type setup? Would appreciate any recommendations in this area (Kent/Surrey border) if you've experience of them.

I am always a bit wary about teaching Pros unless recommended, particularly working by the eye as I have had an experience of someone giving me some seriously counter-productive lessons.

 

[Bratty]

Go and see Matthew Johns at the London Putting Academy (Royal Blackheath GC) or the guys at Precision Golf.
Either will help you and you don't necessarily have to buy a putter from them anyway.
Worth contacting them.

 

[Orikoru]

Putting is 95% mental in my opinion. I was struggling about two years ago, but I read Putting Out of Your Mind by Bob Rotella, and my putting came on leaps and bounds after that. It's all about the process and the mentality rather than anything technical or anything about what putter you use*. It's about losing the unhelpful thoughts and just letting your brain kind of naturally figure it out.

What's your biggest issue? Not being able to read greens? Or just hitting it way too long or short a lot? If it's the latter, the book will certainly help. If it's green-reading that might be trickier, that's the part I still struggle with.

*having said that, I also saw a big improvement after moving from wide blade/anser type putters to a mallet type.

 

[Neilds]

Sounds like you have changed too much, too quickly. Get back to basics, same grip, same putter and put some practice in on the practice green not a mat doing the same putt every time.

 

[BobbyA]

Putting is 95% mental in my opinion. I was struggling about two years ago, but I read Putting Out of Your Mind by Bob Rotella, and my putting came on leaps and bounds after that. It's all about the process and the mentality rather than anything technical or anything about what putter you use*. It's about losing the unhelpful thoughts and just letting your brain kind of naturally figure it out.

What's your biggest issue? Not being able to read greens? Or just hitting it way too long or short a lot? If it's the latter, the book will certainly help. If it's green-reading that might be trickier, that's the part I still struggle with.

*having said that, I also saw a big improvement after moving from wide blade/anser type putters to a mallet type.

Agreed with this, I made a similar topic a few weeks back as had been struggling with putting, I've read the book and really try not to overthink putting and I'm much better for it. I have also been practicing quite a bit on my matt but overall I think its the mental side which has helped.

I've stopped taking practice swings, just a long look at the hole and let my athletic side take over, seems to work!

On putts inside 6 feet I get low behind the ball and tell myself how easy it is to roll a small ball into this big hole!

Now I'm not saying I'm the best putter out there but this has definitely helped my previous struggles.

 

[Orikoru]

Agreed with this, I made a similar topic a few weeks back as had been struggling with putting, I've read the book and really try not to overthink putting and I'm much better for it. I have also been practicing quite a bit on my matt but overall I think its the mental side which has helped.

I've stopped taking practice swings, just a long look at the hole and let my athletic side take over, seems to work!

On putts inside 6 feet I get low behind the ball and tell myself how easy it is to roll a small ball into this big hole!

Now I'm not saying I'm the best putter out there but this has definitely helped my previous struggles.

Love to hear that. I recommend that book to everyone who's struggling with putting, so nice to hear somebody has taken positives from it. I think for me it just removed the fear. I used to putt with fear of hitting it too far on quick greens, and then putt timidly and leave everything 3 feet short, then miss the follow-up by hitting that weak and allowing it to break away from the hole. The book helped me lose that far and just have a pop at it - if you knock it a few feet past, it's not the end of the world, at least you can have a look at what the line is coming back.

There are so many silly myths and incorrect thought processes attached to putting as well. "Never up, never in" is a classic. Amusingly debunked by Scott Fawcett on Shiels' channel recently - if your target is 2 feet past the hole and your dispersion is 3 feet in every direction, then you suddenly have a lot of 5 footers to make to avoid 3-putting. Target should be the hole, and if you leave some a foot short that's fine, just tap it in for an easy two-putt. I never deliberately 'lag' a putt up either - so many people I see do this and leave it four feet short. My target is the hole every time. Nice and simple.

 

[WorldHandicapSystem]

Work on your speed, then speed, then speed some more.

