Hello, my name is... And I'm a terrible putter

Let me start off saying that while my game has drastically improved over the last 2 years, I have gone from averaging 105 to low 80's the last few months. All of my statistics have shown great improvement, GIR's, FWY, number of chips, number of bad misses, with the exception of putting.

When I first started keeping stats with the GolfMMB page, I averaged 38 putts a round. Now after 2 years and lots of practice? 36 putts a round... That is just unacceptable. No matter what I do, I just can't seem to figure it out! I shot 84 the other day with 37 putts! A month ago I actually had 41 putts twice! :angry22:

Before every round, I spend at least 15 mins trying to get a feel for the greens, focusing on keeping my head still and letting my left hand lead toward the target after impact... My misses are all over the place, Left and Right, doesn't matter. Distance control is a huge problem as I play multiple courses and all have different green speeds (even different grass types). Nothing is more frustrating than having a 10 ft slightly downhill putt, missing it and ending up 9.5 feet away on the opposite side.

What are some things I can do at home to improve my consistency? I have moved to Left hand low putting which has helped my wrist motion a little bit, but I still suck at putting!

HELP! :hunter: I feel like I'm just closing my eyes and hoping I hit the target!

Well I think that thinking you suck, is your first problem.

And it sounds as though you might have a fear of missing.

So much of putting is mental you really have to believe you can make it and visualize yourself putting the ball into the hole.

So I think you need to work on confidence building exercises. I would suggest you spend a lot of time working on very short putts. I'd say stay around the 3 foot range until you can really pound those in 10 or 15 in a row. So you really get used to seeing the ball go in the hole.

Without knowing anything about you or your game that's probably where I would suggest starting.

I suck at putting bought a new putter and instantly feel 10x better pretty much always 2putt on every hole, my short game suck, I have my bad days when I rush through to much instead of read the green and relax

The suggestion on the 3 foot putt is great IMO. Your description sounds as if your putting stroke is different all the time. A good pre-shot routine, even on 3 footers during practice and play can do well to get the mechanic down, then it at least for my stroke it is a matter of length of stroke. Rolling in 3 footer can definitely help with the mental side IMO.

Dare I suggest seeking professional help? In ninety minutes today I had a young professional with already good score on SAM PuttLab improve his consistency by 15%. That's the kind of results you can get if you find someone with a focus on the area of the game you're looking for.

You can get a lot of great information here on WRX but you might do well to find a coach.

First suggestion is to find a pro and get a lesson. Without seeing you putt, we're all just guessing at what the problem might be and how to fix it. So, here are my guesses...

For the speed, there's a couple of things to try:

First is to practice putting while looking at the hole. Take your normal set up, look at the hole like you would normally, but go ahead an putt from that position. It moves your focus to what you want the ball to do and not what your putter head is doing going back and through. Think about playing football or baseball. When throwing, you don't look at your arm and decide how far to stretch it back to throw the ball to someone. You just look at your target and you know from experience how much effort you need to put into the throw. You can use this practice method for long and short putts.

Second, you can try putting to a tee, not a hole. This gets you to focus on the speed without worrying about whether or not you make the put.

Lastly, pick a hole with some break to it and grab three balls. Lay a club down about 2 feet behind the hole and putt all three from one position, about 10 feet from the hole. Obviously you want to make the putts, but your initial goal should be to stop them between the hole and the club. If you hit the club, start over. After all three stop between the hole and club, rotate your putting position and golf club 90 deg around the hole so you've changed the break and speed of the putt. Lather rinse repeat.

If you're missing all over the place then you probably need some work on your setup or your stroke.

First thing is to have someone stand so they can see where you're aiming. If you're not pointed where you think you are, then your stroke could be perfect, but you'll never putt well.

Next, you can work on both your stroke and alignment with a chalk line. I like to find a straight 10 foot putt and put down a chalk line. You can putt right on top of it and it gives you an instant visual of the path of your putting stroke AND if you're starting the ball on line. If the putt is flat and smooth, with a chalk line you should make most of your putts, even from 10 feet, which is great for the confidence. If you don't have a line, grab some clubs, lay them down parallel to your target line and putt in between them.

