Best way to practice putting at home?

[DaveLeeNC]

1 hour ago, Righty to Lefty said:

There is an exact amount of speed required to hit a putt a given distance depending on how fast or slow the greens are and that is what I calibrated my mind to see whether or not that is exactly happening or not. In my mind I see the ball accelerating to a certain point and then decelerating the rest of the way to the hole and I always find that point along a putt's given line of travel as I am tracing it from the hole back to my ball before I hit a the putt. I noticed that anytime a putt came up dreadfully short or long it was because I was tricked by what I saw often from not looking at the putt from both sides.  

 

If the statement is strictly about how you see things, then I cannot argue with what you stated. But folks should understand that what you are seeing is not what is happening. 

 

dave

[chisag]

... Every putt is a straight putt. Every single one of them regardless of slope. I see poor putters trying to play breaks with their putter, not their line. Imo, practicing at home only accomplishes refining your straight putting stroke. Reading putts is a completely different story and that can only be accomplished on a course. Taking it a step further, it can really only be accomplished during play. The practice green, much like the range with a driver, doesn't count and that gives many a freedom to putt without anxiety but they don't have that same freedom on the course, especially with an important putt. And really, they are all important aren't they? 

... There is no pull of the mountain, water or grain at home. You can loosely practice speed at home, putting on a carpet or on tile but the only thing you can really accomplish at home is refining your stroke and contact, which is the foundation of putting so just those two things can be very useful. 

[RoyalTroon]

No need making rolling a ball complicated.  If on a slope you only have to contend with one side of a line between ball middle and middle of hole- the high side, all touch from there.   You can miss the best speedline twice and still make it in one of three routes.  It's all touch finding the correct speed with matching arc, like shooting free throws.  Route 1 is Rick Barry, route 2 is Stephan Curry, and route 3 is Shaq baby, watch out.  We only get to play with half the hole.

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by BALLYBUNION

[DLeightonReid]

12 minutes ago, chisag said:

Every putt is a straight putt.

I agree with Chisag on every putt is a straight putt.  I do practice in my living room with a putting matt.  It definitely helps me with setup, stroke, strike, and line.  Then on the course, when I have one of those knee knocking 6 footers, I visualize myself in my living room stroking balls into the cup.  

[iacas]

I'm happy to ignore you, @Righty to Lefty, if you can ignore me.
 

Spoiler

29 minutes ago, Righty to Lefty said:

you often say FEEL ISN'T REAL!! I agree that the physics of things state that the ball's highest velocity will occur just after impact and that putts are decelerating from that point onward, but if I come on here saying it in the proper way which is to "monitor the speed and initial velocity of your putts", how far do you think I will get? 

 

I'll just echo this:

 

44 minutes ago, Anthony Stevens said:

p.s. as far as the acceleration/deceleration stuff, I agree with others that this is very misleading. All putts decelerate from the instant they start to be impacted by friction from the green (and maybe even the instant they leave the putter face, I don't know). If accelerate/decelerate is a feel that helps with distance control, then so be it, but feel isn't real, etc.

 

Your grasp of physics and biomechanics has been tenuous at best for quite some time.

 

29 minutes ago, Righty to Lefty said:

Shoot I mention D plane and ball flight laws and most people's eyes glaze over because they aren't tracking when those principles govern every shot that is ever hit and you banned me from your site for mentioning that understanding impact is orders of magnitude more important than trying make a perfect swing because you teach a swing method, but in this case you just want things to be math driven which I am finding ironic at the moment.

 

So, almost none of what you just wrote about me or why you were banned is correct, and I'll leave it at that.

 

[RoyalTroon]

3 minutes ago, DLeightonReid said:

I agree with Chisag on every putt is a straight putt.  I do practice in my living room with a putting matt.  It definitely helps me with setup, stroke, strike, and line.  Then on the course, when I have one of those knee knocking 6 footers, I visualize myself in my living room stroking balls into the cup.  

 

All putts are straight, putts are top spin with a stick, and never give in to the cup, is sound advice as old as the hills.

[DaveLeeNC]

9 minutes ago, BALLYBUNION said:

 

All putts are straight, putts are top spin with a stick, and never give in to the cup, is sound advice as old as the hills.

 

What is the point of that statement "all putts are straight"? To me the defining property of a straight putt is that your ball will go into the center of the hole (or possibly bounce off the center of the hole) no matter how hard you hit it, assuming you it reaches the hole and you hit the right line which does not change with pace. Putts that are not straight are very different. 

 

I don't get it(?).

