Obee's Putting Improvement Thread

[ddetts]

I feel like maybe I won't get any balls to stick with the PuttOut. So far I just concentrate on "making" 10 3 footers in a row, then move back to 4 feet, repeat. I think once I can make it to 25 or 30, I'll invest in a 10ft roll mat.

 

When using the PuttOut, I don't really focus on trying to get them to stick in the hole. I'm more concerned with having them come back close to the 1 foot hash mark on the PuttOut mat. I focus on that for a couple of reasons: 1) because my miss/mistake on a majority of putts is not enough pace, more so on breaking putts that still have just enough pace to get to the hole but I tend to miss low side and 2) because I just barely "die" a lot of putts in would rather have the confidence to firm them and take a little more break out.

[swizbeatz]

28 putts at an away course for a 67 yesterday. 24 today at my home course in 20 mph winds for a 70. Been iffy on the greens for a month or so, it was nice to see the ball go in the hole.

[Obee]

28 putts at an away course for a 67 yesterday. 24 today at my home course in 20 mph winds for a 70. Been iffy on the greens for a month or so, it was nice to see the ball go in the hole.

 

There we go!

 

29 putts for me yesterday in a four-ball qualifier. Since I started tracking my putting at the beginning of this thread, I'm now under 29 putts per round. Very pleased with that.

 

Updated stats: https://www.dropbox.com/s/tugov03xmmcuzx7/Putting%20Stats%20-%20David%20Ober.xlsx?dl=0

[swizbeatz]

28 putts at an away course for a 67 yesterday. 24 today at my home course in 20 mph winds for a 70. Been iffy on the greens for a month or so, it was nice to see the ball go in the hole.

 

There we go!

 

29 putts for me yesterday in a four-ball qualifier. Since I started tracking my putting at the beginning of this thread, I'm now under 29 putts per round. Very pleased with that.

 

Updated stats: https://www.dropbox.com/s/tugov03xmmcuzx7/Putting%20Stats%20-%20David%20Ober.xlsx?dl=0

 

<30 putts per round is sick. I don’t track them but consider myself a good putter, I’ve gotta be over 30. I do hit a lot of greens though.

[Obee]

28 putts at an away course for a 67 yesterday. 24 today at my home course in 20 mph winds for a 70. Been iffy on the greens for a month or so, it was nice to see the ball go in the hole.

 

There we go!

 

29 putts for me yesterday in a four-ball qualifier. Since I started tracking my putting at the beginning of this thread, I'm now under 29 putts per round. Very pleased with that.

 

Updated stats: https://www.dropbox.com/s/tugov03xmmcuzx7/Putting%20Stats%20-%20David%20Ober.xlsx?dl=0

 

<30 putts per round is sick. I dont track them but consider myself a good putter, Ive gotta be over 30. I do hit a lot of greens though.

 

As I've gotten older and shorter, I am, of course, hitting fewer greens. My putts per round should go down as a result, obviously.

[Obee]

28 putts at an away course for a 67 yesterday. 24 today at my home course in 20 mph winds for a 70. Been iffy on the greens for a month or so, it was nice to see the ball go in the hole.

 

67 is a great score always. What course?

[swizbeatz]

28 putts at an away course for a 67 yesterday. 24 today at my home course in 20 mph winds for a 70. Been iffy on the greens for a month or so, it was nice to see the ball go in the hole.

 

67 is a great score always. What course?

 

Leslie Park in Ann Arbor. Nothing special but a top 100 municipal in the country, 72.5 rating. 7 birdies.

 

 

You would have been proud. Couple solid drivers off the deck, couple good 27* hybrids into greens. Still playing the same hybrids I got after talking with you about torque a couple years ago.

[Krt22]

So what would everyone say is the proper speed for a 4 foot putt? If you miss is it a foot beyond, 2 feet, somewhere in between? Maybe more or less? I've heard various distances from Pelz to the Aimpoint school and curious what people like, especially on the shorter putts.

 

If you are not sure, and have to ask the question, it is highly likely that you are putting your short putts too softly. (I used to be like this).

 

My goal is to find the speed that allows me to hit the back of the cup on a level or slightly uphill putt.

 

The thing is, you can't fake this in tournament play. You either get comfortable with this and it becomes the way that you putt, or you don't.

 

The key for me on these was learning how to get the ball to roll end over end, instead of putting side spin on the ball.

 

Rolling the ball with a pure(er)stroke, I could hit a dead straight part actually dead straight. Or reasonably so. That was the difference maker for me.

 

Obee, what are your keys for putting a good roll on the ball?

 

Put a line all the way around your ball and practice hitting 6 foot putts to where the line does not wobble. After a while, you will be able to do this most of the time. When I started, I could not do it a single time because my stroke sucked!!!