Lastly, if you're having speed and direction issues, you might be hitting the ball all over the face. Something I like to combine with the chalk line is to put two tees in the ground, one on either side of the ball perpendicular to your target line, that act as a gate that you swing your putter through. Start off by giving yourself maybe 1/2 inch off the toe and heel of the putter and bring them in a little bit as you get better. When you're putting you'll hit the tees if you're swinging the putter too far off line, so it is instant feedback on if you're hitting the ball in the center of the face or if you're all over the place.

Like I said to start off, lessons are best, but any of the above may help you improve on your speed and line.

Good luck!

[quote name='PuttingDoctor' timestamp='1360279211' post='6384147']
Dare I suggest seeking professional help? In ninety minutes today I had a young professional with already good score on SAM PuttLab improve his consistency by 15%. That's the kind of results you can get if you find someone with a focus on the area of the game you're looking for.

You can get a lot of great information here on WRX but you might do well to find a coach.
[/quote]


That is some good advice. I've only had one putting lesson (using SAM lab indoors in the Yes putting studio) but it was the best lesson i ever had.

A lot of golf instruction/coaching can be quite technical and demanding of co-ordination and practice time but putting is different i found. I was taught a certain set-up and grip and it was pretty easy to follow, just took a while to get used to the change coz it felt weird. Never putted better, rarely 3 putt, hole lots of 6-10 footers and the odd 20-25 footer.

For £60, i got a 90 minute lesson and my existing putter fitted to me - they shortened the club by 2 inches, changed the loft and lie angle and put a mid size grip on it! £30 thereafter for a 45 minute lesson.

hey man I can relate. I am a 4.6 index and consider myself to be a terrible putter. I have tried tons of things and think it is mostly mental for me. I shot 76 last year with 41 putts. I think I hit 16 greens and every fairway but couldn't manage to make a putt. I have times when I putt pretty well but overall I am very inconsistent. Sometimes it is embarrassing as on the first few holes it may it look to someone that doesn't know me that I am a total vanity capper because of such poor putting. By the end of the round I usually show that I am pretty solid with the rest of my game. I probably have pretty good scrambling ability to salvage some descent scores. One thing that higher handicappers can usually benefit from is just putting in the time. I find that I putt better when I put more practice time in on the green. Try not to get too discouraged and keep at it, hopefully you will find something that works for you.

Very likley you are over-thinking it and trying too hard. I see guys like you all the time in our Putting schools. Once they relax, stop trying so hard, and make the leap into trust and reaction to the target mode - like they would do if they were a six year old kid playing around on the green - their putting starts to improve dramatically.

Also - check your putter's grip to be sure it is installed with the flat front part of the grip 90 degrees to the face angle of the putter. Another common thing I see in our schools is a grip that was installed incorrectly which makes putting accuracy basically impossible.

Play around with short to long stroke accelerted method for distance control vs more of a pendulum "even" stroke tempo, and find which is best for you.

Take a four hour putting lesson and learn about aim, approach to the cup speed, reading greens, grip, setup, ball position, stroke mechanics and grip pressure.

Once you clearly understand some of the basics, you will be able to practice effectively and start to see some major improvements.

[quote name='RRFireblade' timestamp='1360271880' post='6383331']
Well I think that thinking you suck, is your first problem.

And it sounds as though you might have a fear of missing.

So much of putting is mental you really have to believe you can make it and visualize yourself putting the ball into the hole.

[/quote]

Really agree with this. I putt my best when I have the confidence/belief and can visualize dropping it in the hole.

First, bad putting is rarely just a putting problem. If your short game is constantly putting you in bad situations then you will always have putting problems. If you miss 8-9 greens per round then chipping the ball close can save you 4-5 putts per round easy.
Second, most important thing in putting is speed in my opinion. If you can't get the speed right it doesn't matter if you read it right. Plus, you will hardly ever miss read a putt by more than a couple of feet. Bye bye three putts.

Next, I would never practice 3 foot putts. Why would you? When was the last time you heard of a nba player practing 100 layups a day? They don't they practice free throws! Here's why everyone from pros to bad ameuters think they should make every three footer. But know one does! so if you practice 10 three footers and miss one you think you did bad. Plus you can make a lot of bad strokes and still make a three footer. So, instead only practice six foot putts. Hit a 100 a day. Guess what if you make 50% of your six footers your a good putter. Plus you can't get away with bad strokes on six footers.(or as much) if you get to where you can make 60% your six footers your a pro at putting. Also, when you hit 1000's of six footers those three footers are cake. Here is where the main benefit of the ride comes back full circle. If you can make 50-60% of your six foot putts you take the pressure off your short game. Because even on a bad chip you can get it to within 6 feet and good players only have to get it up and down 50% of the time. Now you feel like you can attack those wedges because even if you miss you will make one of those round ruining, no good, stinking pars. Let's make more birdies and learn to hate those round ruining PARS! Haha

My 2 cents and pieces of advice:

1.) Get professionally fit for a putter
2.) Get your head right.

