Putting

[minigolfer]

Hi everyone i am haivng trouble with my putting my technique is fine but my freinds say i am not aiming the club at the hole so it is going somewhere else but whe when i look down at the club it looks like it is aiming at the hole can anyone help me

 

[USER1999]

Specsavers?

Do you line up using anything other than the hole? Ie a bit of different coloured grass that is about a foot in front of the ball, on the correct line. It is easier to align a short distance than a long one.

 

[Ethan]

You should not aim the putter at the hole, but at the line you want the ball to start off on. The Nicklaus tip of aiming at something a foot or two ahead is a good one because most people cannot aim accurately much further ahead.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Get one of these. The guide rails come off and the mirror will help you align the putter head, your eyes over the ball and your shoulders squarely to the target. I use mine a lot as I've a habit of getting my shoulders closed and closing the blade through impact

http://www.americangolf.co.uk/golf-equip...g-plane-system/

 

[RGDave]

You should not aim the putter at the hole, but at the line you want the ball to start off on. The Nicklaus tip of aiming at something a foot or two ahead is a good one because most people cannot aim accurately much further ahead.

Definately.

Aim over a small "mark" not too far ahead of the ball, and maybe use an alignment aid (a line either printed or drawn on with a permanent pen) if your greens are good and don't have many marks.

 

[Imurg]

I use this "mark in the grass" method too. Once I think I've got it right, mt eyes go to the hole and then back along the intended line to the ball, then I focus on the ball as I begin the stroke. It kind of makes things flow...

 

[SammmeBee]

Used to use this but now have a line on the ball and am fastidious to the point of going back and remarking the ball to get the line in the right place....then all you have to do is concentrate on puttng up and down the line....if I've read it wrong then I have no excuse....

 

[RGDave]

Used to use this but now have a line on the ball and am fastidious to the point of going back and remarking the ball to get the line in the right place....then all you have to do is concentrate on putting up and down the line....if I've read it wrong then I have no excuse....

I used the alignment line a great deal yesterday and holed 2 or 3 big 'uns. However, I have noticed I'm clearly not very good (yet?!) at getting the line on the ball spot on target. I have a black target line on the top of my mallet putter and this coupled with a line on the ball provides a remarkably clear line to hit along. Trouble is, at 20 foot, even a tiny bit out, and the putt is a no-go.

I set the ball, stand (low) behind the ball and look down the line, sometimes adjusting the ball tiny amounts left or right before picking up the marker. I do feel a bit embarrassed taking so much time, and I reckon an 5cm line extrapolated over more than 10-20 foot is not actually that accurate. The proof? at my custom fitting, my pro gave me every chance to look down one of these lines (including lying on the floor of the putting mat), then he agreed or didn't agree with me until we were both happy. Once both happy, he ran a laser directly down the line onto a gadget given to him by Swash.
http://www.haroldswashputting.co.uk/putting-aids/perfecta-putt.html
no matter how long and how much care, over 15 foot or so, we were rarely on target.

HOWEVER, on short putts I think lining up the line on the putter head with the line on the ball and swinging down that line (almost not even thinking about the hole) is BRILLIANT.

 

[golf_bug]

For long putts try and set yourself a bigger target e.g. get it within a 2ft radius of the hole. I am uaually pretty successfull at getting the ball close from long range, I just cant hole anything from 2-3feet!!!!!

 

[RGDave]

For long putts try and set yourself a bigger target e.g. get it within a 2ft radius of the hole. I am usually pretty successfull at getting the ball close from long range, I just cant hole anything from 2-3feet!!!!!

Is this your tip for me or a general observation? On flat-ish greens, I'm looking to make a few too....I wouldn't make any with the old dustbin lid routine.

 

[golf_bug]

For long putts try and set yourself a bigger target e.g. get it within a 2ft radius of the hole. I am usually pretty successfull at getting the ball close from long range, I just cant hole anything from 2-3feet!!!!!

Is this your tip for me or a general observation? On flat-ish greens, I'm looking to make a few too....I wouldn't make any with the old dustbin lid routine.

General tip really. I think its easy to focus too much on the hole from long range, and like you say in a previous post, its very difficult to pick a line with any certainty from that far away.

 

[RGDave]

For long putts try and set yourself a bigger target e.g. get it within a 2ft radius of the hole. I am usually pretty successfull at getting the ball close from long range, I just cant hole anything from 2-3feet!!!!!

Is this your tip for me or a general observation? On flat-ish greens, I'm looking to make a few too....I wouldn't make any with the old dustbin lid routine.

General tip really. I think its easy to focus too much on the hole from long range, and like you say in a previous post, its very difficult to pick a line with any certainty from that far away.

It IS a good general tip. If the putt has more than the tiniest of breaks, I'm usually hoping to get within a foot either side.

A Dutch pro once showed my mate (a Dutchman) a tip for lagging long putts on hard breaking greens.

I'll try to remember it, but essentially IF you are nervous/not confident and have a monster that has a lot of break, you add the maximum putt distance you could consider missing (say 2 foot) to the amount the putt might break on your best guess. Let's say the putt looks like it'll go 1-2 foot, take the 1 foot and add 2 foot more = 3 foot. If it only breaks 1 foot after all but you have judged the distance, you'll be left with a 2 foot putt. If it breaks 2 foot, a one foot putt. If it was a scary swinger, you won't fall on the low side.
Takes some figuring, but it does work.

 

[USER1999]

Rotella doesn't go for the dustbin theory at all. If you set yourself a 2 foot target, then you have bigger errors, and end up even further away. If you aim at a small target, you miss by smaller amounts.

 

[haplesshacker]

I'm fnding the line drawn around the ball with one of the many cheap devices available really useful. As once lined up, it's just one less thing to think about when hovering over the ball.