Any simple tips for finding the center of the putter face?

[Shizeman]

Looking for some simple things to work on in with my putting. I'm a horribly inconsistent putter and I tend to hit the ball thin and off the toe. Makes it tough to putt well when you do that.

Heard Brad Faxon in a video saying that tempo and rythym was a key for him. Makes sense but looking for other simple keys that helped your putting.

Cheers!

[b.helts]

Tape a couple pennies to the face of your putter. One to the right of the sweet spot and one to the left.

 

Hit the ball, miss the pennies.

[TIM929]

have you been fit for your putter on a SAM putt lab?

 

you could be using the wrong putter..

 

 

[MonteScheinblum]

eliminate excess lower body movement

[Hilts1969]

I cant even line mine up proper. Hit a 78 the other week came off and realised I hadn't picked the ball out of the hole once. Everything was two putts except a few chips within gimme range. Between 3 and 5 foot I'm dodgy. Anything longer than that I'm useless.

I'm actually putting with a left handed putter and keeping the same standard right hand grip. The roll is great and never short but if your aim is out it's just pure luck if it goes in

[dmecca2]

similar to the penny drill mentioned above, take 2 rubber bands and wrap them around the putter to the right and left of the sweet spot. If you miss the sweet spot you will hit the rubber bands. This drill also allows you to move the bands and change the "difficulty" level.

[juststeve]

Pelz used to market a putter clip that did what thew pennies do. I don't know if hew still does.

 

Steve

[Warrior42111]

Good drill, I use it myself, and have seen improvement.

[hoselpalooza]

get a super cheap bullseye putter and hit lots of putts with your eyes closed. try to guess where on the face the ball hit and where the ball ended up -- e.g. short, long, left, right? if you hit the sweet spot you will instantly know. if you miss the sweet spot you should be able to figure it out fairly easily. the better/more consistent you get at hitting the sweet spot, the more you can increase difficulty. for example, tape a couple of matchsticks (or anything you can stick to the face without impeding your stroke) about 2" apart on the club face and avoid them when you putt. the better you get the closer you can move the matchsticks. then when you get skilled at hitting the sweet spot with your eyes open -- e.g. matchsticks barely farther apart than the width of the golf ball -- you can try it with your eyes closed. can be very frustrating at first but immensely rewarding when you can consistently hit the sweet spot with your eyes closed when the matchsticks are barely apart from one another!

edit to add: i missed the rubber bands drill above. i like that much better than taping stuff to the face. gonna have to use that one myself!

[sprcoop]

Gate drill. On green one tee just outside the toe and heel of putter 1/4 inch or so to start. On carpet I just put a ball on either side. Tighten them up as you get better. You'll know when you miss the middle.

[mcputter]

Hilts, I'm not saying absolutely everything needs to be putted out in a casual round, but If you didn't putt anything out, did you really shoot 78? Personally, I like the sound and feedback of the ball plopping into the hole the majority of the time.

I'm having a hard time picturing using a left handed putter with a right handed grip (except just 'normal' cross-handed grip) if it's a right-handed stance. Might you be better able to line it up if you used a right-handed putter (assuming you're right-handed)?

 

[Hilts1969]

Yeah it was mad I have had 2 rounds in the 70s and both were the only ones where I have gone double bogey free. This 78 was basically green hit 2 putt. Green missed chip to gimme range pick up or green missed chip putt miss to gimme range.

Even my only birdie on a par 3 was within 2 feet.

I have used a right handed putter for years just for a laugh bought a left handed(12 pound slazenger haha)

Tried conventional left handed grip felt awful so went back to my normal grip. In effect it's right low just like plenty of right handers go left hand low. It's basically a right hand back handed stroke.

[wagolfer7]

I think that's a tough one.

To each his own. Everyone plays golf for their own reasons and with casual golf within their own rules. I've heard gimme ranges from inside the putter grip to driver length.

Since I like to play competitively, I putt them all out.

Is it a 78 if he played from the forward tees? Is it only a true 78 from the tips? Is 2 feet an acceptable gimme range to everyone?

I think it's a 78 for the poster. And that's really all that matters.

[fore_life]

Spray the putter face with foot powder, works on all clubs for impact Patterns

[Hilts1969]

 

2 foot range is standard when we play. We were playing a 2 man comp so there was nothing generous given. The only advantage of being poor in the 4 to 10 foot range is that you become a good lag putter. I very rarely 3 putt. A rare round when I hit a lot of gir and my chipping was good. If my opponent was putting for me it would have been a low 70s score.

My long term problem is with aim. I have tried picking out a spot in front of a ball or using a line on the ball. It never looks right. Right or left lip putts are frequently wide of the mark. Mentally I’m putting for gimmies and hoping the odd one drops in .

[Moonlightgrm]

I am too lazy to read others posts, so if this is repetitive, I apologize. My guess is your body and possibly your head are moving during your stroke. Arnold Palmer used to putt with knock-knees to stabilize his lower body. This my also have a positive influence on any head movement as well. The great Manuel de la Torre preached “focus on rolling your golf ball”.

In a nutshell, stay still and roll the ball.

[Zitlow]

Good suggestion about the pennies and eliminating lower body action. Every stroke isn't going to be perfect meaning striking the center percussion of the ball with the center percussion of the putter face. You don't need everything to be perfect to make putts. According to Tin Cup, perfection is unattainable.

I've used putters that didn't feel solid on center hits. Several years ago I switched to a 2-Ball White Steel. Mis-hits feel just as solid as center hits.