Lexi's putting. Where does she go from here?

[Socrates]

Heartbreaking to watch Lexi putt her way out of tournament wins.  I don't know if I've ever seen a professional golfer with this bad of a stroke under pressure.  Not a new story, but it doesn't seem to get better.  Is there a path out of this?  The mental stress has to be off the charts for her. 

[KBong]

1 hour ago, Socrates said:

Heartbreaking to watch Lexi putt her way out of tournament wins.  I don't know if I've ever seen a professional golfer with this bad of a stroke under pressure.  Not a new story, but it doesn't seem to get better.  Is there a path out of this?  The mental stress has to be off the charts for her. 

I think the nervous stress on an important putt is just too difficult for her to overcome.

 

I really don't know what she can do to overcome this.

 

Unfortunately it's a weakness she'll never be rid of.

[jt2gt]

That stance and grip looked like the most tense rigid address I have seen.  Shake it out, relax, focus on speed.  I know easier said than done. 🤣

[elwhippy]

I think she needs to speak to Mr Faxon. 

[Medson]

1 hour ago, Socrates said:

Heartbreaking to watch Lexi putt her way out of tournament wins.  I don't know if I've ever seen a professional golfer with this bad of a stroke under pressure.  Not a new story, but it doesn't seem to get better.  Is there a path out of this?  The mental stress has to be off the charts for her. 

I feel free Lexi. To be honest, if there’s anything she could do, she would have done it. She needs to continue working on her putting, yet accept she’s a streaky putter. There’ll be times she simply could not close out/win tournament due to her putting.

 

I’d think to give DJ a call and ask what he did mentally after 2015 USO (DJ 3 putted the last hole and handed the trophy to Spieth). DJ ended up having an amazing record in the last 6 years. And we don’t discuss his debacle at Chambers Bay much now.

[Socrates]

2 hours ago, KBong said:

I think the nervous stress on an important putt is just too difficult for her to overcome.

 

I really don't know what she can do to overcome this.

 

Unfortunately it's a weakness she'll never be rid of.

This likely will never happen for Lexi, but when I was even worse than that with the putter, I switched over to left handed putting.  All expectations of making putts was gone (and so was the nervousness) and the stroke was much smoother.  I actually putted good LH, but never great. 

[Golf Dino]

1 hour ago, Medson said:

I’d think to give DJ a call and ask what he did mentally after 2015 USO (DJ 3 putted the last hole and handed the trophy to Spieth). DJ ended up having an amazing record in the last 6 years. And we don’t discuss his debacle at Chambers Bay much now.

 

 

I suspect that Lexi is not cut from the same cloth as DJ or Nelly in that regard.  Everyone knows DJ is so laidback and relaxed about things that it seems to slide off of him rather easily.  The same with Nelly.   

 

As stated in a different thread, one of the most effective ways is to incorporate a practice routine like the one Jackie Burke Jr. taught to Phil when Phil went to see him about putting and winning.  

 

Making a 100 consecutive putts from 3-feet radius sounds simple, but it grooves your stroke and more importantly, deal with the pressure.  Can you imagine having holed 99 consecutive putts and the pressure one puts on themselves to make that last putt?  😛 🤣

[anser85029]

simply, eliminate the practice stroke

[TheDominator273]

Armlock

[jt2gt]

4 hours ago, TheDominator273 said:

Armlock

Would she be the first on the lpga. 

[SEP1006]

Yeh I really feel for her. Getting to be where she is mentally scarred and will never get over it. If she could putt she would dominate the LPGA.

 

I agree with post above though. Get rid of the practice stroke!!

[Socrates]

1 hour ago, SEP1006 said:

Yeh I really feel for her. Getting to be where she is mentally scarred and will never get over it. If she could putt she would dominate the LPGA.

 

I agree with post above though. Get rid of the practice stroke!!

Sounds like a visit to Dave Stockton is in order. 

[Rapidcat]

Where does she go from here? Going down to the lake I fear (some Brits will get that last sentence - '80's music) .

 

That winning putt stroke was tragic (in golf terms), one of the worst I have seen, in the Lucas Glover class, maybe worse than Doug Sanders'.

