Missing Putts? How About This Option?

So how many times do we all walk the green...look at the grain....take time to use the alignment line on the ball, step up, concentrate...then miss the putt? Could be a 3 footer or 12 footer.

So what about this option? Considering trying to make a putt results in lots of misses....why not take the opposite mindset and assume you're going to miss the putt? That doesn't mean whacking the ball, it means simply don't care...assume you will miss?

It works wonders...see Stockton's video below...it's not my thought, it's his....

Focusing on the result is hardly ever a productive idea.

I just like to make a good stroke and if the ball goes in, great. If not I can accept the result. It's when I make a poor stroke that missing a putt can get to me.

Focusing on the result is hardly ever a productive idea.

 

I just like to make a good stroke and if the ball goes in, great. If not I can accept the result. It's when I make a poor stroke that missing a putt can get to me.

^^ This ^^

what ever happened to cant never could and wont never will? I agree you have to "let it go" but i dont think yu can have the mindset that youve already missed ..asin i dont expect to make it ... Trust me ive tried this.. ive told myself i cant make any putt.. Guess what ? I dont make any putts thinking that way .

I guess i just dont see the value in this reverse psychology attempt to trick ones self into not caring. if we didnt care we wouldnt keep score.

Why even have any thought of the result anyway. Pick a line and pick a speed after you've executed assess whether you were right on the line or speed or both and move to the next hole.

Serious question.

So do we believe that putting thoughts should be different than full swing thoughts ? Or are we not thinking target and result in full swings anymore either ?

Ideally you shouldn't have any thoughts just prior to and after you pull the trigger on either.

I don't like the idea of assuming you are going to miss. Focusing on the outcome (either good or bad) PRIOR to hitting a putt is a recipe for disaster in my book.

I always putted my best when I'm content with any result, as long as I made a good stroke. I just wish it was easier to get myself in that state of mind.

Having good thoughts should not be an issue and having no thoughts is no solution. It's how you process the result.

Having good thoughts should not be an issue and having no thoughts is no solution. It's how you process the result.

Bingo. When I’ve been on a run , putted out of my mind and had near every approach on a string is been with a smile on my face and the idea of holing everything. Now I don’t mean literally thinking you will. But reading the green from the fairway with a wedge and trying to. If I would do that why wouldn’t I read a green and try to hole the putt too ?

I know someone will pop up and tell me “ well how’s that working for you “? Sure. Now that I’ve been in a slump it’s easy to say that. But I’ve had 25-26 putt rounds many times before ( couple 9 putt 9 holes ). And I wasn’t thinking “ let me cozy this 12 footer up here “. That’s what I’ve been thinking in this slump. “ don’t 3 putt “. Which is the honest way of saying “ don’t try to make a putt “. It’s counter productive to the subconscious mind. You can’t say “ I’m the greatest putter ever .” And in same breathe tell yourself “ I don’t want to make this “.

Other than a very short one you can't make a putt. All you can do is read the putt to the best of your ability, and roll it on your chosen line at the right speed. Sometimes it goes in the hole, sometimes it doesn't. The key in the long run is to give the ball as many chances to go in as possible.

Steve

I heard this advice from a plus 5 handicap tour pro from Germany who played on the minitours in Europe. He was my personal coach for some time, and for the golf team at the military base in my city.

I had asked him about making more one putts, and here's what he said:

"Don't go for one putts. Get it as close as possible, and tap it in. And sometimes, just by pure physics, the ball might sometimes find the hole because your goal is to get it close."

In other words, get it close, and sometimes the ball will find the hole by default, just based on physics and the space that the hole occupies. Phil Mickelson says this in his secrets of the short game video, where it's not how well you putt, it's where you putt from. Everyone knows that it's easier to make a 1 foot putt than it is a 100 foot putt, but how many people really understand that concept, the facts of putting? You can't make that many 20 footers, it's just reality. Get it close, and tap it in. Sometimes, just by default, the ball will drop, because you got it "close enough" for the hole to get in the way.

