How to Become the Best Putter in the World....

[Juan73]

I'd just ask Juan73.

 

 

RH

BOOM

 

Yeppers, nothing like speaking to the actual BITW

 

I hope that you're well and stripin it‍♂️

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever My Friend⛳️

RP

 

THANKS RP....hitting it well..... Now off to practice for the rest of the day (range time, putting green time, .... then play 9 at least) Weather is perfect.

 

Get well and stay well.

 

JUAN

[Forged4ever]

I'm actually fascinated by this because I practice like crazy and can't get better at puttting. All the good players at the club tell me putting is the one area you can almost be tour level and I totally disagree with them.

 

If we say someone is a bad green reader does that imply that they can't match up speed/ distance for the line they picked or that no combination of speed/line will hole the ball on the line they chose? What does feel mean? Is it totally unrelated to speed/distance? Usually there are more than one combination of speed/distance/line that will hole a putt in my experience. How do we know the difference?

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Based on many of the replies, SOME OF YOU ARE WAY OVER COMPLICATING PUTTING which might be part of your problem......

ABSOLUTELY!!

 

Sam’s ole idiom was never more appropriate than when it came to the art of putting and the average amateur, and I would also include a lot of Pros also:

 

“Ya’ll are making this into trigonometry when it’s nothin more than general arithmetic”

 

It’s the simplest stroke/swing in the game yet I would say that in today’s world, it’s not trigonometry but calculus, lolol.

 

For those who want a great system for evaluating, diagnosing and improving their stroke, as I’ve said ad nauseam all over this section, I would strongly recommend Juan’s book!!!

 

It’ll be by faaaaaar the best $9.95 that you’ve EVER spent on your game!!

 

Nice thread Speedster?

 

Cheers?

RP

[Hstead]

I'm just surprised by the fact that there are so few training systems for green reading and making putts outside the likes of Aimpoint and for me Aimpoint is just too anal.

 

Putting is so critical to the game yet not many teaching systems for learning how to read break or speed. In my view, green reading is something you can't really teach people. It's more of an innate ability.

 

Just as an aside, I recall some years ago watching an aspiring LPGA pro who also happened to be Korean on the putting green. She Was there with her mother doing drills. My buddy and I make the turn and she's still there doing drills. Then my buddy and I finish our round, grab a couple beers and I look out at the putting green and she's still doing drills hours later. I personally deplore drills...so tedious and beyond boring for me, but then again, I'm not on tour. Lol

 

When you say Aimpoint is too anal... are you referring to the original Aimpoint where you have a chart or Aimpoint Express, where you straddle the line of the putt, decide on the percent of slope, and then go behind the ball, determine the aimpoint and then putt?

 

If you can not teach green reading, I guess experience is worthless.... since experience is an accumulation of learnings (what you have taught yourself). Anyways, I vehemently disagree that it can not be taught... since you taught yourself via experience.... AND Aimpoint Express is a system that was designed to teach young folks to learn to read greens even if they do not understand the physics behind it.

 

All the Plumb Bobbers out there would also disagree that you can not teach green reading...

 

I would ask you to consider it is a learned skill either through years of playing golf and/or systems that you can learn from to be a better green reader.

 

A golfer can learn a tremendous amount from watching everyone in your group putt, especially the three feet around the hole. I always watch every putt when it is 3 feet from the hole, that will generally tell me all I need to know.

[RichieHunt]

I'd just ask Juan73.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RH

BOOM

 

Yeppers, nothing like speaking to the actual BITW

 

I hope that you're well and stripin it‍♂️

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever My Friend⛳️

RP

 

They don't call him Juan the Wand for nothing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[RichieHunt]

One thing I will add, the best putter I have ever played with had about as awkward of a technique as I've ever seen.

 

His feet stance were about as wide as Moe Norman's. He had a massive forward press and he really swiveled his head on the thru stroke.

 

He also didn't have that 'ideal speed.' But, his speed was extremely consistent to the point of ridiculousness. When he missed he would run the putt, regardless of it being downhill, uphill, fast stimp, slow stimp, etc...about 2-3 feet by. But he did it every time. And on the putts he made, it always looked like if he had missed he had enough speed to run it 2-3 feet by. He was almost never short on any putt inside 25-feet (or at least it seemed that way), but he was almost never longer than 3 feet by when he missed.

