Obee's Putting Improvement Thread

[bilbry57]

I recently re read entire thread after shooting 80 & 81 with 42 and 43 putts respectively in Super senior club championship .  I switched back to Claw from LHL and made it my goal to roll the line like Obee talks about over and over.

I could not get it until I brought out putting mirror and figured out it was playing ball way too far forward which caused my shoulders to be open.  Just played in 30 MPH gusts shot 76 with 28 putts.  Im recommitting myself to this process and thank David for one of the best threads ever.

 

[bilbry57]

Played 11 holes today putting improvement continues 14 putts front 9

3 putts 2 holes on back 9 at Suncadia rope rider just concentrating on rolling the line 

[_chs_]

Hey all,

 

still working on the putting and still committed to the process. I’m sinking more putts and the ball rolls end over end.

 

 I have two questions if people will indulge me:

 

1) when putting, what part of the ball are you focused on?

2) how do you initiate the putting stroke? With your shoulders or do you pull back with your right hand or push with your left (if you are right handed)?

 

Thanks in advance 

 

[Obee]

On 9/11/2023 at 8:53 PM, _chs_ said:

Hey all,

 

still working on the putting and still committed to the process. I’m sinking more putts and the ball rolls end over end.

 

 I have two questions if people will indulge me:

 

1) when putting, what part of the ball are you focused on?

2) how do you initiate the putting stroke? With your shoulders or do you pull back with your right hand or push with your left (if you are right handed)?

 

Thanks in advance 

 

I don't really "look" at anything. I mean, I'm looking at the ball when I putt (like most people), but it's a "soft" look.

As for taking away the putter, I definitely take it away by moving the triangel created by my arms and shoulders all as one piece.

 

[MelloYello]

Yep, I'd agree with @Obee. 

 

Piggy-backing off what he said above:

 

#1

I can't describe exactly where I'm looking as I stroke a putt. My eyes are on the ball by my conscious focus is on speed. I guess you could say I'm looking at the ball but not really seeing it. I'm more focused on what picture in is my head if that makes sense.* It's a little of both. 

 

*A lot of good golf is played in an "unconscious" way (which sounds a bit too Freudian/Jungian for me) or through what most would simply call "2nd nature." The early steps of development involve learning to do something but you won't achieve a level of comfort and competency until you're not explicitly thinking about it and you're acting on impulse or 2nd nature. This is what Rotella and other instructors are referring to. You've got to drill the technical stuff so that it becomes routine enough that you're not thinking about it. 

 

#2

I'd say it's a little of both. I try to use as little of my hands as I can but that's never going to happen entirely. Putting definitely involves your hands. That's inevitable. It's a balance of both, but again, refer to what I said above. If you're comfortable, you're not really thinking about this stuff much anyway. 

[D0ch0l1d4y]

On 9/11/2023 at 10:53 PM, _chs_ said:

Hey all,

 

still working on the putting and still committed to the process. I’m sinking more putts and the ball rolls end over end.

 

 I have two questions if people will indulge me:

 

1) when putting, what part of the ball are you focused on?

2) how do you initiate the putting stroke? With your shoulders or do you pull back with your right hand or push with your left (if you are right handed)?

 

Thanks in advance 

 

 

1. I'm left eye dominant and need to have my eyeline inside the ball by about the width of the ball. I line my left eye up with the back of the ball and my focus point is the apex of the back curve of the ball. I'm a "hit what I'm looking at" player - so if I look at the middle of the ball, my body reacts to the middle of the ball and I end up with a slightly downward AOA and face contact too high.

 

2. As much of a one-piece takeaway as I can. Usually grip with firm hands, even pressure - but try to keep my elbows/shoulders "loose". Feel is pushing the left (lead) shoulder down and back toward the ball.

Edited November 20, 2023 by D0ch0l1d4y
spelling

[_chs_]

On 11/20/2023 at 10:31 AM, Obee said:

I don't really "look" at anything. I mean, I'm looking at the ball when I putt (like most people), but it's a "soft" look.

As for taking away the putter, I definitely take it away by moving the triangel created by my arms and shoulders all as one piece.

 

 

On 11/20/2023 at 10:51 AM, MelloYello said:

Yep, I'd agree with @Obee. 

 

Piggy-backing off what he said above:

 

#1

I can't describe exactly where I'm looking as I stroke a putt. My eyes are on the ball by my conscious focus is on speed. I guess you could say I'm looking at the ball but not really seeing it. I'm more focused on what picture in is my head if that makes sense.* It's a little of both. 

 

*A lot of good golf is played in an "unconscious" way (which sounds a bit too Freudian/Jungian for me) or through what most would simply call "2nd nature." The early steps of development involve learning to do something but you won't achieve a level of comfort and competency until you're not explicitly thinking about it and you're acting on impulse or 2nd nature. This is what Rotella and other instructors are referring to. You've got to drill the technical stuff so that it becomes routine enough that you're not thinking about it. 

 

#2

I'd say it's a little of both. I try to use as little of my hands as I can but that's never going to happen entirely. Putting definitely involves your hands. That's inevitable. It's a balance of both, but again, refer to what I said above. If you're comfortable, you're not really thinking about this stuff much anyway. 

