Thoughts on putting coaches

[Shushwap]

On 3/1/2022 at 4:45 PM, kekoa said:

Thanks guys.  We did a bit of putting during our last lesson with my son's coach as it was getting dark.  I'm not convinced that good instructors are also putting gurus.   We need to get on some putting apparatus soon as I just don't think he is aligning correctly.   Putter is aimed one way and his feet appear open.   @leezer99 I'll send you a PM.  I have no idea who CZ is.

 

Another issue mentioned above is the putter length.  That may be an issue as well as he has grown a lot, but we never extended his putter.

 

 

Seeing a putting coach and taking lessons from Jerry the local swing coach is night and day.. I have had a few putting lessons from some great swing coaches.. I took a 5 hour drive last year to see a dedicated putting coach.. Apple's to oranges difference.. I made the trip twice last year and plan to go again this year.. 

I would never waste money going to see  Jerry the local swing coach again for anything to do with putting 

PGA guys on tour have dedicated swing coaches and dedicated putting coaches for a reason 

[RobS]

Unless there is some real mechanical issue, I wouldn't bother with a putting coach that is focused on the putting stroke.   I do think there is value in playing lesson style putting instruction to help with routine, strategy, green reading, etc.  What I see with most kids, my son included, is that they have mental lapses including not sticking to their routine, being careless on reads or having poor strategy on lag putts or putts that aren't a high percentage make.  

I think this is a problem in general with juniors and instruction.  The time spent chasing a perfect swing is way out of proportion with the time spent on playing strategy.  Of course having a quality golf swing is important but I see juniors making their biggest leaps once they learn how to really play......taking the right lines, club selection, shot selection, etc.  This applies to kids at a level/age where they hitting the ball well and already beyond the early swing development stage.  The best "instruction' for my son has been getting him rounds with older, accomplished players that are willing to talk him around the course.

[mojomover]

Reviving this topic a bit... 

 

Putting comes down to 2 parts, read and stroke. Leaving the stroke aside, it might be too mechanical for younger kids, what about green reading? Any kids here who are AimPoint users? 

 

FWIW, one of the top kids locally, uses one of those Capto devices before every tournament round, with a digital level etc. This would knock me unconscious but to each their own.   

[RmoorePE]

Both of my daughters improved their green reading using Aimpoint techniques in practice. I have a digital level and just have them stand at different places on the green and guess at the slopes under their feet, until they start to get good feels and hone in direction. Then I have them guess using their eyes and see which is more consistent. They practice both heel/toe and straddling the line.

 

I have them use the fingers at the end of the feel session, just to corroborate the data.

 

A couple of 10 minute rounds of this in a week go a long ways, we do it maybe once every month. My youngest will even say: "Lets get the level out for a few minutes so I can check myself." Just adds another layer of confidence to what they think they see. Both are very fast players, I have seen Aimpoint kids take a long time, when realistically if they trust the technique it should be quick.

 

 

[Bizzle80]

23 hours ago, mojomover said:

Reviving this topic a bit... 

 

Putting comes down to 2 parts, read and stroke. Leaving the stroke aside, it might be too mechanical for younger kids, what about green reading? Any kids here who are AimPoint users? 

 

 

Im not down with AimPoint for younger players. I see it a lot here in SoCal but it's more of a slow play issue. I think learning breaks is just a ton of reps and practice...and kids should be able to develop the eye for it. At some point when older and with a better ability to go thru AP progressions quickly I am sure its fine.

 

 

[RmoorePE]

4 hours ago, Bizzle80 said:

 

Im not down with AimPoint for younger players. I see it a lot here in SoCal but it's more of a slow play issue. I think learning breaks is just a ton of reps and practice...and kids should be able to develop the eye for it. At some point when older and with a better ability to go thru AP progressions quickly I am sure its fine.