 

dave

[RoyalTroon]

1 minute ago, DaveLeeNC said:

 

What is the point of that statement "all putts are straight"? To me the defining property of a straight putt is that your ball will go into the center of the hole (or possibly bounce off the center of the hole) no matter how hard you hit it, assuming you it reaches the hole and you hit the right line which does not change with pace. Putts that are not straight are very different. 

 

I don't get it(?).

 

dave

 

The putter strikes squarely, which would be 90*,  in relation to a line on the ground, a 'straight' line.    Lines on the ground can curved too but squaring the putter to any part of a curved line defeats the purpose of finding a line to begin with.  This is not Ben Doyle's hitting any part of a circle. 

[bladehunter]

2 hours ago, iacas said:

Not a fan of debating things that aren't fact by "agreeing" or not. Facts are right or wrong, opinions are different.

 

  Hide contents

 

That's a complete falsity, but in a world where a ball accelerates for 50% of a putt, it's maybe unsurprising you see it that way?

 

 

I can see how, given that what I teach is based in reality. 😉

 

 

I'm calling your physics bogus… because they are.

 

 

Because it's not reality.

 

 

A putted golf ball is, except in the rarest of cases, decelerating from the moment they're struck. They are almost never (rarest of cases) accelerating.

 

Edit to add: I'll make it easy on you — I'm going to add you to my ignore list here, and will not reply to you or your posts unless you directly reply to me, or tag/@mention me. Feel free to add me to your ignore list, and you can continue to enjoy whatever world you exist in where balls going uphill are accelerating 75% of the way to the hole.

 

Bro.  Thoust trusty steed doth grow  too magnificent for even the most skilled rider.  Pray ye , come down my liege before thou hurts thy self. 
 

 

 

[bladehunter]

1 hour ago, Righty to Lefty said:

@iacas You have got to be kidding me....you often say FEEL ISN'T REAL!! I agree that the physics of things state that the ball's highest velocity will occur just after impact and that putts are decelerating from that point onward, but if I come on here saying it in the proper way which is to "monitor the speed and initial velocity of your putts", how far do you think I will get?  Shoot I mention D plane and ball flight laws and most people's eyes glaze over because they aren't tracking when those principles govern every shot that is ever hit and you banned me from your site for mentioning that understanding impact is orders of magnitude more important than trying make a perfect swing because you teach a swing method, but in this case you just want things to be math driven which I am finding ironic at the moment. 

Don’t feed the guy.  
.  He’s just baiting you into a ban here or feeding his ego.  or both. Nature here has a way of sorting  it out. Just let him continue to out himself.  
 

 

[RoyalTroon]

1 hour ago, bladehunter said:

Don’t feed the guy.  
He’s just baiting you into a ban here or feeding his ego.  or both. Nature here has a way of sorting  it out. Just let him continue to out himself. 

 

[DaveLeeNC]

4 hours ago, BALLYBUNION said:

The putter strikes squarely, which would be 90*,  in relation to a line on the ground, a 'straight' line.    Lines on the ground can curved too but squaring the putter to any part of a curved line defeats the purpose of finding a line to begin with.  This is not Ben Doyle's hitting any part of a circle. 

Got it - thanks. It is an impact perspective. 

 

Wasn't there a PGA Tour professional some years ago that used a 'cut stroke' when he putted? I vaguely remember that but cannot recall a name. 

 

dave

[RoyalTroon]

Mayfair. 

[chisag]

2 hours ago, DaveLeeNC said:

Got it - thanks. It is an impact perspective. 

 

 

... It is pretty amazing watching many, even skilled players, open the face on a left to right putt and close the face on a right to left putt. That is why I posted "Every putt is a straight putt. Every single one of them regardless of slope." It is a discipline good putters have and bad putters do not. 

[Righty to Lefty]

21 hours ago, Anthony Stevens said:

 

With all due respect to BH, whose posts I really enjoy, I think the notion of "apex" is a squirrelly little bugger. In the image above, if the thick green line is the actual path the ball takes to the hole, then where is the "apex" that you envision when you are running your movie in your head? Is it a single point, as the word "apex" implies?

 

This looks to me like a 16" left-to-right breaker with a more or less constant slope. The aim point is the dotted line.

 

If your aim point is to some "apex" at ANY POINT along that thick green line, save for maybe the first handful of inches, where the aim point and the green line sort of intersect, you will miss the putt low/right.

 

I get that people see putts differently, but I would be careful about the specific language/instruction as some people take it very literally.