Making short putts is important as well. But if your short putts on the course consist of 5 and 6 footers, and not 2 and 3 footers, then you'll struggle. The tour pros average 60% from 6 feet. The thing you probably missed watching these guys is that they rarely leave themselves a 5 foot putt after their first putt. It's usually around 2-3 feet, which they make around 90%.

Long putting is purely feel, it has nothing to do with technique. If you can practice enough long putts to get them close, and you can have the touch to get them as close as possible, then you'll easily find that you two putt more often.

Hitting most greens in regulation, say, 13 or 14, your putting average will be way higher than someone who hits 5 greens and shoots the same score. This is because the person who hits those 14 greens will have more longer putts on average than someone who hits 5 greens and has to chip all the time, and if you both shoot the same score, say, 74, the player who hits 5 greens would have had tons of one putts, while you would have had mostly two putts hitting 14 greens.

Tiger woods proves this. His putting average was always a couple higher than the best, say, 29-30 putts per round, only because he hit more greens than everyone else. Maybe only one or two more greens than most tour pros in his day, where some players would hit 11 greens average, he'd hit 13 average. Aaron Baddeley, one of the greatest putters of all time, has around 27 putts average hitting only 10-11 greens, where Dustin Johnson hit 13.5 greens average during one of his dominant seasons, and averaged around 29-30 putts.

Once again, putting is about where you putt from (distance from the hole), rather than how well you putt. Get your long putts close, and make sure you don't get tentative on short ones, and you'll be fine.

I suscribe to the Butch Harmon theory of a great putter. This is how you tell a great one from an average or poor one.

The great putter's putts all have that "going in look" even when they miss. You put the best roll on it and accept the outcome.

I don't like the idea of assuming you are going to miss. Focusing on the outcome (either good or bad) PRIOR to hitting a putt is a recipe for disaster in my book.

 

I always putted my best when I'm content with any result, as long as I made a good stroke. I just wish it was easier to get myself in that state of mind.

"As long as I made a good stroke". What does that mean? If you make a good stroke and miss, or a bad stroke...it's the same outcome....you missed. Stockton is saying don't think of making a good stroke.

Other than a very short one you can't make a putt. All you can do is read the putt to the best of your ability, and roll it on your chosen line at the right speed. Sometimes it goes in the hole, sometimes it doesn't. The key in the long run is to give the ball as many chances to go in as possible.

 

Steve

Steve.

This perplexed me. So on the practice green I can’t make 6 or 7 out of 10 - 10 footers ? I’m just “lucky”?

I believe that we are all thinking the same thing. You guys are just trying to trick you mind into not caring when you miss.

I heard this advice from a plus 5 handicap tour pro from Germany who played on the minitours in Europe. He was my personal coach for some time, and for the golf team at the military base in my city.

 

I had asked him about making more one putts, and here's what he said:

 

"Don't go for one putts. Get it as close as possible, and tap it in. And sometimes, just by pure physics, the ball might sometimes find the hole because your goal is to get it close."

 

In other words, get it close, and sometimes the ball will find the hole by default, just based on physics and the space that the hole occupies. Phil Mickelson says this in his secrets of the short game video, where it's not how well you putt, it's where you putt from. Everyone knows that it's easier to make a 1 foot putt than it is a 100 foot putt, but how many people really understand that concept, the facts of putting? You can't make that many 20 footers, it's just reality. Get it close, and tap it in. Sometimes, just by default, the ball will drop, because you got it "close enough" for the hole to get in the way.

 

Making short putts is important as well. But if your short putts on the course consist of 5 and 6 footers, and not 2 and 3 footers, then you'll struggle. The tour pros average 60% from 6 feet. The thing you probably missed watching these guys is that they rarely leave themselves a 5 foot putt after their first putt. It's usually around 2-3 feet, which they make around 90%.