 

 

I agree with this. We have played with a few kids who were married to it (or forced to be) and they either didn't understand or believe what they were feeling and so they kept checking and re checking. Problem is they get an AP lesson 2 weeks before a tournament and mom and dad expect them to use it. Hard to bring in that much technical info in short time. Not only that, they don't start the AP reading until it is their turn instead of that period when everyone is getting on the green, marking, getting initial reads etc.

 

I just introduce the feel parts of it as an add on, with no expectations of use, but more to just get another way of collecting data from a green. 

[wegobomber31]

On 3/1/2022 at 12:40 PM, kekoa said:

Just curious.  What are thoughts on putting specific coaches.  Do most of you guys use one and how have results been?   Putting is such a mental and feel aspect of the game.  Can a coach really help or is a junior better off practicing with the help of aids etc.   My son used to be a very good putter and hardly ever practiced.  What drives me crazy is before a tournament round he just steps on the practice green with one ball and hits random putts.  Sees a buddy and starts chit chatting. In years past, my  would make almost everything within 10 feet and was also good for bombs on occasion, which really helps a good round become great.  I see older kids sit on a putting green for an hour or two and just putt.  I wish my kid would do this, but I've pretty much given up.     I'm pondering the idea of getting a putting coach for him, but not sure it would be worth it right now.

 

Thanks

If your kid doesn’t have a penchant for spending time on the putting green, then I don’t think a putting coach is going to be a good use of time and resources. What if the coach perscribes some block of form work to correct an observed issue? Is your son going to invest the hours of block/form work that might be required?

 

There’s nothing wrong with random practice of different lengths and different locations. Some of those kids you see on the putting green for hours might be spewing too much time on block practice. I think short game work should start with block/form work, then some mix of block/random and then random practice with a gamification component. There are lots of resources (Phil Kenyon, Ralph Bauer, etc) for ideas. 

[Golfingdawg19]

My daughter sees a putting coach 3-4 times a year. This guy has every technology piece known to man. He has assured me that her stroke is fine and her putter is a good fit for her. She reads putts fine when she is out there with him. What they mainly work on is speed drills because she doesn’t match the speed to her line. That is the toughest thing to do once everything else is sounds. Occasionally he will make a tweak to her set up but that is about it. 

[John119]

We started with a putting coach a few months ago. 
Made a huge difference. I wouldn't waste your time or money if your son/daughter is not already an elite player. But if they are, absolutely seek out a putting coach. Worth it 100% 

We started using BF a few months ago. Would absolutely recommend him. 

 

[ChipNRun]

On 3/1/2022 at 12:40 PM, kekoa said:

 My son used to be a very good putter and hardly ever practiced.  What drives me crazy is before a tournament round he just steps on the practice green with one ball and hits random putts.

 

Dad, make sure you are not guilty of projecting. This involves a reaction to a disagreement with someone or group. Basically, projecting involves trying to convince yourself that your feelings are more valid than those of the other person (your son). Your son is warming up for his round, not your round.

 

BTW, how old is your son.

 

On 3/1/2022 at 12:40 PM, kekoa said:

...he just steps on the practice green with one ball and hits random putts. 

An TV announcer for the Barbisol tournament said this was how one of the guys on the leader board warmed up on green, pre-round. (Sorry, can't remember guy's name.)

[leezer99]

13 hours ago, ChipNRun said:

 

Dad, make sure you are not guilty of projecting. This involves a reaction to a disagreement with someone or group. Basically, projecting involves trying to convince yourself that your feelings are more valid than those of the other person (your son). Your son is warming up for his round, not your round.

 

BTW, how old is your son.

 

An TV announcer for the Barbisol tournament said this was how one of the guys on the leader board warmed up on green, pre-round. (Sorry, can't remember guy's name.)

I don't think @kekoa was projecting at all. He obviously lets his son go through his own routine which might pain him to watch. If he were to try and take control of his game then he'd be there guiding him through a process he finds more suitable. 

 

I thought my son did the same thing just hitting random putts but when I asked him about it one day he actually told me exactly what he was doing and why he did it. I realized he had taken ownership of his putting practice and have since left him alone. What looked like random practice without guidance was actually well thought out.