As said above. Scott Fawcett of DECADE has plenty of content out there that will explain it better than any of us.

 

[sunshine]

Agree what others have posted here. Putting is 90% mental. Try practising putting with your eyes closed, or looking at the hole, anything to get you to stop thinking about technical details.

When you throw a ball, you don't think about where your elbow is or alignment etc, you just focus on the target and work out the power and trajectory. Putting should be the same.

 

[ShallowHal]

Putting is 95% mental in my opinion. I was struggling about two years ago, but I read Putting Out of Your Mind by Bob Rotella, and my putting came on leaps and bounds after that. It's all about the process and the mentality rather than anything technical or anything about what putter you use*. It's about losing the unhelpful thoughts and just letting your brain kind of naturally figure it out.

What's your biggest issue? Not being able to read greens? Or just hitting it way too long or short a lot? If it's the latter, the book will certainly help. If it's green-reading that might be trickier, that's the part I still struggle with.

*having said that, I also saw a big improvement after moving from wide blade/anser type putters to a mallet type.

I think green reading is a massive problem. Today I missed multiple putts of hole-able range where I had read the opposite break. I was starting to question my eyesight!

A combination of poor distance control and poor reading has probably added up to my stroke creaking. I know I am prone to the short backswing, long follow through stroke which is a very poor one for distance control. Lately I feel I am prone to leaving putts out to the right as well.

 

[ShallowHal]

Agreed with this, I made a similar topic a few weeks back as had been struggling with putting, I've read the book and really try not to overthink putting and I'm much better for it. I have also been practicing quite a bit on my matt but overall I think its the mental side which has helped.

I've stopped taking practice swings, just a long look at the hole and let my athletic side take over, seems to work!

On putts inside 6 feet I get low behind the ball and tell myself how easy it is to roll a small ball into this big hole!

Now I'm not saying I'm the best putter out there but this has definitely helped my previous struggles.

I've read it years ago and have started reading it again. Hopefully can help to get back to basics at least!!

 

[WorldHandicapSystem]

I think green reading is a massive problem. Today I missed multiple putts of hole-able range where I had read the opposite break. I was starting to question my eyesight!

A combination of poor distance control and poor reading has probably added up to my stroke creaking. I know I am prone to the short backswing, long follow through stroke which is a very poor one for distance control. Lately I feel I am prone to leaving putts out to the right as well.

Sounds like aim point might help you.

 

[Swango1980]

No idea what the answer is, and a different answer may be needed for different golfers.

But, I've never understood golfers who immediately tried different techniques, different grips, different putters, etc after a period of poor putting. I have a mate who seems to buy a new putter monthly. How can one ever become more consistent when they are continually changing things up? It just seems, to me, that such a golfer is simply continually doubting themselves.

I've had the same putter for about 15 years. Sure, sometimes I'll have a frustrating day, maybe even a few weeks, with the putter. But, generally I'm solid and consistent. I typically have 25-30 putts a round, although I certainly don't hit a tonne of GIR, so that is a good part of the reason my putts are so low. But, 3 putts are rare.

For me, for shorter putts (and even longer putts that I think are makeable) I just try and visualize the ball rolling into the hole, and then just hitting it. And, if I miss then I miss. No point in getting worked up about it. It is like any part of the game really, like driving. If I can just accept that sometimes it just won't be my day on the greens, or accept there will be times I might surprisingly miss something I would normally make, then it really takes the stress out of putting.

But, it depends on whether your issues are truly technical or whether they are mental. I'd imagine you must already be pretty decent technically to get to the handicap you are.

 

[VVega]

I've had the same putter for about 15 years. Sure, sometimes I'll have a frustrating day, maybe even a few weeks, with the putter. But, generally I'm solid and consistent.

I’m the opposite, I have 3 putters that I rotate between. Each feels different and somehow this helps me to reset when I loose it with one.