Obee, Im a decent putter, relative good inside 4-5 feet, most of my issues come with poor lag putts.

 

However this is one drill I can do easily inside my home and one I have been struggling with. I can hit the 6 footer over and over, but each time there is some wobble. How do I break down my putting stroke to figure out what the issue is without some professional help?

[Obee]

So pretty much every time there is wobble? Interesting.

 

The first 10 or so putts I hit I had wobble all the time.

 

Then I just sort of figured it out on my own. I realized I was cutting across my putts And I knew much of that was due to my set up. I change my set up to a closed stance and with a couple other small tweaks, that was it.

[jslane57]

There is no doubt that lag putting and short putting are two very different things. A great lag putt can miss your intended line by two feet, if the read wasn't perfect the putt may even go in if the speed is perfect. And a lot of great lag putters don't put perfect rolls on the ball, the best lag putters I've seen have longer back strokes and shorter follow through and if they cut it a little it's just fine. This doesn't work so great with short putts. I love how Obee discovered that a closed stance allowed his short putts to track better. Treating long and short putts differently is great. For me, I determine this by the required speed. If speed is more critical than line I usually stand up a little taller and use a looser stroke that may or may not have cut spin, but always has feel. When line becomes more critical (usually shorter putts) I grip a little lower, square up the stance a bit (usually a little open), and focused on roll of the ball. There are plenty of the very best golfers (Jordan and Freddie come to mind) who lag putt the best of anyone and struggled with short putts (or so it seems at times). At the end of the day practice matters, repetition matters, and even more than that, forgiveness and forgetting matters as you will still be missing short putts when you don't think you should no matter how much you prepare...

[melly9]

Over the last few months I have used a Scotty Newport, Odyssey 7s, and Evnroll er2. I had constantly been searching for a putter that best fit my stroke and like others struggled to put a good end over end roll on the ball. Picked up a Spider Tour Red w/ sightline and I roll it end over end perfectly literally every time. Dont like the look of it much, dont love the feel, but man ive never had so much confidence standing over a putt.

[Z1ggy16]

I DID IT!! I DID ITT!!!!!

 

I got TWO putts to stick in the evil PuttOut hole this morning!! Alert the media, alert the press!@!!!

[Krt22]

So pretty much every time there is wobble? Interesting.

 

The first 10 or so putts I hit I had wobble all the time.

 

Then I just sort of figured it out on my own. I realized I was cutting across my putts And I knew much of that was due to my set up. I change my set up to a closed stance and with a couple other small tweaks, that was it.

 

I'd say one out of 4 or 5 will roll perfectly. No idea what is different during those putts

[ThinkingPlus]

I have a question for the group. Do any of you or have any of you seen someone putt short putts (< 4 feet) dramatically different that longer putts? I have seen a pro and a very good amateur use a very short (1 - 2 inch) backswing and power through the stroke for short putts (they had a more normal paced stroke for all other distances). Ball hammers into the back of the cup. They were very good at it. I think the concept is that the stroke is so short the putter doesn't have time to get offline and the ball powers into the cup taking out nearly all break. Very effective and makes me wonder whether it would be a good method to adopt (although it seems pretty scary to me).

[Obee]

I have a question for the group. Do any of you or have any of you seen someone putt short putts (< 4 feet) dramatically different that longer putts? I have seen a pro and a very good amateur use a very short (1 - 2 inch) backswing and power through the stroke for short putts (they had a more normal paced stroke for all other distances). Ball hammers into the back of the cup. They were very good at it. I think the concept is that the stroke is so short the putter doesn't have time to get offline and the ball powers into the cup taking out nearly all break. Very effective and makes me wonder whether it would be a good method to adopt (although it seems pretty scary to me).

 

I have not seen this, no. I have seen things that kind of look like this, but never as drastically as you are describing it.

[ThinkingPlus]

I have a question for the group. Do any of you or have any of you seen someone putt short putts (< 4 feet) dramatically different that longer putts? I have seen a pro and a very good amateur use a very short (1 - 2 inch) backswing and power through the stroke for short putts (they had a more normal paced stroke for all other distances). Ball hammers into the back of the cup. They were very good at it. I think the concept is that the stroke is so short the putter doesn't have time to get offline and the ball powers into the cup taking out nearly all break. Very effective and makes me wonder whether it would be a good method to adopt (although it seems pretty scary to me).

 

I have not seen this, no. I have seen things that kind of look like this, but never as drastically as you are describing it.

I might be exaggerating a little. It just looked so different. It may have made a greater impression than it should have. I get a bit nervous on 2 - 3 footer that are downhill on slickish greens. Apparently with a short backstroke and power through they are easy cause my competitor was burying them all day. LOL!