 

On 11/20/2023 at 12:07 PM, D0ch0l1d4y said:

 

1. I'm left eye dominant and need to have my eyeline inside the ball by about the width of the ball. I line my left eye up with the back of the ball and my focus point is the apex of the back curve of the ball. I'm a "hit what I'm looking at" player - so if I look at the middle of the ball, my body reacts to the middle of the ball and I end up with a slightly downward AOA and face contact too high.

 

2. As much of a one-piece takeaway as I can. Usually grip with firm hands, even pressure - but try to keep my elbows/shoulders "loose". Feel is pushing the left (lead) shoulder down and back toward the ball.

 

Thank you for the replies.  These are things to work on during the off season. I love winter but looking forward to spring. 

[J295]

Putter fitting.
I align 1.8 degrees left, which is consistent with my laser home testing. Looks square to me but it’s not.  

 

Q. Things I can experiment with to get square to look square to me?  

 

64 year old left eye dominant.  
 

edit to add I just located this ….

 

Edited March 21 by J295

[iacas]

53 minutes ago, J295 said:

Q. Things I can experiment with to get square to look square to me?  

 

Find the right putter. Changing something as simple as the lines can dramatically affect where you aim a putter, where square looks square.

[GolfTurkey]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

 

Find the right putter. Changing something as simple as the lines can dramatically affect where you aim a putter, where square looks square.

 

Which is why I don't really get the spending hours of maintenance with putting mirrors etc. when you can almost definitely find one you aim easily in a good fitting

[Ty_Webb]

12 hours ago, J295 said:

Putter fitting.
I align 1.8 degrees left, which is consistent with my laser home testing. Looks square to me but it’s not.  

 

Q. Things I can experiment with to get square to look square to me?  

 

64 year old left eye dominant.  
 

edit to add I just located this ….

 

 

Have a look at this thread - gets into all of it. 

 

 

 

David Edel has some videos out about it too. Different head shapes, different markings (lines vs dots vs flange vs topline) all affect how the aim looks to you. There are certain trends that *most* people follow. Has to do I think with where on the putter your eyes end up focused, but the only way to know for sure is to try different ones until you find one that looks straight when it's straight.

[J295]

43 minutes ago, Ty_Webb said:

 

Have a look at this thread - gets into all of it. 

 

 

 

David Edel has some videos out about it too. Different head shapes, different markings (lines vs dots vs flange vs topline) all affect how the aim looks to you. There are certain trends that *most* people follow. Has to do I think with where on the putter your eyes end up focused, but the only way to know for sure is to try different ones until you find one that looks straight when it's straight.

Thanks to you and the others who so promptly gave their insights.  
 

I will read this information you provided.

 

The fitter I used for the putter fitting (yesterday) was highly recommended, and very helpful and I think I’ll circle back to him for some follow up.  The recommendation of a blade with toe hang I believe was based on my stroke more than alignment, but perhaps I’m mistaken.  And, with all of the different putters he has available I could go there and begin experimenting to figure out which one helps most with alignment. 
 

 

[Nels55]

33 minutes ago, J295 said:

Thanks to you and the others who so promptly gave their insights.  
 

I will read this information you provided.

 

The fitter I used for the putter fitting (yesterday) was highly recommended, and very helpful and I think I’ll circle back to him for some follow up.  The recommendation of a blade with toe hang I believe was based on my stroke more than alignment, but perhaps I’m mistaken.  And, with all of the different putters he has available I could go there and begin experimenting to figure out which one helps most with alignment. 
 

 

Here is how I align my eye to whatever putter I am using:

 

This may not be the best way but it works pretty well for me to get lined up correctly.  I look at the target while tapping the putter square to the ruler.

[J295]

How do I test my aim with various putters?

 

I know I’m slight left bias as that’s what I found lining up then placing laser on face (cumbersome), and putter fitting showed 1.8 degree left bias. 
 

is there a reliable device or method?

 

thanks.  

 

[Ty_Webb]

I think the best way is probably with a laser, a mirror and a friend. Put a laser down pointing towards where you're going to putt from. Put a ball in the light of the laser. Put a mirror on your putter face (make sure it's square), line up to the ball towards the laser and have a friend move the ball out of the way. Wherever the beam gets reflected is where you're aiming it. That's not exactly easy to come about all of that, so if anyone has a better way I'm all ears. 

 

FYI - I read someone say that a piece of a CD cut out and stuck to your putter face is a good option for a small mirror.

[Nels55]

8 hours ago, Ty_Webb said:

I think the best way is probably with a laser, a mirror and a friend. Put a laser down pointing towards where you're going to putt from. Put a ball in the light of the laser. Put a mirror on your putter face (make sure it's square), line up to the ball towards the laser and have a friend move the ball out of the way. Wherever the beam gets reflected is where you're aiming it. That's not exactly easy to come about all of that, so if anyone has a better way I'm all ears. 

 

FYI - I read someone say that a piece of a CD cut out and stuck to your putter face is a good option for a small mirror.

If you have a helper and a club ruler or other similar square object you can setup to putt then have the other person pick the ball up and put the ruler down square to the putter face and you can see where you are aimed.  I have done that several times and in most cases the person putting gets a confused look on their face when they see where they are aimed and steps away and then back behind to get another look at it.  If helps if the person doing the putting shuts their eyes while the ruler is lined up.

Edited March 22 by Nels55
typo