 

We know on an 'average' putt the optimal speed will cause a miss to run about 12 inches by (not 17" like Pelz claims). While I think speed is extremely important, what this golfer's putting and skill told me that consistency is so key. I think consistency in technique helps with speed control, but he had mixed the two together, consistency in technique...even as butt ugly as it looked...and consistency in speed...even as firm as he hit putts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[getitdaily]

 

Also, I was going to buy your book, and then you talked about plumb bobbing.

 

Ah, Ok. I'll still buy it, but if you have a chapter on plumb bobbing, I'm skipping it.

 

IF I have a chapter on Plumb Bobbing -- I will not buy my book. The book is not about technique, it is about assessing your present putting performance level, determining areas of improvement and prioritizing them, setting up practice plans, and 150 different practice drills to select from based on what you need to improve. Even typing the words "Plumb Bobbing" make me nervous!! LOL!!

 

Plumb bobbing reinforced what I read in greens. It's part of my putting routine. I can 100% know the break and I'll still plumb bob. I'm a pretty good putter.

[97speedster]

 

Don't you think it's interesting that you were a +2 while being a crummy putter and your ER doc friend who you call the Wizard is a 7 handicap? Doesn't that tell you which is more important?

 

 

Back to the OP - these are great. My short putting is reasonably good. I am good at holing out and am comfortable with that part of my game. What I really need to work on is my distance control. Loving the drills for those here.

 

Tying the two things together, I think that a lot of putting is confidence, which really comes down to trusting yourself to do what you want to do. People watch the golf on the TV and they see the pros holing everything. I think two things are at play here. One is the producers show the putts that go in and are less likely to show the putts that don't. It's one reason why it's kind of fun to watch on PGA Tour Live, because you watch a handful of players playing basically every shot and you realize that they don't hole everything. The other is that, at least in my head, you watch the players on the TV and it looks like they're let's say 20 feet away, then you see the caption show up and it's 15 feet according to shotlink. Then I go out and play on the course and I look at a putt and I think it's about 20 feet. Then I hit it and go walk to the hole and it's 10 paces away (30 feet). It appears I am dreadful at estimating how long my putts are vs the pros on television.

 

The upshot of those two things together is that I am prone to overestimating how good the pros are and underestimating how good I am. That does nothing for my confidence.

 

I have said this elsewhere on here, but Scott Fawcett has a theory that for longer putting, all you really need to do is get it close. From 20 feet, the PGA tour average make percentage is 14%. That's about 1 in 7 putts. If you hit your putts at a speed to go a foot past the hole and within a foot either side of the hole, that means that the hole represents 1/7 of the space it's rolling through (roughly speaking), because the hole is about 4 inches and the foot either side is another 24 inches. 4/28 is 1/7. That's all you need to do to putt at a PGA tour level is get it within a foot either side of the hole with the right speed. From 20 feet. That's why aimpoint is so good and why finger widths are all you need. It's not an exact science.

 

Continuing on, that is also why there are some players who are very good at holing putts up to about 12 feet, but don't make many 25 footers. Meanwhile there are others who make more than their fair share of putts from 25 feet, but miss more 8 footers than you'd think. One of those is can you start the ball on line. The other is can you hit it the right distance. If you can do both, then you're golden. That's where these drills come in and that's why I posted - so I can find them again. This went on a lot longer than I thought it would when I started!

 

A great former 9 time PGA Tour winner who played in the Hogan and Palmer era is the one who got me to start dedicating more time to practicing my putting.... his name was Paul Harney and he was one of the best club pros around, not many club pros won 9 times on tour while working at a club full time.

 

Paul Harney told me, after each round figure out what you would of shot if you made every putt inside of 15 feet and that is what you should of shot that day because that is what the best putters in the world are doing, making a very high percentage of their putts inside of 15 feet. It sound unrealistic, but when all I did was putt, there was many days where I accomplished this feat.

[97speedster]

 

Plumb bobbing reinforced what I read in greens. It's part of my putting routine. I can 100% know the break and I'll still plumb bob. I'm a pretty good putter.

 

Some of the best putters of all time have plumb bobbed their putts; Hale Irwin and Ben Crenshaw are two notables..... it's more used as a visual reference, not as a sole means to read the putt.