Just based on reading your post, I'll bet you're battling your mind and some inner demons on the greens. As RRFireblade mentioned, most of putting is mental. Believing/trusting in your stroke and line is half battle.

Try reading "Putting Out of Your Mind" by Rotella. Its a short quick read, but filled with great ideas and some "chicken soup" for your putting. Many golfers have unrealistic putting expectations. Whether a putt goes in hole or misses, isn't the definition of a good putt. You can hit the perfect putt, and something as simple as a spike mark or depression can throw the ball off line causing a miss. You can't always blame yourself when the ball doesn't go in, as often beyond your control.

Getting fit, relaxing, and developing some confidence in your putting game will go a long way.

Good luck and I hope you can turn things around!

I struggle with putting as well.

My problem is when I think I'm lined up square at the hole on a straight five foot putt, I'm *actually* lined up outside the right edge.

I have yet to find a solution that isn't basically "deal with it, hope it gets better."

But that three foot putt that the person above thinks is easy is torture to me because I can see the hole at address and I *know* I'm lined up wrong.

So, my advice to the OP is take a lesson.

Failing that, have someone stand behind you and make sure you are lined up at the hole.

If you aren't it leads to all types of other bad things.

Rotella: Putting Out Of Your Mind

Putting is all about confidence..Don't think about it too much..
Good luck

This entire thread should be deleted. It will infect minds.

Gotta stay positive with the putting in order to succeed.

[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1360326104' post='6386837']
This entire thread should be deleted. It will infect minds.

[/quote]If for no other reason than someone above said "never practice 3 footers".

Awhile back there was a thread in the Putter section about improving putting and what people had done. Somebody mentioned Geoff Mangum and a grip they had seen on his site called Dueling Pistoleros. I did 2 things, I changed to this grip, and gave myself permission to miss as long as I trusted my line. To say instant results would be stretching it, but over the last 6 months, my putts per round avg has dropped 2.3 strokes. That's pretty significant. As Mr. Waldron states above, relax, trust, react.

The above posts are correct, you should get some lessons to break this down and sort out some issues. I had similar problems and went to a pro with a SAM lab and it was pretty simple. First, you need to put a consistent roll on the ball to even have a shot at picking a line consistently on the greens, then make sure you're aimed at the line you want. Pretty straightforward.

Adding my two cents--
By all means see a pro and get your putting stroke looked at. Could be a number of different things going on with it such as far as how far back you take the putter vs. how much follow through.
Secondly -- getting a feel for the greens only works if you have a good feel for your putting stroke to begin with so you are probably investing time in the wrong area. There are a number of time proven putting drills to get a better feel at varying distances, checking alignment and more. Your pro will likely point in the right direction for these. Then the answer as to how to get to Carnegie Hall is easy... practice man, practice.

[quote name='TheCityGame' timestamp='1360328760' post='6386969']
[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1360326104' post='6386837']
This entire thread should be deleted. It will infect minds.

[/quote]If for no other reason than someone above said "never practice 3 footers".
[/quote]

Putting zombie apocalypse!

Putting is about confidence. If you go get a lesson or have your stroke analyzed on a PuttLab, the objective is to come away with more confidence in what you are doing. If you change your grip or mental approach, you are also building confidence with those changes. If you change putters you are expecting to have more confidence in that new putter. If you practice and do putting drills, you are not honing a stroke, you are building confidence.

Confidence in putting is fragile. What if you do all of the above and then miss a three footer? You have to preserve your confidence by forgetting that miss. Or blame it on something other than yourself. And finally, no matter how good or how bad you putt, you will always have to work on keeping your confidence level high.

You have to learn to recognize every little thing that has the potential to wreck your confidence, and find a way to combat every one of those confidence wreckers. Sometimes in the middle of a round you have to search to find anything that works a little better. You always have to believe you can make the next putt. It is a never ending effort.

