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Aiming putt tips?
hacker49 ·
hacker49
Posted: Members Posts: 587 
Hi All,
It's been a while since I have been on. Now that golf season, in my area, is here I need to start working on some of my flaws. One of them, that my instructor discovered, is I misaim my putts and therefore compensate with my putting stroke. That causes me to miss many putts which only worsens both my aim and stroke.
As much as I try I seem to misalign my ball to the line I want to hit. So what tips have you found that helped you line up your putts correctly? I have started putting an alignment line on my ball but I still seem to have difficulty lining up my putt correctly. Any tips or advice would be appreciated. I finally feel like I am swinging better so I hope to see some improvement this year but I know my putting is a big weakness. I probably loose 5 shots a round due to a putt I should have made but didn't because it was misaimed or hit because of the bad aim.
Edit: What I am talking about is not aiming at the wrong point but rather thinking I am aiming at one point but in actuality I am aiming at another. So when I think I am aiming for example 1/2 inch outside of the hole I am actually aiming 1 inch outside. That constant miss has caused a change in my swing to compensate for the frequent miss. Hope this clears things up.
It's been a while since I have been on. Now that golf season, in my area, is here I need to start working on some of my flaws. One of them, that my instructor discovered, is I misaim my putts and therefore compensate with my putting stroke. That causes me to miss many putts which only worsens both my aim and stroke.
As much as I try I seem to misalign my ball to the line I want to hit. So what tips have you found that helped you line up your putts correctly? I have started putting an alignment line on my ball but I still seem to have difficulty lining up my putt correctly. Any tips or advice would be appreciated. I finally feel like I am swinging better so I hope to see some improvement this year but I know my putting is a big weakness. I probably loose 5 shots a round due to a putt I should have made but didn't because it was misaimed or hit because of the bad aim.
Edit: What I am talking about is not aiming at the wrong point but rather thinking I am aiming at one point but in actuality I am aiming at another. So when I think I am aiming for example 1/2 inch outside of the hole I am actually aiming 1 inch outside. That constant miss has caused a change in my swing to compensate for the frequent miss. Hope this clears things up.
Posted:
Post edited by Unknown User on
Comments
105
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Look for an irregularity like an old mark or a patch of grass thats irregular.
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9619
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Cobra F8 5-6 Fwy at 18.5° Stiff
Ping i20 3 Hyb 707H Stiff
X2 Hot 4_-PW Recoil 660 F3 +1/2"
Vokey SM2 52º cc, Ping ES 56º and ES 60º
Ping Sigma2 Valor at 34.75"
MCC Align Midsize
18329
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Competent alignment is a good thing.
Find two spots that your intended line is between and aim between them.
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550
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9619
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Cobra F8 5-6 Fwy at 18.5° Stiff
Ping i20 3 Hyb 707H Stiff
X2 Hot 4_-PW Recoil 660 F3 +1/2"
Vokey SM2 52º cc, Ping ES 56º and ES 60º
Ping Sigma2 Valor at 34.75"
MCC Align Midsize
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+1. My samlab putter fitting was worth it's weight in gold. I always struggled with start line and roll consistency, both improved immediately after getting the proper putter (needed more toe-hang) and the right length/loft. I went on a 72 hole stretch with only 2 three putts which for me was a dramatic reduction.
550
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I learned a long time ago not to line up my putt from over the ball. I always crouch behind the ball to find my line. The problem is the line I think I am aiming for isn't where I am actually aiming. Because of that I have changed my putting stroke to compensate. Once I had my instructor line up my putts and he identified my stroke issues I started holing or coming much closer than before.
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550
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This may be true but my instructor identified I wasn't aiming the ball where I thought I was. Because of that consistent miss I either subconsciously or consciously changed my putting stroke. Once he aimed a few putts and worked with me on correcting my putting stroke I started holing more putts or coming much closer than before. Because of this I am not sure a fitting would help if I don't start with aiming where I think I am aiming.
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Great in depth explanation of why our vision affects how we perceive our alignment but I don't line up my putt from over the ball.
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My ill fitting putter basically was influencing how I was setting up (and thus aiming). I have some arc to my stroke and was playing a face balanced putter, so was just leaving the face open. Without the fitting I would have just continued to compensate by adjusting start line/aim point more left than really needed
I discounted the fitting for a long time, but if you really think about it, it might be the most important club to get properly fit for, given you take more strokes with it than any other club in the bag
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I am trying this tip out next time I am out on the course or practice.