 

I have plumb bobbed my putts for 40 years and I am a great green reader and putter, but it doesn't mean I start my putts where I plumb bob the break to be, it more gives me a visual to find the high spot for the line I want to start my putt on based on the speed I plan on hitting the putt on, which will usually be dying the ball on the high side of the hole so it goes 1 foot past the hole if it doesn't go in.

[RichieHunt]

Paul Harney told me, after each round figure out what you would of shot if you made every putt inside of 15 feet and that is what you should of shot that day because that is what the best putters in the world are doing, making a very high percentage of their putts inside of 15 feet. It sound unrealistic, but when all I did was putt, there was many days where I accomplished this feat.

 

If you take the 10 best putters in SG - Putting in a PGA Tour event, they usually make an average of this many putts:

 

3-5 feet: 93%

5-10 feet: 70%

10-15 feet: 43%

 

They don't make anywhere near 100% of their putts from inside 15-feet, but inside 15-feet is where they really separate themselves from the rest of the pack typically.

 

On the flip side, the average Tour player makes about 1 putt outside 25-feet roughly every 100 holes.

 

Now, part of that inability to not make putts outside 25-feet until every 100 holes is not getting the chance to do so. IE, player has a 15-foot birdie putt he cannot physically make a putt outside 25-feet since he's well inside of that distance. But that also goes to the point that there is a frequency issue as well with long putts that do not make it worthwhile to really practice them too much.

 

If you're a Tour pro or aspiring Tour pro, focus on 5-15 footers.

 

If you're Joe Amateur, focus on putts from 3-15 feet.

 

That's where you will separate yourself in tournaments on the putting green and improve your handicap the most.

 

 

 

 

RH

[dpb5031]

Trust me. Know all the tricks. Is there a creek or lake? Is there a drain? Which way is the grain going? Look at it from all sides.

 

I was a +2 teaching pro for many many years that happened to be a crummy putter. I spent 10-15 hours a week practicing putting in the 90’s using a variety of drills and getting an occasional consult with other excellent teaching pros and I still was never more than mediocre. It just is what it is. I don’t see slope the way most people see slope. My brain doesn’t have a great sense of “feel” for distance either I suppose.

 

I guess I’m just here to tell you that becoming a great putter is not entirely about technique, drills, practice and confidence.

 

Some people will never be an excellent putter no matter how hard they work at it... I promise. Been there, done that.

 

I tend to agree with this. I have been an excellent putter almost from when I first started playing the game in my mid 20s. It just came naturally to me and I've never practiced putting other than rolling a few before each round to get a sense of green speed.

 

I have noticed over the years playing with all types of players that I see and ultimately play more break than most. It's rare that a putt ever gets running away from me on the low side and it's not uncommon for me to lag the ball to within inches, even on 40 ft.+ putts. I may leave several dead in the jar just short, but it makes for a very low stress round.

 

I also agree with the OP that confidence/self belief is key, and matters much more than technique. I use an old Palmer blade. I once had just 19 putts in a tournament shooting 68. I chipped in twice to help the stats, but it was still a remarkable putting round and I believed I couldnt miss...lol!

[jbw749]

Am I the best putter in the world? Probably not, but I DO feel like I am and that is what matters. The best thing I ever did for putting was 26 years ago when all I did was putt and play.... I was playing golf for a living so I spent all my free practice time putting for hours upon hours during the time I was not playing. During that 3 month stretch the first thing I did when I woke up in the morning was look in the mirror and say "I am the best putter in the world". It's amazing how combined with hard practice that after a while you actually start believing it.

 

I never actually TRY to make putts, my sole objective is to "put a good stroke on it" and this is the mantra I use when I am standing over each putt. If it doesn't go in, I am not disappointed because that wasn't my goal, it was just the end result and thinking otherwise can lead to problems such as the Yips which starts with being too results oriented and not enough process oriented.

 

I have been doing these drills for 26 years and I promise they work like a charm and the longer you do them for the better putter you will become. Once you can finish drills 2 through 4 in the 30-45 minute range then you know you will be on the right track to being a GREAT putter.