 

p.s. as far as the acceleration/deceleration stuff, I agree with others that this is very misleading. All putts decelerate from the instant they start to be impacted by friction from the green (and maybe even the instant they leave the putter face, I don't know). If accelerate/decelerate is a feel that helps with distance control, then so be it, but feel isn't real, etc.

 

 

The apex of that particular putt is at impact as that putt begins to break almost immediately after being struck, but once again if I explain it properly which is that you are actually putting to the tangent to get the ball to actually roll over the apex how far do you think I will get in these forums mentioning that? I guarantee you that 99% of the people in these threads have no clue that a putt's highest speed and velocity is right after impact. 

 

If I had explained it like this it would be correct, but no one would be able to use the information because they don't have a reference from which to work from: 

 

10 foot flat putt initial ball speed should be roughly 5 mph or a velocity of 0.0139 feet per second (The velocities are incorrect and are corrected in a later post. Thanks @Pretzel) 

10 foot downhill putt initial ball speed should be roughly 3 mph or a velocity of 0.0083 feet per second (The velocities are incorrect and are corrected in a later post. Thanks @Pretzel) 

10 foot uphill putt initial ball speed should be roughly 7 mph or a velocity of 0.0196 feet per second (The velocities are incorrect and are corrected in a later post. Thanks @Pretzel) 

 

But what most do try to develop a reference for is a length of back stroke providing a certain amount of speed but that is also dependent on the weight of the putter so the best thing that I could do is mention a point along the balls intended line of travel to try and "accelerate the ball to" as this would in turn govern the length of the backswing, which would produce a certain initial ball speed, which is the goal.  The speed required to hit the ball along a given line of travel is the same for everyone just like on any other golf shot, but the weight of the putter will mean that the length of back swing to attain it will be different. This is precisely why I don't comment on individual's swing motions and that is because what truly matters is that you understand what must occur at impact and let that govern you.  Am I making sense?  

Edited May 3, 2023 by Righty to Lefty
Added note for incorrect math.

[ae1985]

I practice on an 8 foot putt out mat with that plastic thingy that holds the ball on perfect putts. I found it's helped a ton with my distance control.

[Righty to Lefty]

9 hours ago, chisag said:

 

 

... It is pretty amazing watching many, even skilled players, open the face on a left to right putt and close the face on a right to left putt. That is why I posted "Every putt is a straight putt. Every single one of them regardless of slope." It is a discipline good putters have and bad putters do not. 

FACTS!! In the pic below the only line you should concern yourself with after you have determined the intended line of travel that you see is the "straight dotted line" that will be created and putting straight to that point knowing that the rest will be taken care of for you.  Each of those three options to make that putt below will require a different speed to hold it's line and that is what must be understood and that is why straight putts are so desirable because a much wider variance in speed will still go in.  

[Righty to Lefty]

16 hours ago, bladehunter said:

Don’t feed the guy.  
.  He’s just baiting you into a ban here or feeding his ego.  or both. Nature here has a way of sorting  it out. Just let him continue to out himself.  
 

 

My problem is that instead of mentioning the facts and helping to clear the situation, he just resorted to a rude comment and never provided clarification.  I am completely cool with being corrected, but to just spout off a rude comment and then go ghost and provide no clarification to the group is the worst in my opinion.  Why not just say "putts actually decelerate just after being struck, but I see what you mean in that you are trying manipulate how much initial speed is provided by talking about an acceleration point" and that would show me that knew what I was meaning to say but were clarifying things to give even more clarity to what is actually happening despite what is being felt.  But no....just be rude and then go ghost like you know a secret or something does more harm than good in my opinion.  

[bladehunter]

53 minutes ago, Righty to Lefty said:

My problem is that instead of mentioning the facts and helping to clear the situation, he just resorted to a rude comment and never provided clarification.  I am completely cool with being corrected, but to just spout off a rude comment and then go ghost and provide no clarification to the group is the worst in my opinion.  Why not just say "putts actually decelerate just after being struck, but I see what you mean in that you are trying manipulate how much initial speed is provided by talking about an acceleration point" and that would show me that knew what I was meaning to say but were clarifying things to give even more clarity to what is actually happening despite what is being felt.  But no....just be rude and then go ghost like you know a secret or something does more harm than good in my opinion.  

….!

Edited May 3, 2023 by bladehunter

[PracticeSwinger]

42 minutes ago, Righty to Lefty said:

The apex of that particular putt is at impact as that putt begins to break almost immediately after being struck, but once again if I explain it properly which is that you are actually putting to the tangent to get the ball to actually roll over the apex how far do you think I will get in these forums mentioning that? I guarantee you that 99% of the people in these threads have no clue that a putt's highest speed and velocity is right after impact. 