 

[Golfnut1957]

I’m the opposite, I have 3 putters that I rotate between. Each feels different and somehow this helps me to reset when I loose it with one.

I have two for the same reason. Both completely different, a Ping DS72C centre shafted mallet and the Mizuno in the sig, which is a bladed. There isn't much to choose between them performance wise, and I'm happy to have either in the bag.

 

[Orikoru]

I think green reading is a massive problem. Today I missed multiple putts of hole-able range where I had read the opposite break. I was starting to question my eyesight!

A combination of poor distance control and poor reading has probably added up to my stroke creaking. I know I am prone to the short backswing, long follow through stroke which is a very poor one for distance control. Lately I feel I am prone to leaving putts out to the right as well.

I do struggle with green reading and I haven't found the answer to that yet. At my course I just go by memory and what I expect it to do. On other courses, I go looking for break that isn't there, because the greens on my course are all severely sloped and I cannot trust a straight putt!

 

[ShallowHal]

I do struggle with green reading and I haven't found the answer to that yet. At my course I just go by memory and what I expect it to do. On other courses, I go looking for break that isn't there, because the greens on my course are all severely sloped and I cannot trust a straight putt!

This is me in a nutshell. I had one of my worst putting days recently at an away match on an unfamiliar course. I was over-reading, reading opposite breaks, missing up/down hill slopes. Was clueless all day. I'm going to do a lot of work on stroke length and tempo so I can get more comfortable with speed control, then have to address the reading part as well, or you're trying to hit the wrong putt and even perfect execution will be a bad outcome.

 

[Bratty]

This is me in a nutshell. I had one of my worst putting days recently at an away match on an unfamiliar course. I was over-reading, reading opposite breaks, missing up/down hill slopes. Was clueless all day. I'm going to do a lot of work on stroke length and tempo so I can get more comfortable with speed control, then have to address the reading part as well, or you're trying to hit the wrong putt and even perfect execution will be a bad outcome.

Some tips that may help with reading greens:
Experiment with flag in and flag out, as the stick can mess with perception.
Read the putt from 5 or more foot behind the ball, each side of the hole. This helps you see up or downhill lies that may not be obvious.
If you can read the putt from lower than the green (i.e. there's a downill slope behind the ball in line with the flag) try it. Some people struggle with perception if they are looking "above" the slope.
Once you think you have the line, pick a spot about a foot in front of the ball on that line.
Move a foot or 2 to the break side of the spot and check the line again.
Make sure you have some sort of line in your ball, even if it's the name, and move thr ball so it lines up with the spot a foot in front of you.
And in the immortal words of Chubbs Peterson, "Now, putt!".

 

[AussieKB]

Maybe start anchoring, if you can do this in the Ladies US Open and get away with it....why not

 

[ShallowHal]

Some tips that may help with reading greens:
Experiment with flag in and flag out, as the stick can mess with perception.
Read the putt from 5 or more foot behind the ball, each side of the hole. This helps you see up or downhill lies that may not be obvious.
If you can read the putt from lower than the green (i.e. there's a downill slope behind the ball in line with the flag) try it. Some people struggle with perception if they are looking "above" the slope.
Once you think you have the line, pick a spot about a foot in front of the ball on that line.
Move a foot or 2 to the break side of the spot and check the line again.
Make sure you have some sort of line in your ball, even if it's the name, and move thr ball so it lines up with the spot a foot in front of you.
And in the immortal words of Chubbs Peterson, "Now, putt!".

Thank you for that, a good combination of useful and obvious which means I may actually be able to remember. I definitely think I have lost all sense of a process.
One thing which doesn't help me is our club is VERY keen on playing at speed, but most of my shots are on or next to the green, long game I am very straight. I feel like the putting routine is just a rush, maybe if I have more of a system I can catch some of these things on the move e.g. walking to the green or as I walk round to mark my ball etc. At the moment I seem to just be doing whatever it feels I have time for once it is my turn.

 

[AussieKB]

Why not start anchoring, if you can do this in a Major then why not.......