 

1. Practice on a chalk line from 6 feet....25 putts with your right hand only and another 25 with both hands. There are plenty of other drills you can do on a chalk line, but it is important to groove your eyes and stroke at the same time to know what a straight putt is, because essentially they are all played as straight putts. Another great "free" training aid you can use is to tuck your left arm sleeve under your arm pit. I have been doing this for years and recently have noticed that Justin Rose has been doing this too before each putt, much like the right hand only drill, this will help you release the putter.

 

2. Put a tee down at 3, 5, and 7 feet....take 3 balls and make 3 in a row from each distance. You have to start over if you miss any of them, so after 9 in a row you're done ! I learned this drill from Dottie Pepper, and it really turns you into a great short clutch putter! I saw this drill take her 1 hour and 45 minutes to finish one day and that was when she was the #1 woman golfer in the world!

 

3. Walk off 20 feet (7 steps approx ) from each side of the hole and put a tee in the ground from each....it's best to have 20 ft uphill and then 20 ft downhill from the other side. Take 3 balls and you have to roll all 3 and get them even with the hole (not short) and not go more than 3 feet past, then repeat from the other side until you have gotten 10 in a row inside of 3 feet without being short......the 10th ball is the pressure putt ! This is a great feel drill because you have to adapt your feel from putt to putt!

 

4. Put a tee in the ground at 30 ft and using 5 balls, you have to get all 5 inside of a 3 ft circle (usually the length of a putter), then move to 40 ft, 50 ft and finally 60 ft and do the same.....no cheating, but you only have to start over at the distance you were previously at! Each putt you hole counts as 2 points, so essentially this allows you to miss one and make one to still reach 5 points for each distance before moving on.

 

I hope this helps some of you also start believing that you are the best putter in the world!

 

Another great drill is after beating balls for 2 hours, stop by the putting green for 5 minutes and roll a few.

[Forged4ever]

I guess I’m just here to tell you that becoming a great putter is not entirely about technique, drills, practice and confidence.

 

Some people will never be an excellent putter no matter how hard they work at it... I promise. Been there, done that.

Thank You??

 

Cheers?

RP

[getitdaily]

Paul Harney told me, after each round figure out what you would of shot if you made every putt inside of 15 feet and that is what you should of shot that day because that is what the best putters in the world are doing, making a very high percentage of their putts inside of 15 feet. It sound unrealistic, but when all I did was putt, there was many days where I accomplished this feat.

 

If you take the 10 best putters in SG - Putting in a PGA Tour event, they usually make an average of this many putts:

 

3-5 feet: 93%

5-10 feet: 70%

10-15 feet: 43%

 

They don't make anywhere near 100% of their putts from inside 15-feet, but inside 15-feet is where they really separate themselves from the rest of the pack typically.

 

On the flip side, the average Tour player makes about 1 putt outside 25-feet roughly every 100 holes.

 

Now, part of that inability to not make putts outside 25-feet until every 100 holes is not getting the chance to do so. IE, player has a 15-foot birdie putt he cannot physically make a putt outside 25-feet since he's well inside of that distance. But that also goes to the point that there is a frequency issue as well with long putts that do not make it worthwhile to really practice them too much.

 

If you're a Tour pro or aspiring Tour pro, focus on 5-15 footers.

 

If you're Joe Amateur, focus on putts from 3-15 feet.

 

That's where you will separate yourself in tournaments on the putting green and improve your handicap the most.

 

 

 

 

RH

 

100% Agree. I became a much better putter when I started dedicating 95% of my putting practice to putts inside 15 feet. Most of that is 3-10 feet.

[97speedster]

 

100% Agree. I became a much better putter when I started dedicating 95% of my putting practice to putts inside 15 feet. Most of that is 3-10 feet.

 

If you dedicated your putting practice to doing ONLY the 3, 5, 7 foot drill, your putting and clutch putting would improve.... unless you are a head case and think that the more you practice the worse you get :).

[Atrayn]

Another key is to find the correct putter for your natural stroke.

 

When I practice putting I start by finding a straight 5 foot putt.

I putt from there until I know I am rolling the ball on line and my swing tempo feels really smooth.

 

From there I practice 4 - 20 footers until I am comfortable with speed still thinking tempo

At the end, I roll a single ball trying to make them from +20 ft.

This usually takes me all of about 30 min.

 

When I play, I always take 3 practice strokes trying to feel with my right hand the speed it would take to die the ball in the hole if I was tossing it underhand.

[Lefty_3Jack]

What about reading breaks?

