Putting resources

So I started playing about a year ago, and now that my full swing is functional enough I wanted to really dive deep into putting.

Are there any recommended resources (paid is fine, if it’s worth it) that will dive deep into the details of putting. For example how to really understand setup, alignment, stroke fundamentals, causes of pushes, pulls, skidding, etc. I’m a nerd at heart and enjoy diving deep into details.

I’ve been looking at Preston’s putting, as well as a few others through skillest. anyone who had experience with prestons putting or anything else would be great.

my goals are to obviously improve, as well as have a decent enough stroke to get fitted to a putter that best suits me. Additionally, once I have a decent understanding I would see a professional with SAM or other putting software.

My advice (take it FWIW--you're getting advice from a stranger on the internet): (1) get fitted; (2) watch Mike Malaska's videos on putting on YouTube (his method just makes sense to my simple mind); (3) devote the time to practicing.

It's not really a "deep dive" but then again putting is one of those things where taking the mind out of it has really helped me. My game got better once I started my "dumbed down approach." Once you understand the basics of what needs to happen, over-analyzing and over-thinking can often hurt more than they can help. Putting is simple really, read the putt, see the line, roll the ball end-over-end. Any other thoughts while standing over the ball are only a hinderance to success. Obviously, each part of that takes practice and repetition. Practice and repetition aren't done in front of a computer monitor, they are done on the course.

My keys to putting: (1) Learn to master speed and distance. Get out and learn how hard you need to hit a putt 3 feet, 5 feet, 10 feet, 20 feet, 30 feet, and so on. Once you can hit a putt the right distance on command, your scores will go down dramatically. As I mentioned above, this can only be done on the course. This step can be done without any instruction and without any tools other than a putter, balls, and time. (2) Learn to master face angle and swing path. This step can be done by watching only a few videos to learn basic drills. Tools that helped me are a chalk line (or any string fixed to two points) and two alignment sticks. (3) Learn to read greens. There are a lot of methods employed to read greens better so I won't get into those--you'll have to experiment and find what works for you. What worked for me is straddling the line between my ball and the hole and taking "feel" measurements (does my left foot feel higher than my right foot) with my feet every 5 feet or so. Again, you really don't need any instruction or tools other than a putter, balls, and time.

Obviously, YMMV, but I really am a firm believer that overcomplicating putting is the wrong way to go. Putting is more simple than any other aspect of the game. You aren't trying to figure out wind speed, carry distance, spin (both vertical and horizontal), lie, or club selection. Your goal is simple: see the putt, roll the putt.

Wow, very well said and sound advice. I guess you’re totally right - my swing did get much better when I stopped worrying about the minor details. Can’t imagine that putting would be any different.

I was just worried that I’d go to club champion and get fit into a putter that compensates for me having incorrect posture and technique, so I figured it would be helpful to have these dialed in before hand.

Disclaimer: If you don't already have a decently sound (more importantly, repeatable) putting stroke, throwing money at a club fitting right away may not be worth it. It may be better to fix some of the basic posture issues first using whatever set up you currently have to get to a point where your stroke is the same every time--that is where the beauty of club fitting comes in. Club fittings aren't designed to cure swing flaws, they are designed to minimize them.

That being said, it's really hard to have a serious flaw in a putting stroke. Look at the guys on tour. There are a few that look like robots, but the vast majority of them have their own unique posture/stance/technique. Watch a few of Mike's putting videos on YouTube and as long as you're in the vicinity of what he is advocating as far as posture/setup, you will probably benefit from having a putter that is customized to what you are already doing. IMO thats the cool thing about putting. Unlike with full swings (where there really are markers for a sound and consistent swing, i.e., setup, grip, hands in this position at P2, club face in this position at P3, etc.), putting is one of those rare occasions on the golf course where you can get away with a little uniqueness and still be very successful. AND if you aren't one of those robots, a putter off the shelf isn't designed for you. A proper fitting putter for your unique posture/path might not make up 5 strokes per round but it'll likely make up 1 or 2.

love it and love this input. Going to watch a few more of his videos. I just watched one from about a month ago on be better golf and it was an incredible explanation of parallax and finding the right setup.

Thanks again, what you’re suggesting sounds like the right path to go down and I appreciate your advice!

I agree with straight crooked. Every putter with a flat face and a shaft has a method of swinging it that will produce true roll. How easy or difficult that is to obtain is an exercise left to the golfer. As such, with whatever putter you have so far you should see if you can find the stroke that makes it work. I putt with a very old blade from the 50's. I like it, and I have spent years putting with that exact putter to develop the exact stroke it requires. I have another putter from the same era, same basic head shape, just an inch longer, and I cannot putt with it. I mean I can hit a ball with it and on occasion make putts, but everything about it just feels off.

I have always figured the purpose of a fitting is to determine what stroke you the golfer are predisposed to find on your own. If your stroke were perfect for Taylormade Spider, but you were handed my blade and told to make it work, it'd probably be quite frustrating. The fitting analysis is designed to streamline that process, but you can do plenty on your own playing around with various putter types and seeing what you like.

If you can find a copy, I would read Ernie Els' "The Complete Short Game". It's putting chapter is very insightful, but quick and to the point without being overly technical. Just simple swing thoughts and drills. Also you can see a very young looking Ernie Els.

Lastly my own personal putting drill is simply rolling putts a few feet over carpet into a convenient chair leg, without any other complications. I deliberately stand in open, closed, and other positions and focus on trying to make my arm action independent of my body orientation; ie that I will putt the ball straight and mentally create that straightness without locking that to the rest of my body. Helps me focus and groove stroke.

Best of luck!

SeeMore putter company does a podcast focused exclusively on putting. It’s free. I love their putters as well, but even without their equipment, they talk about cool stuff imo.

One simple tip Monte gave me really helped: make sure you don’t pivot your hips while putting. Practice with an alignment stick thru your belt loop and keep the stick from moving on both long and short putts.
it was eye opening to see how much most amateurs (especially myself) pivot while putting

David Orr. Flatstick academy.

On 7/6/2020 at 1:01 AM, mistaklavin said:

So I started playing about a year ago, and now that my full swing is functional enough I wanted to really dive deep into putting.
Are there any recommended resources (paid is fine, if it’s worth it) that will dive deep into the details of putting. For example how to really understand setup, alignment, stroke fundamentals, causes of pushes, pulls, skidding, etc. I’m a nerd at heart and enjoy diving deep into details.
I’ve been looking at Preston’s putting, as well as a few others through skillest. anyone who had experience with prestons putting or anything else would be great.
my goals are to obviously improve, as well as have a decent enough stroke to get fitted to a putter that best suits me. Additionally, once I have a decent understanding I would see a professional with SAM or other putting software.

An old school format is the "Burnt Edges Consultation" blog.  If you are interested in nerding out, there is some good information.  I like the 2018-2019 posts.  This site helped me identify my putting stroke, and a putter type.

You can get a good pro to fit you for a putter at any level of ability.

Putting is such a natural and feel-driven activity that you really need to accept your natural instincts and work around them. 

One of the most important aspects of putting is being able to accurately see your line when you're over the ball, but everyone is different in which eye is dominant, how the like to set up to the ball, their height and posture, etc. That's why there are so many different styles of putters. One of them is right for you and the rest are "not quite" right. Finding the right style, weight, grip, etc. makes everything much easier.