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I had the same issue where you get over the ball and it doesn't look right so I would change my stroke to compensate, sometimes unconsciously. Now when I get over the ball all I do it square myself to my spot, quickly look at the hole for distance and then putt. I NEVER look at the line because I know it won't look right and it will screw up my stroke.
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Eye position and how you see shapes afffects how you aim, but you don’t fix it by loving head position. You find the shape putter, offset, and alignment aid that makes what you see real.
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Try an indoor drill: set up a putt on carpet of any length between say 5-10 feet. I usually place a chair leg as a target. Do your pre-putt routine and take your stance as you do. Now close your eyes and putt. After the putt open your eyes and see where it went. Do it a few times and then a few times eyes open. Focus only on making a solid stroke and not on trying to guide the ball with the putter.
After awhile you’ll see if your miss is constantly one way or more scattered. Suppose every putt misses a few inches left. Make stance adjustments until you’re popping the ball into the chair leg.
It may be helpful if you use an alignment mark/line on the ball that points at your target. The indoor drill will allow you to build a stance and stroke relationship around that line. Once you’ved developed a means to send the ball down that line, you know so long as the line is pointed at the target, you will make a putt at the target. The chair on the carpet just gives you a specific target (which is also often smaller than the hole)
I hope that helps some maybe... I’m not a pro or anything, that’s just the kind of drill I’ve always used.
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A bad strike will make the coin tumble immediately. Probable cause: Face is offline.
A so-so strike will make the coin roll curve off path. Probable cause: path is off line
A proper strike will make the coin roll right into a straight line.
This coin will not lie to you. It is great to play games with. eg bowling with a few tees.
baudi for GEGI
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Driver Callaway Epic Flash 10.5 set to 9.5
3 and 5 Wood Ping G15
3-5 Hybrids Cobra Baffler XL
6-PW Titleist AP1s
50 degree GW Titleist SM4
56 degree SW Vokey SM7
Ping Anser 6 Milled Putter
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Partly. When working with my instructor on this he had me hit a few putts before giving any instruction so he could see what the problem was. Then he asked me if I ever used an alignment line or the marking on the ball to line up my putt. I told him no. So he lined a couple of putts at a straight hole and had me putt. He realized I had a tendency to not let the club release so I was leaving the face open, because I had a tendency to miss right (I'm a lefty). And I know I was making a conscience to keep my wrist stiff because I thought I was missing because I was over rotating the club/pulling. Once he aimed the ball with a line and got me release the putter my putting was better. So because my eyes were deceiving me in where I thought I was aiming and causing constant misses I tried to correct for this my making an adjustment to my stroke. So when my bad aim and bad stroke matched I could make a putt or the line I intended. But if I aimed with my bad aim and stroked correctly I would miss and then think I pulled my putt and concentrate more the next time to not "pull" which wasn't a pull at all. It makes sense because I had and still do but to a much lesser extent, a tendency to misaim with my other clubs as well. I would align my feet to the hole and then try to compensate my stroke to hit the line of the hole.
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Again a putter fitting would fix your aiming problems
853
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The problem doesn’t sound like alignment, it sounds like you are in a transition period between putting strokes, and you can’t align because you don’t know which stroke is going to appear when you actually make a putt. You are, in effect, psyching yourself out.
And that’s going to be difficult to overcome, because it’s going to take a lot of time to engrain the new thoughts and techniques. I think as far as practice goes, some kind of straight line drill would do well because it sounds like you need the assurance that you are not pushing or pulling the putts. Have someone align you or put down an alignment stick and just keep working at those new swing thoughts, sending the ball straight down the line.
Best of luck!
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This ^^^
Everyone is wired a little different and views where they are aimed slightly differently, and the factors that iteach mentions all factor into your perception. Here's a photo that Edel used to illustrate. Do you see any of these as aligned square, right, or left to a target line?
Most people see one of these as closed, one square, and one open to the line. And many see it differently. Personally, I see the one on the right as open to the line, and the putter on the left as slightly closed. But the reality is all are aligned to the exact same spot. Different offsets on the hosel may change perceptions. And the size, number and types of alignment aids also changes the perception.
A few years ago I went through an Edel fitting. I used a Scotty Anser-style putter at the time, and found out I was consistently aiming about 4" left of the hole from 10 feet. The fitter covers up the line on the sole with tape and put a little dot on the top of the flange for an aid, and I'd line up straight. Pull off the tape and erase the dot and I was 4" left. It was very consistent.
Get a good fitting for shape and features that work for how YOU perceive the aim line, then you can practice grooving a repeatable stroke. Doing this instead of trying to learn compromises has made a huge difference in my putting.
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Find an intermediate target and practice rolling balls over it.
Seemore putting triangle is a good aid too
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