Putting

[gary3004]

Can I train myself to become a more aggressive putter as I keep coming up short.

 

[duncan mackie]

yes

pavlov trained dogs to react to a stimulus so you just need to find one that works for you.

ignore the hole on the practice green - put a pair of tee pegs 4" apart (or 6 if you wish) then put between them to a point 18" past the hole. vary the distance of the putt but keep considering success as 18" past not just between the pegs.

on the course, concentrate on the ball hitting the back of the cup, esp on tap ins!

 

[gary3004]

Thanks Duncan will give it a try

 

[garyinderry]

eat more

is the only answer!

 

[garyinderry]

i had been a dodgey week or two with the putting as i could get very little to drop but my top tip for putting is...


set the feet last. seems simple. it is. line up the putter then set the feet square as last thing you do before taking your stroke!

 

[Foxholer]

With the recent rubbish weather, it's been surprising how slow greens have become. That's the reason I used for leaving all but putt short on Saturday - having putted like a god (vs dog) the previous outing. Once the greens are less saturated, normal service will return!

However, if you want to practice getting the ball to/past the hole, place a tee 15 inches past the hole. Then, for varying lengths, putt with scoring ... 2 for in the hole; 1 for past the hole but inside the tee, 0 for past the tee. -1 for short. Keeping score also helps remove extraneous thoughts too.

 

[JustOne]

Can I train myself to become a more aggressive putter as I keep coming up short.

Once you figure out why you're scared of going 2ft past..... yes.

 

[USER1999]

Once you figure out why you're scared of going 2ft past..... yes.

The world will end if you putt 2 foot and 1 inch behind the hole. I thought every one knew that.

 

[SGC001]

Pelz has a game in one of his books he calls safety drawback.

Imagine a 3 foot D around the hole.

Put to the hole anything out of the D gets penalised with a 3 foot drawback penalty.

So a 1" short putt becomes a 3 foot 1" putt and a 2 foot short putt would become a 5 footer.

A 1 foot miss long or long enough and either side is still a 1 foot putt.

A 3 foot 1" putt past the hole becomes a 6 foot 1" putt.

Take 10 putts and score yourself (total number of strokes). The game rewards positive putting.

 

[DaveM]

The world will end if you putt 2 foot and 1 inch behind the hole. I thought every one knew that.

Nice one. That really amused me. Had a mental picture of a putt just going past the hole 2'1", and the whole green erupting in a cosmic explosion. Very funny or am I sad?

 

[Hobbit]

Nice one. That really amused me. Had a mental picture of a putt just going past the hole 2'1", and the whole green erupting in a cosmic explosion. Very funny or am I sad?

Stay off the drugs!!

I've never looked to be aggresive, or otherwise with my putts. I look to hole them all. And if they miss, I believe I'll sink the one coming back. All this "if it misses it needs to be 2' past" just complicates things. Just hole the damn thing then we can move on to the next hole.

 

[duncan mackie]

And if they miss, I believe I'll sink the one coming back. .

suggests that when you miss they have gone past the hole....ie you don't have a problem with putts coming up short!

whilst I agree your general premise, and also accept that there's a time for aiming to just roll the ball deadweight into the hole, in general it's better if when you are simply aiming to sink the putt, it is hit sufficiently firmly to go about 18" past the hole.

 

[Hobbit]

I've never looked to be aggresive, or otherwise with my putts. I look to hole them all. And if they miss, I believe I'll sink the one coming back. All this "if it misses it needs to be 2' past" just complicates things. Just hole the damn thing then we can move on to the next hole.

suggests that when you miss they have gone past the hole....ie you don't have a problem with putts coming up short!

whilst I agree your general premise, and also accept that there's a time for aiming to just roll the ball deadweight into the hole, in general it's better if when you are simply aiming to sink the putt, it is hit sufficiently firmly to go about 18" past the hole.

I disagree. Each to there own but I'm looking to hole it. I'm always "aiming to sink the putt." Why do anything else?

This is going to sound terribly arrogant, and its not meant to be, but over 30 yrs at Cat 1 and with a current putting average of 29 I'm more than happy with my version of how to putt. But at the end of the day its what works for you. If you want it 18" past if it misses then that is what is right for you.

I've never believed in the dustbin lid rubbish. Don't look to dustbin lid it, hole it!

 

[duncan mackie]

I disagree. Each to there own but I'm looking to hole it. I'm always "aiming to sink the putt." Why do anything else?

This is going to sound terribly arrogant, and its not meant to be, but over 30 yrs at Cat 1 and with a current putting average of 29 I'm more than happy with my version of how to putt. But at the end of the day its what works for you. If you want it 18" past if it misses then that is what is right for you.

I've never believed in the dustbin lid rubbish. Don't look to dustbin lid it, hole it!

Again I absolutely agree that the dustbin lid thing is weak, but more importantly they put it in the wrong place! However, you are in effect advocating a similar approach, although to a 4.25" lid with your comments.

I'm not arguing that you shouldn't be aiming at, the hole, or that you should be doing anything other than putting to hole the putt. I am simply suggesting that normally you will be more sucessful aiming at the back of the hole rather than the front.

I'm not even sure what you are arguing about - it's self evident that a putt 6" long, on line, is a huge improvement on a putt 6" short; there is nothing to debate

 

[Region3]

I don't (consciously) do it, but a technique I read about says that most people only look at the green as far as the hole is, so in their head the hole is the edge of the world, and don't want to go past it.

The book advises to see the hole as a part of the whole green, and to see past the hole to the edge of the green.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone tries it how they get on.

 

[Hobbit]

Again I absolutely agree that the dustbin lid thing is weak, but more importantly they put it in the wrong place! However, you are in effect advocating a similar approach, although to a 4.25" lid with your comments.

I'm not arguing that you shouldn't be aiming at, the hole, or that you should be doing anything other than putting to hole the putt. I am simply suggesting that normally you will be more sucessful aiming at the back of the hole rather than the front.

I'm not even sure what you are arguing about - it's self evident that a putt 6" long, on line, is a huge improvement on a putt 6" short; there is nothing to debate

I think we're both on the same page. Your comment on "weak" is what I'm getting at. Look to hole everything, not lag.

Another annoying comment you hear is "at least he missed it on the pro side." He still missed it and its still another shot dropped.

I totally agree with using course mgt to navigate around hazards on the way to the green but once there what's the worst thing you're going to face? A swinging putt, that's all.

 

[bobmac]

I am simply suggesting that normally you will be more sucessful aiming at the back of the hole rather than the front.

Personally, I prefer to drop them in the front door, but each to their own

 

[Region3]

Personally, I prefer to drop them in the front door, but each to their own

Uphill = hit the back of the hole
Downhill = drop them in the front

 

[bobmac]

But if the ball is moving slowly, the hole is twice as wide. That's the way I look at it

 

[Smiffy]

But if the ball is moving slowly, the hole is twice as wide.

I think along similar lines when teeing off