 

Long putting is purely feel, it has nothing to do with technique. If you can practice enough long putts to get them close, and you can have the touch to get them as close as possible, then you'll easily find that you two putt more often.

 

Hitting most greens in regulation, say, 13 or 14, your putting average will be way higher than someone who hits 5 greens and shoots the same score. This is because the person who hits those 14 greens will have more longer putts on average than someone who hits 5 greens and has to chip all the time, and if you both shoot the same score, say, 74, the player who hits 5 greens would have had tons of one putts, while you would have had mostly two putts hitting 14 greens.

 

Tiger woods proves this. His putting average was always a couple higher than the best, say, 29-30 putts per round, only because he hit more greens than everyone else. Maybe only one or two more greens than most tour pros in his day, where some players would hit 11 greens average, he'd hit 13 average. Aaron Baddeley, one of the greatest putters of all time, has around 27 putts average hitting only 10-11 greens, where Dustin Johnson hit 13.5 greens average during one of his dominant seasons, and averaged around 29-30 putts.

 

Once again, putting is about where you putt from (distance from the hole), rather than how well you putt. Get your long putts close, and make sure you don't get tentative on short ones, and you'll be fine.

Great point...high GIR = possibly more putts.

Other than a very short one you can't make a putt. All you can do is read the putt to the best of your ability, and roll it on your chosen line at the right speed. Sometimes it goes in the hole, sometimes it doesn't. The key in the long run is to give the ball as many chances to go in as possible.

 

Steve

 

Steve.

 

This perplexed me. So on the practice green I can't make 6 or 7 out of 10 - 10 footers ? I'm just "lucky"?

 

I believe that we are all thinking the same thing. You guys are just trying to trick you mind into not caring when you miss.

It's not about "tricking" your mind...it's about relaxing and letting your subconscious take over....like on the putting green.

Other than a very short one you can't make a putt. All you can do is read the putt to the best of your ability, and roll it on your chosen line at the right speed. Sometimes it goes in the hole, sometimes it doesn't. The key in the long run is to give the ball as many chances to go in as possible.

 

Steve

 

Steve.

 

This perplexed me. So on the practice green I can't make 6 or 7 out of 10 - 10 footers ? I'm just "lucky"?

 

I believe that we are all thinking the same thing. You guys are just trying to trick you mind into not caring when you miss.

 

It's not about "tricking" your mind...it's about relaxing and letting your subconscious take over....like on the putting green.

I agree with that. And that’s when I’m at my best too. But it’s on purpose. As in I strive to get there so that I can MAKE more putts.

Why even have any thought of the result anyway. Pick a line and pick a speed after you've executed assess whether you were right on the line or speed or both and move to the next hole.

This exactly. If I hit a putt perfectly and it doesn't go in, then my green-reading needs the work, not my putting stroke. I routinely miss on the high side, but it's my path/speed to blame most times and not the stroke.

Other than a very short one you can't make a putt. All you can do is read the putt to the best of your ability, and roll it on your chosen line at the right speed. Sometimes it goes in the hole, sometimes it doesn't. The key in the long run is to give the ball as many chances to go in as possible.

 

Steve

 

Steve.

 

This perplexed me. So on the practice green I can't make 6 or 7 out of 10 - 10 footers ? I'm just "lucky"?

 

I believe that we are all thinking the same thing. You guys are just trying to trick you mind into not caring when you miss.

 

It's not about "tricking" your mind...it's about relaxing and letting your subconscious take over....like on the putting green.

 

 

I agree with that. And that's when I'm at my best too. But it's on purpose. As in I strive to get there so that I can MAKE more putts.

Don't strive...don't do anything. Just putt. It's why folks putt much better on the putting green. No care...no "outcome". I actually suggest talking while putting to distract the big muscle's from taking over. Sounds crazy, but I recall Nicklaus talking about Don January who was putting everything into the hole while talking to a guy about something else.