 

Interestingly, the return putt she stroked beautifully. 

 

I've started to really feel sorry for her. She shows great spirit and is always so nice, despite the fear she must have on the greens.

 

Armlock worth a try, Lexi? The Jackie Burke/Phil scenario is worth your attention at the very least.

[Abh159]

Q: Where does she go from here?

 

A: The commentary booth.... 

[Rapidcat]

6 minutes ago, Abh159 said:

Q: Where does she go from here?

 

A: The commentary booth.... 

"Sorry, booth's full"

[bigeasy]

As Chubbs use to say, go to your happy place!

Or a mental coach

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2021 by bigeasy

[Socrates]

2 hours ago, Abh159 said:

Q: Where does she go from here?

 

A: The commentary booth.... 

Too young for that.  I can see a prolonged time away from the game though once this week is done with.  Although, sometimes you just have to get back on the horse.

 

Edited November 16, 2021 by Socrates

[carry85roll300]

A family with three on major professional tours, INCREDIBLE!  If you want to dig deeper, take a minute and look at the putting stats for each Lexi, Curtis, and Nicholas.  Collectively, there have only been a handful of rankings inside the top-100 in either putting average or putts per round.

 

Then, look at the GIR stats and rankings for Lexi and Nicholas, it makes the story a bit more somber since both are statistical leaders on their respective tours...

Edited November 16, 2021 by carry85roll300
spelling error

[VNutz]

Her putting has always been her weakness. IMO she needs to ditch the stroke that comes naturally to her that she's using right now and go to something drastically different, perhaps more mechanical. Something where she sets up in a specific position, picks a line and goes. Maybe not exactly the same setup as Michelle Wie adopted, but that type of drastic change.

Edited November 16, 2021 by VNutz

[TheDominator273]

17 hours ago, jt2gt said:

Would she be the first on the lpga. 

No, an article I found from Golf.com earlier this year says Yealimi Noh is an armlock user and Christina Kim tried it.

[KBong]

1 hour ago, TheDominator273 said:

No, an article I found from Golf.com earlier this year says Yealimi Noh is an armlock user and Christina Kim tried it.

 

[Seamus_McDuff]

3 hours ago, VNutz said:

Her putting has always been her weakness. IMO she needs to ditch the stroke that comes naturally to her that she's using right now and go to something drastically different, perhaps more mechanical. Something where she sets up in a specific position, picks a line and goes. Maybe not exactly the same setup as Michelle Wie adopted, but that type of drastic change.

 

Interesting that we see it so differently. To me, she is too mechanical and isn’t using a natural stroke. 

[kwcsports]

I agree with someone above saying Stockton or Faxon could help. She looks too mechanical to me and rigid/stiff. I feel bad watching her putt this poorly on the short ones. 

[Fredebbie]

What putter was she using this week? Happy? She has tried so many and so many types of strokes. Lexi is my favorite Lpga golfer and I have followed her since she was a teen. She seems to put so much pressure on herself. I don't feel like the armlock would help her. I am a terrible putter, but I hated it.

[bladehunter]

This is 99.9 % in her head.  Ask me how I know .  ( please don’t you don’t want to hear about my putting ).  
 

 

i wonder something.  I wonder if she’s left eye dominant ?  Parallax distortion is really hard to overcome when putting , unless you recognize it , and take measures to ensure an aim that you are confident in.   What we’re seeing happen is her stand over a putt and have zero confidence that it will go in.  There has to be a core reason.  Not the current symptom of no confidence. But a core cause that led to this place. 

[ode]

2 hours ago, bladehunter said:

This is 99.9 % in her head.  Ask me how I know .  ( please don’t you don’t want to hear about my putting ).  
 

 

i wonder something.  I wonder if she’s left eye dominant ?  Parallax distortion is really hard to overcome when putting , unless you recognize it , and take measures to ensure an aim that you are confident in.   What we’re seeing happen is her stand over a putt and have zero confidence that it will go in.  There has to be a core reason.  Not the current symptom of no confidence. But a core cause that led to this place. 