[Obee]

29 putts and a 1-under 71 today at Vista Valley in San Diego county. Low round of the day in "Scratch League" against Vista Valley, Barona, and Steele Canyon. Unfortunately we (Bear Creek) did not make up any ground on Vista Valley and we'll need a miracle in our final match of the year at home. I'm super pleased with my putting lately. Feel so at peace on putting greens now. Home, away, fast, slow, doesn't matter. The Claw + The Line = :-) for me!!!

 

I have played 26 rounds since August 5th. Below are my "simple" stats. I'm keeping more detailed putting stats in the "Shot by Shot" app, but that only has five rounds so far.

 

 

Scoring Avg: 73.19

Putts per Round: 28.81

GIR Avg: 10.35

Putts/GIR: 1.81

Avg. putt made: 3 feet, 6 inches

3-Putts: 0.58 per round (once every 31 holes -- I think I did the match right?)

 

My short game has been amazing lately. Since I've been putting well (especially from 3 to 6 feet), all the pressure on my short game is gone, and I'm free to just pick a shot and execute. Leads to lots of easy 1-putt pars for me.

[Dave D]

So pretty much every time there is wobble? Interesting.

 

The first 10 or so putts I hit I had wobble all the time.

 

Then I just sort of figured it out on my own. I realized I was cutting across my putts And I knew much of that was due to my set up. I change my set up to a closed stance and with a couple other small tweaks, that was it.

 

I'd say one out of 4 or 5 will roll perfectly. No idea what is different during those putts

 

My guess would be slightly off centre strike, bluetac a couple of tees a ball width apart onto your putter face. either that or put something either side of the club head - "gate drill" to ensure centre strike and go from there

[Dave D]

29 putts and a 1-under 71 today at Vista Valley in San Diego county. Low round of the day in "Scratch League" against Vista Valley, Barona, and Steele Canyon. Unfortunately we (Bear Creek) did not make up any ground on Vista Valley and we'll need a miracle in our final match of the year at home. I'm super pleased with my putting lately. Feel so at peace on putting greens now. Home, away, fast, slow, doesn't matter. The Claw + The Line = :-) for me!!!

 

I have played 26 rounds since August 5th. Here are my "simple" stats (I'm keeping more detailed putting stats in the "Shot by Shot" app, but that only has five rounds so far.

 

 

Scoring Avg: 73.19

Putts per Round: 28.81

GIR Avg: 10.35

Putts/GIR: 1.81

Avg. putt made: 3 feet, 6 inches

3-Putts: 0.58 per round (once every 31 holes -- I think I did the match right?)

 

My short game has been amazing lately. Since I've been putting well (especially from 3 to 6 feet), all the pressure on my short game is gone, and I'm free to just pick a shot and execute. Leads to lots of easy 1-putt pars for me.

 

Brilliant stuff Obee, amazing how improving one part of the game frees up others, especially putting.

 

feel like you can hole everything frees up the short game as less pressure to get it stone dead.

 

which can free up approach play as less pressure to hit the green

[dg_1983]

"bluetac a couple of tees a ball width apart onto your putter face"

 

Gonna try this, great tool for the putting station

[jasonfish11]

I have a question for the group. Do any of you or have any of you seen someone putt short putts (< 4 feet) dramatically different that longer putts? I have seen a pro and a very good amateur use a very short (1 - 2 inch) backswing and power through the stroke for short putts (they had a more normal paced stroke for all other distances). Ball hammers into the back of the cup. They were very good at it. I think the concept is that the stroke is so short the putter doesn't have time to get offline and the ball powers into the cup taking out nearly all break. Very effective and makes me wonder whether it would be a good method to adopt (although it seems pretty scary to me).

 

I putt looking at the hole on longer putts and looking at the "ball" on shorter ones. Does that count?

 

In reality on short putts I'm still paying attention to the hole, I can just see it out of my periphery. I'm looking down at a blade of grass 2-3" in front of the ball that I want the ball to roll over. So it appears to someone in my group that I'm looking at the ball.

[KMeloney]

I have a question for the group. Do any of you or have any of you seen someone putt short putts (< 4 feet) dramatically different that longer putts? I have seen a pro and a very good amateur use a very short (1 - 2 inch) backswing and power through the stroke for short putts (they had a more normal paced stroke for all other distances). Ball hammers into the back of the cup. They were very good at it. I think the concept is that the stroke is so short the putter doesn't have time to get offline and the ball powers into the cup taking out nearly all break. Very effective and makes me wonder whether it would be a good method to adopt (although it seems pretty scary to me).

 

Yes, some of the better putters I play with use the kind of stroke you're talking about here. Makes sense in all aspects of the golf swing, really (the notion that shortening your swing provides less time/distance for things to get off line). To be clear, these guys don't jab these putts -- it's just that their back strokes are very short, and the forward strokes naturally extended through the ball and after it's gone.

