Mental Thoughts and Consistency for Putts 5 feet and under

[pjchan1]

Hi guys,

New to WRX but i am a junior college golfer and i am struggling with making 3 to 5 footers often for par. I played in a tournament yesterday at stockton country club in stockton, ca and i missed around 5 to 6 putts within 4 feet for par after chipping it close from near the green. I need to know what most people think about when they think about these putts and how to get a more consistent stroke. I currently am using a Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport 2 with a superstroke grip and 20g weights.

[thejuniorgolfer]

This worked for me

One day go to to the range and hit 30 one footers in a row

This will build up your confidence enough to start moving back a foot when you feel you need to

[ConnorStephenson]

keep your head down, listen for it to go in, you know where you want it to go so let the putter do the job. I know easier said than done...

[drewtaylor21]

for me, once I have my line and I'm over the ball, my only thought is to keep my eyes focused on the spot where the ball is until i have completed the entire stroke. Peeking kills me on short putts, so I've found if I can make a good stroke with no concern about if it goes in or not, as long as my line was right, the ball always goes in.

[WolverineGolfer2016]

My focus that has seemed to work well has been to accelerate through your putt. Too many people worry about getting back to square at impact but then don't take into account the fact that their stroke does not end there. Simply strike your putt solid and accelerating through the ball rather than "steering" your putter into impact. That's what I've found at least works for me fwiw

[Hstead]

I have found these two drills to really help with short putts. The best: Take two pieces of string (about 7 feet long) and three pencils. Attach one end of two of the strings to one pencil, and then the ends of the two strings to the other two pencils. Stick the two pencils that have one end of each string about six inches on the opposite side of the cup, just as wide as the cup, then run those strings with the one pencil attached to both all the way out and stick it in the ground. I try to pick a straight putt. So now you have a cone shape, with the bottom of the cone being at your ball. This is a great visual to show you how much margin for error you actually have on a short putt. You do not have to be perfect. I make it so the strings are about six or seven inches off of the ground. It is a great visual. Start making a bunch of putts.

The other drill I use, and sometimes I use it with the two strings/3 pencils, is to snap a chalk line down.

Lastly, when I am on the course, I think about nothing but speed on a short putt. I want the ball to swish, enter the cup and not touch any part of the cup liner except the very bottom, no side walls of the cup at all. That is the perfect speed according to David Orr and Dan anyway. I find it is the best speed to make the hole the widest.

[snookybusby]

In high school I struggled so bad with this same thing. One day my coach came by and set a ball 3 fee from the hole. He said "Now line up. Close your eyes, and putt it in." I thought, "What?!?!?" It felt so awkward, but coach was wise. At any rate, tried it and couldn't miss. I took my head out of it in a way. Whenever I am putting poorly I practice this. Seriously, try it and you will be surprised. At 3 feet the ball is going in, and you are the only one that can keep it from doing so.

[ConnorStephenson]

[quote name='drewtaylor21' timestamp='1392947360' post='8712295']
for me, once I have my line and I'm over the ball, my only thought is to keep my eyes focused on the spot where the ball is until i have completed the entire stroke. Peeking kills me on short putts, so I've found if I can make a good stroke with no concern about if it goes in or not, as long as my line was right, the ball always goes in.
[/quote]

Exacly, thats a better way of saying it haha.

[jollysammy]

go buy a yardstick from the hardware store. set it on the ground toward the hole from 5ft away of the hole and then put so the ball rolls off the end of the yardstick everytime. if it rolls off to the right or left of the yardstick, try it again and again until you groove the stroke so it rolls off the end. if you putt it straight for 36 inches, the rest is just feel for distance.

[NittanyGolf]

[quote name='jollysammy' timestamp='1393215046' post='8732332']
go buy a yardstick from the hardware store. set it on the ground toward the hole from 5ft away of the hole and then put so the ball rolls off the end of the yardstick everytime. if it rolls off to the right or left of the yardstick, try it again and again until you groove the stroke so it rolls off the end. if you putt it straight for 36 inches, the rest is just feel for distance.
[/quote]

This seems like a pretty good idea.

[pjchan1]

Thanks everyone. Some suggestions have definitely improved my stroke overall. Still looking for more suggestions!

[MorikawaTMAG]

I have a daddy long legs and that helps.

On the mental side though my tip is..... Dont think. After taking my practice swings I forget about everything but speed and just stroke it. I learned the more I think and analyze the situation the worse my putting gets.

[atlanta golfer]

I would be interested to know if anyone uses a different posture or address position for the shorter putts. I have often struggled with the shorter ones and yes, I know it is mental, but the issue remains nonetheless. I have found that if I get my base a little wider and lower with weight just a bit more towards the heels, my stroke is more stable on those short ones. I know in theory I should be using the same setup for every putt, but my question is, does anyone else do something a bit different for the short ones?

The way I view it, on the longer putts I am looking for feel, but on the putts under 5 feet, I really need only those big muscles to be in play.

[scratchswinger]

Practice them a lot, imagine the ball going in, knock it in.

When you play do the same thing as all the practice, imagine the ball going in and trust it. Don't think about anything other than the ball going into the hole.

[thatboygaule]

3ft,6ft,9ft drill is great for practicing and you get to hit a lot of the 3 footers , took me 1.5 hours to make the 9 in a row the other day

[golf1931]

Watch Jordan Spieth putt. He looks at the hole, no practice swings, no thinking. Look at the hole!


http://www.golfchannel.com/media/jordan-rules-try-spieths-putting-routine/

[Ayoung19]

Sounds strange, but try not to care if it goes in. I have read numerous articles about good putters who say they really try not to care if they make a putt, they just try to hit a good one. As we all know, you can hit great putts that miss and bad putts that go in, you have no control once the putter leaves the blade. Groove a solid routine and stick to it, along with lots and lots of practice.