There is no way a pro or any good putter is thinking about just getting a twenty footer close. Or not "caring". There are instances where perhaps all you need is a two putt to win or if it goes long it's a chip or pitch back to the hole, but the majority of the time good putters are thinking make the putt. If you're not thinking that, you might not be a good putter.

I used to wonder why I thought I sucked at putting. Now after watching family members suffer and pass I don’t really care anymore.

They go in, in phases they never seem to fall, but now it doesn’t seem to matter as much. For some reason when you ‘will’ it... results don’t pan out. Good or bad, its all good..... if that makes any sense.

There is no way a pro or any good putter is thinking about just getting a twenty footer close. Or not "caring". There are instances where perhaps all you need is a two putt to win or if it goes long it's a chip or pitch back to the hole, but the majority of the time good putters are thinking make the putt. If you're not thinking that, you might not be a good putter.

That is not what we are saying. We are doing everything possible trying to make the putt. But having those active thoughts as you're over the ball is really a good way to put more pressure on yourself,imagine Judge Smails from caddy shack on that last putt on 18.

There is no way a pro or any good putter is thinking about just getting a twenty footer close. Or not "caring". There are instances where perhaps all you need is a two putt to win or if it goes long it's a chip or pitch back to the hole, but the majority of the time good putters are thinking make the putt. If you're not thinking that, you might not be a good putter.

 

That is not what we are saying. We are doing everything possible trying to make the putt. But having those active thoughts as you're over the ball is really a good way to put more pressure on yourself,imagine Judge Smails from caddy shack on that last putt on 18.

Which is what I said . “ trick your mind into not caring when you miss “. I feel like we are traveling around and around the same bush .... some just prefer it worded differently so that they are tricking the mind into not caring. On some level you care or else why line it up ? Why practice ? Why even hit the putt ?

For what is worth my active thoughts over the ball are 1. Seeing the line the ball will take into the hole. And 2. Driving the sight dot through a single dimple I pick out on the back of the ball.

The conscious mind says: ball in hole. Then it would be nice if the conscious mind would become unconscious for the execution.

There is no way a pro or any good putter is thinking about just getting a twenty footer close. Or not "caring". There are instances where perhaps all you need is a two putt to win or if it goes long it's a chip or pitch back to the hole, but the majority of the time good putters are thinking make the putt. If you're not thinking that, you might not be a good putter.

 

That is not what we are saying. We are doing everything possible trying to make the putt. But having those active thoughts as you're over the ball is really a good way to put more pressure on yourself,imagine Judge Smails from caddy shack on that last putt on 18.

Are you including the OP as your collective "we"? This is what the OP said: "why not take the opposite mindset and assume you're going to miss the putt?" And from there it evolved into "not caring", "just make a good stroke", etc. Those thoughts may help because they help you do what? Make the putt. Assuming you're going to miss before the process makes zero sense and is clearly a mind trick. Much better to have a realistic expectation of the odds but still think you can make every putt.

By the way, Stockton says "you don't want to try to make it" and then says "when you try anything in life, try not to 3 putt, do something in golf, it's not going to work". About ten seconds later, he says "When I'm putting this, I'm expecting the ball to die int the hole, whether it's 50 foot or 3 foot I'm still expecting it to die in the hole". So when he says "don't try", I interpret that as don't force something that isn't there. He clearly expects to make every putt.

If you are not seeing the path of the putt, feeling the speed you need to marry with that path, and ultimately seeing the ball go in the hole (making the putt), you simply aren't getting all you can from your process to make the putt.

No, the OP is not what I am talking about

I'd personally suggest that you (and all of us) get a good read, walk in and make the best stroke we can. Forget methods and stroke. Just hit it as best you can.

In other words, stroke it subconsciously.

I think that is kind of a ridiculous concept.

The aim of golf is too try get the ball to drop into the hole

I think there are realistically expectations

I try to make every putt but I realize it’s not going to happen very often unless I’m inside 5 foot