[quote name='Will Par' timestamp='1360331747' post='6387253']
Putting is about confidence.
[/quote]And, it's also about hitting a putt on the right line at the right speed. It's also about that.

OP. . .how much do you practice? Really practice putting? Not going out 15 minutes before a round to get a feel for the speed.

To me putting is about 3 things.

1) Hitting the ball on the line you intended.
2) Hitting the ball the speed you intended.

After you have become somewhat proficicent at 1 & 2, you can start to really worry about 3. . .

3) What line/speed should I hit the ball?

For 1, I don't care what your grip/stance/putter/eyeball is doing as long as you can identify a line, and hit a ball along that line. We have ALL THE EVIDENCE WE WILL EVER NEED that different styles can produce these results and you are probably close enough to one of those styles. You already have a shovel, now it's time to start digging.

For 2, more than anything, you need to ensure that the same swing always produces the same ball speed. That is, you need to be hitting the sweet spot, making consistent contact. You can't develop "feel" if you don't know how the ball is coming off the putter. Get to work.

When you can do those things start on 3. Here's what you need to know about that: putts break down hill. They break more on steeper hills. You're not allowed to use a level on a golf course, so learn to identify what "down hill" is.

When you have 1, 2 & 3, then you should have confidence. It's not the other way around.

[quote name='chirotennis' timestamp='1360271316' post='6383261']
Let me start off saying that while my game has drastically improved over the last 2 years, I have gone from averaging 105 to low 80's the last few months. All of my statistics have shown great improvement, GIR's, FWY, number of chips, number of bad misses, with the exception of putting.

When I first started keeping stats with the GolfMMB page, I averaged 38 putts a round. Now after 2 years and lots of practice? 36 putts a round... That is just unacceptable. No matter what I do, I just can't seem to figure it out! I shot 84 the other day with 37 putts! A month ago I actually had 41 putts twice!

Before every round, I spend at least 15 mins trying to get a feel for the greens, focusing on keeping my head still and letting my left hand lead toward the target after impact... My misses are all over the place, Left and Right, doesn't matter. Distance control is a huge problem as I play multiple courses and all have different green speeds (even different grass types). Nothing is more frustrating than having a 10 ft slightly downhill putt, missing it and ending up 9.5 feet away on the opposite side.

What are some things I can do at home to improve my consistency? I have moved to Left hand low putting which has helped my wrist motion a little bit, but I still suck at putting!

HELP! I feel like I'm just closing my eyes and hoping I hit the target!
[/quote]

My story is just like yours. I had an eagle opportunity the other day and 4 putted for bogey. I finally threw my hands up and my pro told me that I should switch to a belly putter.

So I did and it seems to really be helping. It takes a lot of the error with your hands and arms out of the equation and really lets you focus on distance and speed more than form. Though there is still form required it was very easy to pick up.

They make a belly putter extension device and sell it on amazon for 30 bucks that lets you turn your regular putter into a belly putter..

Putting is one of those things that even pros get stuck in ruts and go to drastic changes.. Look at Mickelson.. Totally new putting style even though he wrote a book on putting!!

bah... just keep buying putters until you find one that works for you

I switched from using a blade style putter to mallets mainly due to my initial difficulty alligning the head to my target line. I do agree with the above poster regarding using a belly putter. Just remember if you do decide to just buy an extension, a lot of belly and long putters tend be anywhere from 20 g to over 100 g's heavier than a standard putter head so you might have to add some lead tape to get a better feel. Anyways, I started using it last year and it really helped me to develop my stroke. I've recently switched back to a standard putter and the stroke is still there. If experimenting by yourself doesn't acheive the results you desire you should follow some of the other posters' advice about seeing a putting coach

[quote name='tocino' timestamp='1360338034' post='6387961']
bah... just keep buying putters until you find one that works for you

I switched from using a blade style putter to mallets mainly due to my initial difficulty alligning the head to my target line. I do agree with the above poster regarding using a belly putter. Just remember if you do decide to just buy an extension, a lot of belly and long putters tend be anywhere from 20 g to over 100 g's heavier than a standard putter head so you might have to add some lead tape to get a better feel. Anyways, I started using it last year and it really helped me to develop my stroke. I've recently switched back to a standard putter and the stroke is still there. If experimenting by yourself doesn't acheive the results you desire you should follow some of the other posters' advice about seeing a putting coach
[/quote]

club ho advice and bacon for a name. This guy is a friend in my book! Haha.