 

Reading greens is easy once you learn how to roll a putt straight end over end.... In high school and college I was a great ball striker, but I thought I was a terrible green reader. After I did nothing but putt for 3 months and then continued with my solid putting practice I SUDDENLY became a great green reader, go figure! What comes first, the chicken or the egg? Go practice religiously for 3 months doing these drills EVERY day then come back and talk to me in 90 days. My bet is you will get the feel for reading greens correctly by then.

 

Just doing the Pelz ladder drill starting at 2' and moving out sub-consciously taught me a ton about break, particularly at the end when a ball was slowing down. It was an added benefit to the drill.

[Lefty_3Jack]

Paul Harney told me, after each round figure out what you would of shot if you made every putt inside of 15 feet and that is what you should of shot that day because that is what the best putters in the world are doing, making a very high percentage of their putts inside of 15 feet. It sound unrealistic, but when all I did was putt, there was many days where I accomplished this feat.

 

If you take the 10 best putters in SG - Putting in a PGA Tour event, they usually make an average of this many putts:

 

3-5 feet: 93%

5-10 feet: 70%

10-15 feet: 43%

 

They don't make anywhere near 100% of their putts from inside 15-feet, but inside 15-feet is where they really separate themselves from the rest of the pack typically.

 

On the flip side, the average Tour player makes about 1 putt outside 25-feet roughly every 100 holes.

 

Now, part of that inability to not make putts outside 25-feet until every 100 holes is not getting the chance to do so. IE, player has a 15-foot birdie putt he cannot physically make a putt outside 25-feet since he's well inside of that distance. But that also goes to the point that there is a frequency issue as well with long putts that do not make it worthwhile to really practice them too much.

 

If you're a Tour pro or aspiring Tour pro, focus on 5-15 footers.

 

If you're Joe Amateur, focus on putts from 3-15 feet.

 

That's where you will separate yourself in tournaments on the putting green and improve your handicap the most.

 

 

 

 

RH

I always respect your posts and insights! Wouldn't it be better for recreational golfers (most of us here) to also practice longer putts (30' and out) to avoid 3 putting in addition to the 3'-5' putts? I have only focused on the short putts, but if I'm not getting my lag putts inside of 5' I don't have much chance at 2 putting and I really need to be within 3' to be confident of 2 putting. Trying to make 4'-6' par/bogey putts all day long is exhausting.

[playa]

Before every competition round (Saturday club comp for hacks not tournament) I put a tee in the ground 3 foot from the hole on level ground. I then make 10 putts in a row before I leave and do anything else. After making the 10 I put a tee in at 6 feet and have 5 putts, having to make 3 before moving on. The 3 footers were becoming too easy so I now put two tees in the ground and try to hit or brush the forward tee 5 times in a row.

Amongst low double digit cappers I play with I miss far less from inside 6 feet, and almost never miss flat 3 footers. Putting has gone from a weakness to a strength.

[playa]

Paul Harney told me, after each round figure out what you would of shot if you made every putt inside of 15 feet and that is what you should of shot that day because that is what the best putters in the world are doing, making a very high percentage of their putts inside of 15 feet. It sound unrealistic, but when all I did was putt, there was many days where I accomplished this feat.

 

If you take the 10 best putters in SG - Putting in a PGA Tour event, they usually make an average of this many putts:

 

3-5 feet: 93%

5-10 feet: 70%

10-15 feet: 43%

 

They don't make anywhere near 100% of their putts from inside 15-feet, but inside 15-feet is where they really separate themselves from the rest of the pack typically.

 

On the flip side, the average Tour player makes about 1 putt outside 25-feet roughly every 100 holes.

 

Now, part of that inability to not make putts outside 25-feet until every 100 holes is not getting the chance to do so. IE, player has a 15-foot birdie putt he cannot physically make a putt outside 25-feet since he's well inside of that distance. But that also goes to the point that there is a frequency issue as well with long putts that do not make it worthwhile to really practice them too much.

 

If you're a Tour pro or aspiring Tour pro, focus on 5-15 footers.

 

If you're Joe Amateur, focus on putts from 3-15 feet.

 

That's where you will separate yourself in tournaments on the putting green and improve your handicap the most.