[blehnhard]

Back in the mid 90's, I played a number of rounds with Allen Doyle who I don't think took the putter back more than 3 or 4 inches for any putt.

[Obee]

Back in the mid 90's, I played a number of rounds with Allen Doyle who I don't think took the putter back more than 3 or 4 inches for any putt.

 

He chipped/pitched like that, too! Super short back, and accelerated through. I've heard stories of his legendarily good short game.

[blehnhard]

He could get it done!! Sneaky long when fairways were fast. Great short game.

[shanksaplenty]

A couple of putting keys that have helped me tremendously:

 

1. Try a mallet putter with a long sight line. That, combined with using the line on the ball. Also, make sure your putter has one of the (metallic) true-roll inserts. Though I’m an arc putter, I use a face balanced putter with good success (they are making mallet putters with heel-toe weighting now).

 

2. Hold your finish on your follow-through (watch the pros). It signifies commitment to the stroke and acceleration. Recoil on the follow-through is not good.

 

3. Stay in your putting posture until the ball stops rolling (or goes into the hole!). I tend to hit putts much more solid when I stay in my “putting crouch” (posture) well after the ball is gone - and distance control is much better, too.

 

Now a question to those who aim their putts with the line on the ball: do you readjust your ball when you take your stance and feel something in your feet that your eyes didn’t detect when you originally aligned the ball?

[Krt22]

29 putts and a 1-under 71 today at Vista Valley in San Diego county. Low round of the day in "Scratch League" against Vista Valley, Barona, and Steele Canyon. Unfortunately we (Bear Creek) did not make up any ground on Vista Valley and we'll need a miracle in our final match of the year at home. I'm super pleased with my putting lately. Feel so at peace on putting greens now. Home, away, fast, slow, doesn't matter. The Claw + The Line = :-) for me!!!

 

I have played 26 rounds since August 5th. Here are my "simple" stats (I'm keeping more detailed putting stats in the "Shot by Shot" app, but that only has five rounds so far.

 

 

Scoring Avg: 73.19

Putts per Round: 28.81

GIR Avg: 10.35

Putts/GIR: 1.81

Avg. putt made: 3 feet, 6 inches

3-Putts: 0.58 per round (once every 31 holes -- I think I did the match right?)

 

My short game has been amazing lately. Since I've been putting well (especially from 3 to 6 feet), all the pressure on my short game is gone, and I'm free to just pick a shot and execute. Leads to lots of easy 1-putt pars for me.

 

Brilliant stuff Obee, amazing how improving one part of the game frees up others, especially putting.

 

feel like you can hole everything frees up the short game as less pressure to get it stone dead.

 

which can free up approach play as less pressure to hit the green

 

I will try this. They generally all go the same speed, end close to each other, just start with a tad of wobble before going end over end

[Yuck]

My wife gave me a putting lesson today while she beat me by 5 shots. She had 14 pars and a birdie, and she missed a ton of greens. I am optimistic my yips will get better.

[ThinkingPlus]

A couple of putting keys that have helped me tremendously:

 

1. Try a mallet putter with a long sight line. That, combined with using the line on the ball. Also, make sure your putter has one of the (metallic) true-roll inserts. Though I'm an arc putter, I use a face balanced putter with good success (they are making mallet putters with heel-toe weighting now).

 

2. Hold your finish on your follow-through (watch the pros). It signifies commitment to the stroke and acceleration. Recoil on the follow-through is not good.

 

3. Stay in your putting posture until the ball stops rolling (or goes into the hole!). I tend to hit putts much more solid when I stay in my "putting crouch" (posture) well after the ball is gone - and distance control is much better, too.

 

Now a question to those who aim their putts with the line on the ball: do you readjust your ball when you take your stance and feel something in your feet that your eyes didn't detect when you originally aligned the ball?

Yes.

[Shilgy]

A couple of putting keys that have helped me tremendously:

 

1. Try a mallet putter with a long sight line. That, combined with using the line on the ball. Also, make sure your putter has one of the (metallic) true-roll inserts. Though I'm an arc putter, I use a face balanced putter with good success (they are making mallet putters with heel-toe weighting now).

 

2. Hold your finish on your follow-through (watch the pros). It signifies commitment to the stroke and acceleration. Recoil on the follow-through is not good.

 

3. Stay in your putting posture until the ball stops rolling (or goes into the hole!). I tend to hit putts much more solid when I stay in my "putting crouch" (posture) well after the ball is gone - and distance control is much better, too.

 

Now a question to those who aim their putts with the line on the ball: do you readjust your ball when you take your stance and feel something in your feet that your eyes didn't detect when you originally aligned the ball?

Yes.

Yes, except for #1. It's not for everyone. Some will aim better with a blade putter and no sight line for example. Just square the face. There are many other choices.

The others listed I would consider to be there fundamentals of great putting.