[quote name='Colby327' timestamp='1360298477' post='6386039']
My 2 cents and pieces of advice:

1.) Get professionally fit for a putter
2.) Get your head right.

Just based on reading your post, I'll bet you're battling your mind and some inner demons on the greens. As RRFireblade mentioned, most of putting is mental. Believing/trusting in your stroke and line is half battle.

Try reading "Putting Out of Your Mind" by Rotella. Its a short quick read, but filled with great ideas and some "chicken soup" for your putting. Many golfers have unrealistic putting expectations. Whether a putt goes in hole or misses, isn't the definition of a good putt. You can hit the perfect putt, and something as simple as a spike mark or depression can throw the ball off line causing a miss. You can't always blame yourself when the ball doesn't go in, as often beyond your control.

Getting fit, relaxing, and developing some confidence in your putting game will go a long way.

Good luck and I hope you can turn things around!
[/quote]
I love this. I went from looking at a spot, to looking at the hole, to looking three inches in front of my ball. Changed putters, putter styles, tried a belly and everything under the sun. I started to worry more about does it start on the line I want and go the distance I want and not only did I lag a hell of a lot better but it wasn't a stress anymore and killed a lot of my three putts. Great perspective Colby327.

[quote name='TheCityGame' timestamp='1360328760' post='6386969']
[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1360326104' post='6386837']
This entire thread should be deleted. It will infect minds.

[/quote]If for no other reason than someone above said "never practice 3 footers".
[/quote]

Just my opinon, but if you have time to practice putts you would be much better off practicing 6 footers instead of 3 footers. Again, If you are practing your shot in basketball you don't shoot layups you shoot free throws. Just my thougts.

[quote name='chirotennis' timestamp='1360271316' post='6383261']
Let me start off saying that while my game has drastically improved over the last 2 years, I have gone from averaging 105 to low 80's the last few months. All of my statistics have shown great improvement, GIR's, FWY, number of chips, number of bad misses, with the exception of putting.

When I first started keeping stats with the GolfMMB page, I averaged 38 putts a round. Now after 2 years and lots of practice? 36 putts a round... That is just unacceptable. No matter what I do, I just can't seem to figure it out! I shot 84 the other day with 37 putts! A month ago I actually had 41 putts twice!

Before every round, I spend at least 15 mins trying to get a feel for the greens, focusing on keeping my head still and letting my left hand lead toward the target after impact... My misses are all over the place, Left and Right, doesn't matter. Distance control is a huge problem as I play multiple courses and all have different green speeds (even different grass types). Nothing is more frustrating than having a 10 ft slightly downhill putt, missing it and ending up 9.5 feet away on the opposite side.

What are some things I can do at home to improve my consistency? I have moved to Left hand low putting which has helped my wrist motion a little bit, but I still suck at putting!

HELP! I feel like I'm just closing my eyes and hoping I hit the target!
[/quote]


Are you sure you arent me with another acount on here. This is exactly what I am like.

I shot 8 over today and regularly between 7 to 12 over and its all on the putting green. My tee to green is consistent most of the time and my short game (chipping/pitching) is usuallly quick good.

My putting is terrible.

I hate my putter (TM inza) and unfortunately I live in the middle of South America with no golf shop. I battel with this thing daily to feel good and it just doesnt help.

Im sure with a good putter that I feel confident with I could average between 5 to 9 a round.....


Confidence is my biggest flaw so i would agree with what some others hav said. Get a putter you like. IE... like the look like the feel and Im sure you will start knocking them in.

One thing I havent and wont do is mess around with grips...... For me Hank Haney said it best when he said amatuers shouldnt innovate but copy the pros... I know pros do the left hand low thing but for me when I start messing around too much I fear turning into Bernhard Langer

[quote name='tembolo1284' timestamp='1360326104' post='6386837']
This entire thread should be deleted. It will infect minds.

Gotta stay positive with the putting in order to succeed.
[/quote]

But being positive doesn't mean you'll succeed.

Until about a month ago when I figured out I was lined up incorrectly, I never stood over a putt and said, "I hope I make it."

Still averaged 33 putts a round.

You have to get a Pelz putting tutor. Only feedback I know of if you are hitting it straight and on the right line. Also although it sounds weird, don't forget to try to hit the ball in the center (some try down or up).