 

 

 

 

RH

I always respect your posts and insights! Wouldn't it be better for recreational golfers (most of us here) to also practice longer putts (30' and out) to avoid 3 putting in addition to the 3'-5' putts? I have only focused on the short putts, but if I'm not getting my lag putts inside of 5' I don't have much chance at 2 putting and I really need to be within 3' to be confident of 2 putting. Trying to make 4'-6' par/bogey putts all day long is exhausting.

I get what you're saying, but by practising short putts to the stage that you are super confident of making everything inside 4 feet it takes the pressure off the longer putts. Standing over a long putt aiming for a 4 foot circle is easier to do than standing over it trying to get to tap in range. Being strong from inside 4 feet will automatically make it easier to lag it up imo.

In a perfect world you would practice all lengths, but for time poor golfers like me using your practice time on short putts is the most productive use of that time.

[golow]

OP posted this 10 years ago ... I saved it and continue to use it in full or in part when I practice. I was a bad putter but became a good putter with no other drills or instruction. Don't make as many as I think I should, but I don't 3 putt.

 

I'll never be a great putter ... job, kids, fear of blowing 1st putt into 3 putt range.

[97speedster]

I always respect your posts and insights! Wouldn't it be better for recreational golfers (most of us here) to also practice longer putts (30' and out) to avoid 3 putting in addition to the 3'-5' putts? I have only focused on the short putts, but if I'm not getting my lag putts inside of 5' I don't have much chance at 2 putting and I really need to be within 3' to be confident of 2 putting. Trying to make 4'-6' par/bogey putts all day long is exhausting.

 

Yes, I highly recommend the 30-60' drill, but once you have that down you can get away with practicing shorter putts. I do the short putt drill a lot and I also putt to nowhere a lot, which means I like to drop 50 shag balls and hit them as hard as I can on the practice green which helps you to make and feel solid contact.

[97speedster]

Before every competition round (Saturday club comp for hacks not tournament) I put a tee in the ground 3 foot from the hole on level ground. I then make 10 putts in a row before I leave and do anything else. After making the 10 I put a tee in at 6 feet and have 5 putts, having to make 3 before moving on. The 3 footers were becoming too easy so I now put two tees in the ground and try to hit or brush the forward tee 5 times in a row.

Amongst low double digit cappers I play with I miss far less from inside 6 feet, and almost never miss flat 3 footers. Putting has gone from a weakness to a strength.

 

From those distances, I would rather see you putt with perfection and instead of making 3 of 5 which would only be a success rate of 60%, I would rather you putt 3 balls until you made all 3 versus only 3 of 5.

 

On tournament days when I'm warming up, instead of having to start over when I miss a putt on the 3, 5, 7 drill, I instead make 3 putts in a row from each distance without starting over from 3 feet if I miss, I just start over from that particular distance that I missed the putt from.

 

The good thing about this series of drills is that you start feeling the same thing each day you complete the series and it gives you a sense of accomplishment which in turn leads to more and more confidence. Practice the feel of making putts or successfully lagging putts, don't practice missing putts..... everybody misses putts from time to time, but you don't want to leave the practice green with the last putt being one you missed.

[playa]

Before every competition round (Saturday club comp for hacks not tournament) I put a tee in the ground 3 foot from the hole on level ground. I then make 10 putts in a row before I leave and do anything else. After making the 10 I put a tee in at 6 feet and have 5 putts, having to make 3 before moving on. The 3 footers were becoming too easy so I now put two tees in the ground and try to hit or brush the forward tee 5 times in a row.

Amongst low double digit cappers I play with I miss far less from inside 6 feet, and almost never miss flat 3 footers. Putting has gone from a weakness to a strength.

 

From those distances, I would rather see you putt with perfection and instead of making 3 of 5 which would only be a success rate of 60%, I would rather you putt 3 balls until you made all 3 versus only 3 of 5.

 

On tournament days when I'm warming up, instead of having to start over when I miss a putt on the 3, 5, 7 drill, I instead make 3 putts in a row from each distance without starting over from 3 feet if I miss, I just start over from that particular distance that I missed the putt from.

 

The good thing about this series of drills is that you start feeling the same thing each day you complete the series and it gives you a sense of accomplishment which in turn leads to more and more confidence. Practice the feel of making putts or successfully lagging putts, don't practice missing putts..... everybody misses putts from time to time, but you don't want to leave the practice green with the last putt being one you missed.