IMO it's obvious. The closer she gets to the green the more she struggles.  If she has wedge/short iron in hand, she knows she needs to get it to kick in;  same If she misses the green. The pressure mounts.  And when she gets "one of those", she misses.  I give her credit, cuz she can obviously play and gets damn good results for someone with such poor technique.  But that's it, her raw talent can't save her!

[bladehunter]

8 hours ago, ode said:

IMO it's obvious. The closer she gets to the green the more she struggles.  If she has wedge/short iron in hand, she knows she needs to get it to kick in;  same If she misses the green. The pressure mounts.  And when she gets "one of those", she misses.  I give her credit, cuz she can obviously play and gets damn good results for someone with such poor technique.  But that's it, her raw talent can't save her!

Right. But that’s what I was saying. She needs to think it through and find the root cause of what you said.  There will be one.  And it’s not “ nerves “.   That’s not a root cause that’s an effect.  She needs to get with someone who specializes in the many types of yips , plus putter shape vs aim , and eyesight.  David Orr comes to mind . 
 

id bet a lot that she’s blind over the ball , as in cannot see the line from ball to hole once over it.  

[Simon Kearns]

Context: 2021 LPGA season 

#1 in GIR

#138 in Putting Average (over 2 strokes per round more than Inbee)

 

Choices:

1. Ignore it (and continue to earn $1-1.5 mln per year)

2. Make a change.  a. Putter (eg armlock) b. Stroke (eg Stockton) c. Coach (eg Kenyon) d. Mental state (eg Rotella) e. Practice (eg Burke's 100 put drill)

 

In order to change, she requires the commitment to make that change, as well as the mental and physical skills to be a top 20 putter.

 

At 26, after 10 years playing in the top flight, I guess she can't/won't/doesn't need/ or even doesn't have the skill set to make that change.

 

[Socrates]

14 hours ago, bladehunter said:

This is 99.9 % in her head.  Ask me how I know .  ( please don’t you don’t want to hear about my putting ).  
 

 

i wonder something.  I wonder if she’s left eye dominant ?  Parallax distortion is really hard to overcome when putting , unless you recognize it , and take measures to ensure an aim that you are confident in.   What we’re seeing happen is her stand over a putt and have zero confidence that it will go in.  There has to be a core reason.  Not the current symptom of no confidence. But a core cause that led to this place. 

I agree that it's a mental issue with the putting.  I'm the same way with chipping.  There are times when I'm okay chipping, but it only takes one bad chip and all the wheels fall off the chipping car.  Total lack of confidence and the entire thought process is about bad things.  I see the same things in her putting stroke.  Zero confidence.  How to fix that? 

[bladehunter]

30 minutes ago, Socrates said:

I agree that it's a mental issue with the putting.  I'm the same way with chipping.  There are times when I'm okay chipping, but it only takes one bad chip and all the wheels fall off the chipping car.  Total lack of confidence and the entire thought process is about bad things.  I see the same things in her putting stroke.  Zero confidence.  How to fix that? 

Well. Depends on what the actual cause is.  We know she doesn’t lack total confidence.  She strikes the ball aggressively.  That’s the epitome of confidence.   So that tells me that she feels good over the ball.  And really is able to perform with no thoughts of performance…… until it comes to putting.  That’s when the conscious side is taking over.  And that’s bad. 
 

to me that means it’s not a total mental issue.  It’s a mental issue caused by a mechanical issue.  Is it stroke , grip , or equipment related ? Or is it alignment , caused by something in the setup?  I still bet on the latter. But it can easily be a whole ball of combinations.  
 

She’s so bad that there’s zero to lose on a top tp bottom exam and rebuild.  as in talk tp her like she’s never putted. Examine her alignment tendency, cross that with putter shapes ( we align differently for different shaped putters ) , full eye exam , and then lastly an exam on how she practices or how much.  And what that practice is. Most of us found out that we practiced the wrong thing and not enough , because we hated it due tp the tendency to not make many 1st putts in practice. 
 

 Weeks of data gathering is likely needed to find the smoking gun.  But once you do , it’s eye opening ( pardon the pun).   She will win in bunches if she learns how to putt.  How to setup to the ball with no doubts or cares .  It can be done. But it’s a long hard ride.  

Edited November 17, 2021 by bladehunter