Do you bang short putts in the back of the hole?

[Krt22]

 

[isaacbm]

If you miss a short putt and you have to remark the ball, you’ve hit it too hard. I haven’t 3 putted from inside 6 feet in 30 years.

[DShepley]

Yes, this! Putting is the strongest part of my game but it didn't become that way until I 'got out of my own way'! I also stopped taking practice strokes but do waggle the putter behind the ball while I am taking my read. I'm a spot putter and try to find a spot on the green towards the apex of where I see the break, sometimes the spot might be an old ball mark, a patch of blooming poa, whatever sticks out to my eyes. Once I address the putt and line up to the spot, it is a quick look to the hole and I pull the trigger as soon as I look back to the ball.

One thing that annoys me on golf telecasts and in match play is when they say something to the effect that, "The next putt doesn't matter so he can be really aggressive here".....it's a nice thought but I find in reality that if I try to take an approach that is different than how I usually play, I am less likely to pull it off simply because I am trying to do something that I rarely do.

[iteachgolf]

4-6’ is still an awful leave for a lag putt. The problem is your first putt. Shrinking the hole significantly on the short ones isn’t a great strategy. Getting better at speed control so you have a closer second putt seems like the obvious answer

[DaveGoodrich]

The "right" answer is almost always something between "banging it off the back of the cup" and "dying speed." Trying to die it in from short distance is a recipe for making a tentative stroke. But ramming it in really reduces the effective size of the hole. I see so many lip outs when guys try to "take out the break." And those lip outs from 3' sometimes end up 6' from the hole.

If you have a short putt with a lot of break (putting across the slope on a fast and/or steep green), you still have to hit your line, even if you "bang it." But now you really have to hit that line very precisely, because you are now aiming at a smaller hole. Why not hit a higher, slower line, to maximize the size of the hole, and so the ball stays near the hole if you miss?