Absolutely agree that a feeling of making putts is what you want when you leave the practice green. I will take your advice on the 3 footers, maybe I will putt two tees half a holes width apart and go for the 10 in a row again.

I finish off on lagging long putts with two or three balls, but have to make every two putt before leaving.

[27x10.5]

97, how many of the drills did you get from Dotty? The reason I ask is that Dotty played at Furman, Mic Potter coached her and Mic is a friend of mine. Mic gave me nearly all of the drills you are doing and I have done them too for 20+ years. The drills are great for learning speed control and starting a ball on line.

 

The only area I would disagree with you on is the "just try to put a great stroke on it" part, only because it didn't work for me. I went down a rabbit hole trying to make a perfect stroke. Bought every training aid, device, you name it to make a perfect stroke. I couldn't make JACK for five years. I went from a great putter to a three putt maniac. Short ones drove me nuts. I was consumed with making a better and better stroke, thinking that was the key to making putts. I was still doing the drills, plus using other training devices, and couldn't make a putt.

 

I then went to see David Orr. He taught me two things really. He taught me how to find the fall line and how a ball will break. He then taught me to free up my mind and concentrate on the ball going in the hole and quit thinking about making a perfect stroke. He put me on the SAM LAB and I scored off the charts, had a tour level stroke. All of the years perfecting a perfect arc yada yada yada worked. But it didn't make putts. He had me focus on the speed of the ball entering the hole, got me to think of nothing but the ball entering the hole, and BINGO, started making everything.

 

I agree with you about having an attitude of thinking your are the best and not fretting whether or not you make the putt. But for me, if I think about my stroke, my mind will do what I am thinking about, make a perfect stroke. The ball may go in or may not. If I think only of the ball going in the hole, I can put a crap stroke on it and often make more than when my mind is occupied with the mechanics of the stroke.

 

Did you stick with Directed Force?

[Hstead]

97, how many of the drills did you get from Dotty? The reason I ask is that Dotty played at Furman, Mic Potter coached her and Mic is a friend of mine. Mic gave me nearly all of the drills you are doing and I have done them too for 20+ years. The drills are great for learning speed control and starting a ball on line.

 

The only area I would disagree with you on is the "just try to put a great stroke on it" part, only because it didn't work for me. I went down a rabbit hole trying to make a perfect stroke. Bought every training aid, device, you name it to make a perfect stroke. I couldn't make JACK for five years. I went from a great putter to a three putt maniac. Short ones drove me nuts. I was consumed with making a better and better stroke, thinking that was the key to making putts. I was still doing the drills, plus using other training devices, and couldn't make a putt.

 

I then went to see David Orr. He taught me two things really. He taught me how to find the fall line and how a ball will break. He then taught me to free up my mind and concentrate on the ball going in the hole and quit thinking about making a perfect stroke. He put me on the SAM LAB and I scored off the charts, had a tour level stroke. All of the years perfecting a perfect arc yada yada yada worked. But it didn't make putts. He had me focus on the speed of the ball entering the hole, got me to think of nothing but the ball entering the hole, and BINGO, started making everything.

 

I agree with you about having an attitude of thinking your are the best and not fretting whether or not you make the putt. But for me, if I think about my stroke, my mind will do what I am thinking about, make a perfect stroke. The ball may go in or may not. If I think only of the ball going in the hole, I can put a crap stroke on it and often make more than when my mind is occupied with the mechanics of the stroke.

 

Did you stick with Directed Force?

 

Yes, I love mine.

[Lefty_3Jack]

All in all this is a great thread and thank you all for the drills and advice on putting improvement. I got to my lowest handicap last summer and one thing I did was the wheel drill every time I played as well as one or two times a week during practice. Short putts became much easier.

 

Fast forward to today and I have only played 5 rounds this year and did not practice all winter or spring. My dad got sick and I have to take care of him so practice and golf in general went out the window. Tee to green hasn't suffered much, but around the green and on the green I'm lost. 2 chipping, leaving pitches short, way too many 3 putts and missed shorter putts. It made me want to not go back out because I went from last year averaging under 80 to not breaking 85 the first few rounds out. I've had one penalty in those rounds so it's all been missing greens, 2 chips and 3 putts getting me.