 

Don't want to jump into the debate and it might be semantics, but the Apex is by definition the highest perpendicular point relative to a flat base, that flat base in putting being the straight line from your ball to the hole (red line). In this example the Apex is thus the point on the biggest blue line that intersects the curved green line - and if you aimed there, small blue line (on the correct speed) you would play less break than required (as you always would putting to the Apex on any putt that isn't a double breaker) and it would miss on the low side.

 

Now, your explanation afterwards seems to describe what is required, your aim point should be on the yellow line, tangent to the green line at impact. You obviously have to figure out the speed/break combo you want (in the spectrum that is shown for that putt, 3 curved lines). This comes down to @chisag point that 'every putt is a straight one'. You just have to figure out the straight putt that is equivalent, aim at that imaginary hole and make sure your stroke is dead straight to that imaginary hole (with speed that matches that imaginary hole distance).

[Pretzel]

1 hour ago, Righty to Lefty said:

10 foot flat putt initial ball speed should be roughly 5 mph or a velocity of 0.0139 feet per second

10 foot downhill putt initial ball speed should be roughly 3 mph or a velocity of 0.0083 feet per second

10 foot uphill putt initial ball speed should be roughly 7 mph or a velocity of 0.0196 feet per second

5mph = 7.33 feet per second

7mph = 10.27 feet per second

3mph = 4.4 feet per second

 

At a speed of only 0.0139 feet per second it would take 719 seconds for the ball to travel 10 feet to the hole without any deceleration at all. That probably should’ve been a clue that the math was ridiculously far off if you had applied any thought to it…

[mbwannab]

If I remember correctly moptop was asking about training aids or drills to help with his putting at home. Nice hijack of thread guys. Sorry moptop 🤦🏼‍♂️.

Ive actually been searching for some good at home practice too. I’ve learned you can spend a lot of money on stuff or just use what you might have, the yardstick idea is probably really good. I am also thinking of getting the puttout pressure putt trainer and some sort of mat to go along with it. 
 

Oh yeah..and a new putter, because, you know why not? 😂 

[Righty to Lefty]

1 hour ago, Pretzel said:

5mph = 7.33 feet per second

7mph = 10.27 feet per second

3mph = 4.4 feet per second

 

At a speed of only 0.0139 feet per second it would take 719 seconds for the ball to travel 10 feet to the hole without any deceleration at all. That probably should’ve been a clue that the math was ridiculously far off if you had applied any thought to it…

Yup I was rushing through things at the office and calculated it incorrectly all together thus you are correct and I'm cool with that and will even go back and make a note that you corrected things later on. Well had I actually put the correct total distance in there I would have been okay!  

 

5 MPH

 

7 MPH

 

3 MPH

 

The question still remains how do you then use velocity or speed as a reference to be used to hit a putt or a golf shot a certain distance?  You can't unless you are a literal robot. You have to use stroke length and equate it to a certain distance that the ball will travel and if you are hitting the same length putt from an uphill, downhill, or flat lie, the fact remains that a different stroke length is required for each, or more accurately, input velocity and speed, is required to get the ball to travel an expected path to the hole but the athlete has to put this puzzle together for themselves depending on how they see things and the build of their putter.  The athlete has to produce a reference that helps them to replicate 4.4, 7.3 and 10.27 feet per second as best as possible and the bet in my opinion that it can be done is by figuring out how far you hit a putt on your home course greens travels and then adjusting accordingly as you travel to different locations that have faster or slower greens.  

[Righty to Lefty]

2 hours ago, mbwannab said:

If I remember correctly moptop was asking about training aids or drills to help with his putting at home. Nice hijack of thread guys. Sorry moptop 🤦🏼‍♂️.

Ive actually been searching for some good at home practice too. I’ve learned you can spend a lot of money on stuff or just use what you might have, the yardstick idea is probably really good. I am also thinking of getting the puttout pressure putt trainer and some sort of mat to go along with it. 
 

Oh yeah..and a new putter, because, you know why not? 😂 

We are slowly but surely getting back on topic!  We already told him to get a yardstick and do some drills, you told him to go get a new putter!! 

[Righty to Lefty]

3 hours ago, Varry_Hardon said:

Don't want to jump into the debate and it might be semantics, but the Apex is by definition the highest perpendicular point relative to a flat base, that flat base in putting being the straight line from your ball to the hole (red line). In this example the Apex is thus the point on the biggest blue line that intersects the curved green line - and if you aimed there, small blue line (on the correct speed) you would play less break than required (as you always would putting to the Apex on any putt that isn't a double breaker) and it would miss on the low side.

