SOS: I need putting help

[jetspeed3hl]

Just messed up a round of good ball-striking with HORRIBLE putting. 24 putts for 9 holes!

Distance control was horrible for long putts, and I was actually missing the hole completely on some short putts.

Any tips or drills would be appreciated. Thanks.

[golfing_penguin]

Make sure your eyes are positioned so you look at your intended target - See the Be Better Golf video with Mike Malaska

 

Practice your pace putting - 1ft target circle to every 10 feet you putt from (e.g. 3ft circle from 30ft)

 

Practice hitting the putt on-line - Putting Tutor

 

Hit the sweetspot!

 

That should cover all of it in iceberg-tip fashion

[Man_O_War]

i applied something equivalent to the punisher drill to my putting.. or the low point of ballstriking and my putting is radicalized.

[mallrat]

When my putting gets off I go do a day of putting making sure my follow through is longer than my takeaway.

[Jesse Br.]

Things about putting:

1. Practice as much as you can.

2. Keep your head still, and your lower body as still as possible. (get a mirror, it helps a lot).

3. Focus on using your shoulders rather than your hands.

4. Try keep your follow thru as short as your back swing.

 

I'd watch these two vidoes:

[dg_1983]

Gate drills for path.

 

Eyes over the ball. (Drop a ball from bridge if your nose while setup for an idea of whether your inside or outside. The dropped ball should hit the playing ball)

 

Keep the small muscles out the stroke

 

Keep the left hip still

 

Then just worry about face at impact and pace control

[jetspeed3hl]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I went to practice today focusing on a straighter club path...saw some improvement at those 6-8 footers. Still lots of work to be done in the lag putts though.

[SkiSchoolPro]

I've used Dave Pelz Truth Board for a number of years and think it helps. (Pelz actually refurbished my board for a fee as it had gotten warped)

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/932292-dave-pelz-truth-board-what-happened/

It looks like they can be found again some places with a google search.

 

This year, I have used it more consistently along with a lined ball with the focus being to get the ball to roll true (no side spin) into the hole. I vary the pace that I hit the putts (i.e. pretend it is a downhill 3' that barely gets to the hole or a 20" that slams in the back. This isn't perfect for working on your distance control, but I have started to make many more longer putts and my short putting has been mostly good as well recently.

[harolease]

My problem is my eyes moving too much Sometimes looking at the hole and line on the ball helps.

When my putting is on I tend to be able to focus a spot on the line of my putting just before I putt.

For long fast putts I will focus on the butt handle just before I putt too

 

Uphill straightest putts my eyes don't wander, it more keeping my head from turning to early that makes me miss

[MonteScheinblum]

When a decent to good golfer putts that bad, there is a serious setup and mechanical issue.

 

While all the advice you got is fine, there won't be any long term success unless you fix the underlying,yang issues.

[jetspeed3hl]

I realized my putter head is loose from the shaft...getting it fixed up today. I'll see how it goes, maybe my putting's ok!

 

:yahoo:

[getitdaily]

Go do a SAM puttlab fitting to see what you're doing in your stroke. Unless you already know...

[RichieHunt]

I tend to agree with Geoff Mangum and David Orr in that there are 5 skills in putting:

 

1. Green Reading

2. Aim

3. Hitting it where you aim

4. Face Contact

5. Speed/Touch

 

As those skills improve you will eventually start to see more putts fall.

 

Try to figure out where your skill level is in each of those skills then work on the ones you are least proficient at.

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[jetspeed3hl]

I tend to agree with Geoff Mangum and David Orr in that there are 5 skills in putting:

 

1. Green Reading

2. Aim

3. Hitting it where you aim

4. Face Contact

5. Speed/Touch

 

As those skills improve you will eventually start to see more putts fall.

 

Try to figure out where your skill level is in each of those skills then work on the ones you are least proficient at.

 

 

 

 

 

RH

 

Thanks for the advice. I definitely need work in green reading and distance control.