 

I went out last night to a green by my house for an hour and did the 30-60 drill twice and the wheel drill to focus on the longer and shorter putts. I already feel more confident about my game. An odd thing about practicing putting is I don't get nearly as frustrated as I do on full swing work. It's boring, but I walk away feeling better about my game than I do when working on full swing stuff.

[Lefty_3Jack]

Maybe a bigger point to take away from this is efficient, consistent practice will improve anyone. If someone of very average abilities (say a 10 handicap) used the Golf.com Breaking 80 practice routine they'd get better without focusing on mechanics at all. It's why we've all played with older guys who are good just because they get to play everyday. You might be better off mastering the wrong move than constantly waffling/changing in search of the perfect move.

[SheriffBooth]

[

I'd just ask Juan73.

 

 

RH

 

Hey Rich!!! Just found this thread Hope you are doing well my friend.

 

David Orr is FANTASTIC!!!! He has been my putting coach and friend for several years. He used to post frequently on this board. At some point he found that too many people just wanted to argue... even when they were dead wrong. So unfortunately you won't find him here any more. However, check out his Flatstick Academy... probably the best $99 you will ever spend on learning about putting.

 

Hand Eye Coordination is critical in good putting. I once was working with an instructor who was teaching a former NFL Quarterback the Aimpoint method of green reading. We set him up with a 25 foot putt, and while he only made 1 of 5, the other 4 were with in a foot of the hole. And no matter where we put him on the green, he had outstanding distance control. He knew how much energy you needed to apply to the putter/ball to get it to go the right distance. To me it was kinda like knowing how much energy you had to use to throw a football to a receiver... . To me distance control in putting seems real easy compared to being proficient at throwing a football to targets in a real NFL football game.

 

What line? What Speed? I loved Paul Hobart's idea he called "Banana Putting" Think of the shape of a banana.... and he would say, there are lots of combinations of reads and speeds that allow you to make a breaking putt. The softer you hit it, the greater the break, the harder you hit it the less the break.

 

And if you are looking for LOTS of putting drills, check out my book, "Make More Putts"

 

Now back to reading a fiction book!!

 

Juan73

 

Here's an Amazon link to Juan's book:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Make-More-Putts-Performance-Improvement/dp/151221244X

[MK7Golf21]

I’ve never taken a putting lesson and probably never will. Honestly I’m kinda concerned it will mess me up, I’m a decent putter. Obviously it probably won’t mess me up but the guys who get the yips and are putting all funny to overcome weird issues seem to have had a lot of coaching in putting. You can tell just by watching them, never really seen a guy develop yips who didn’t get into lessons and the technique of putting

 

It’s such a simple movement to me that doesn’t warrant lessons. Maybe in green reading but that’s it for me

[Juan73]

I've never taken a putting lesson and probably never will. Honestly I'm kinda concerned it will mess me up, I'm a decent putter. Obviously it probably won't mess me up but the guys who get the yips and are putting all funny to overcome weird issues seem to have had a lot of coaching in putting. You can tell just by watching them, never really seen a guy develop yips who didn't get into lessons and the technique of putting

 

It's such a simple movement to me that doesn't warrant lessons. Maybe in green reading but that's it for me

 

Redjeep83. I have seen a lot of people who do not take putting lesson get the Yips!! One of the guys in a neighborhood I play with on Wednesdays is a tennis player, who has played golf for many years. He has never taken a lesson on any part of his game... of course his HCP is 15. About 2 years ago he developed the Yips... is was not fun to watch him miss very short putts. His frustration became very high... so he decided to change his grip.... and like a miracle the yips went away. The yips can happen to anyone...lessons or no lessons.

 

BTW if you take putting lessons from someone who really knows putting, like a David Orr, Phil Kenyon, Mike Shannon, etc. it will NOT mess up your putting but only improve it. Be very careful who you take putting lessons from.... in my journey to become a better putter, I took lessons from about 5 different people, and quickly knew as the lesson progressed --they were NOT experts. They just thought they knew how to teach putting. So find someone who is highly competent. PM me if you need a suggestion.

 

I feel blessed in that I found two great instructors/coaches. David Orr for putting (mechanics, distance control, putter fitting, .....) and Mark Sweeney for green reading (Aimpoint). Both of these gentlemen helped me immensely.

 

Good luck and have fun -- it is only a game. :-)