 

Now, your explanation afterwards seems to describe what is required, your aim point should be on the yellow line, tangent to the green line at impact. You obviously have to figure out the speed/break combo you want (in the spectrum that is shown for that putt, 3 curved lines). This comes down to @chisag point that 'every putt is a straight one'. You just have to figure out the straight putt that is equivalent, aim at that imaginary hole and make sure your stroke is dead straight to that imaginary hole (with speed that matches that imaginary hole distance).

I didn't say putt directly to the apex...I said aim as such that your putt rolls over the apex.  If you aimed directly for the apex of that particular putt you could make it, it would just take more speed as the ball would track more on the line of the putt to the right of the green highlighted one.  Is it correct to say that unless your putt is dead straight that you are not aiming at the line that you intend for the ball to travel on?  

[me05501]

Does every thread in this section have to devolve into these pi$$ing matches between the same 3-5 self-appointed scientists? The bickering offers zero help to the OP. 

 

I think what you can practice at home is helpful stuff like routine, grip, alignment, quality of stroke, speed, and training yourself to consistently roll the ball straight down your aim line. 

 

With that in mind I've gotten a lot of use from the latest version of the Perfect Putt mat. I have mine laid out over carpet and it still rolls fast and true. I practice with each hand independently and also with both. I challenge myself to make X number of consecutive putts at various distances. It has really helped me groove my setup and trust my stroke. 

Edited May 3, 2023 by me05501

[PracticeSwinger]

44 minutes ago, Righty to Lefty said:

I didn't say putt directly to the apex...I said aim as such that your putt rolls over the apex.  If you aimed directly for the apex of that particular putt you could make it, it would just take more speed as the ball would track more on the line of the putt to the right of the green highlighted one.  Is it correct to say that unless your putt is dead straight that you are not aiming at the line that you intend for the ball to travel on?  

Of course. You should never aim at the apex cause (at the right speed) you will always miss low, since it is by definition, lower than the aim point. You go at your aim point, that is on the tangent of the speed/combo line you predetermine, converting that into a straight equivalent putt.

[Anthony Stevens]

6 hours ago, Righty to Lefty said:

Am I making sense?  

No, not to me at least, but that's fine. If your distance calculation in your head is based on "acceleration to a spot", then more power to you. I have had other players explain a heuristic of "hit it like it's a flat 4 footer" when it's a downhill 10 footer, but that never resonated with me.

 

I have to question your assertion about putter weight. I don't believe (but would gladly be corrected) that a 5% difference in putter head weight would automatically correspond to a 5% difference in how far the putt travels EVEN IF all other things are equal. I just don't think the force equation is directly linear like that. Does anyone have studies that show anything about this?

[Anthony Stevens]

3 hours ago, me05501 said:

Does every thread in this section have to devolve into these pi$$ing matches between the same 3-5 self-appointed scientists? The bickering offers zero help to the OP. 

 

I think what you can practice at home is helpful stuff like routine, grip, alignment, quality of stroke, speed, and training yourself to consistently roll the ball straight down your aim line. 

 

With that in mind I've gotten a lot of use from the latest version of the Perfect Putt mat. I have mine laid out over carpet and it still rolls fast and true. I practice with each hand independently and also with both. I challenge myself to make X number of consecutive putts at various distances. It has really helped me groove my setup and trust my stroke. 

Totally agree. 

 

Home practice for me is 1) routine 2) setup 3) face 4) path 5) contact. I know, and accept, that I can't work on green reading or speed or breaking putts at home, so I work on those things at an actual putting green.

 

If I get good enough at hitting straight putts, I know from experience that will translate well to the course in any real-world situation.

 

I play around with trail-hand-only at home, but not seriously or regularly. Do you feel like it's really that beneficial?

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by Anthony Stevens

[Anthony Stevens]

2 hours ago, Righty to Lefty said:

I didn't say putt directly to the apex...I said aim as such that your putt rolls over the apex.  If you aimed directly for the apex of that particular putt you could make it, it would just take more speed as the ball would track more on the line of the putt to the right of the green highlighted one.  Is it correct to say that unless your putt is dead straight that you are not aiming at the line that you intend for the ball to travel on?  

I think putting discussions and instruction would be 90% more effective if no one ever used the term "apex" ever again. Read the overall line that you think the putt will travel on, sure, but don't think about one single "apex" point. My $0.02.