Hop/Skip and Roll...

Bulldog · June 6, 2006

What causes your ball to hop/skip on a putt? I seem to do this no matter which putter I use, so it's either me or the greens. It's really bad on long putts. Is it from hitting down on the ball? Catching the ball too much on the up swing? Or just a green problem?

Thanks,

Bulldog...

magee99 · June 6, 2006

All of the above can cause skidding or hopping.

One thing to keep in mind is that all putters have loft - Will/Could put backspin on the ball causing it to skid.

There are a couple of OEM that have come out with putters to stop this skidding - YES, Guerin and Taylor Made AGSI series are some of the big ones that come to mind.

Check those out - I am sure that one of them will cure your problem.

cleatsupkeep · June 7, 2006

When your ball is on the green, the weight of the ball makes it sit in a minor depression. The reason putters have loft is to get the ball out of the depression.

There are putters that will try to limit this, such as the Taylor Made, the Yes Putters, and the Guerin Rife with specific groove technology to get a truer roll.

hayam · June 7, 2006

You prolly are "hitting" at the ball instead of a steady smooth firm accelerating stroke. The longer the stroke , the firmer the grip/triangle .

Loosy goosy is a bad thing.

Bulldog · June 7, 2006

They have just finished punching the greens (two weeks ago), and they are rolling slower than usual. Our greens are generally fast, with a nice roll.

I putt with a YES!, but this is happening to me with Bulleyes, blades, Pings, Yes! & even a Scotty Newport II.

This may be a problem by the greens being slow, and I'm having to "hit" the ball instead of rolling it. BUT, I can still hop the ball some even putting on my carpet (Throw rug, short weave). I was just wondering what the cause could be, and I would try to eliminate it.

Bulldog...

longskate87 · June 7, 2006

Try messing with the loft/lie. I know for me, I bend the loft down to 0* because I play the ball forward in my stance and hit up on it slightly. Stock putters with 4* of loft get the ball up in the air, while 0* rolls it straight away. My putters include a YES! Tracy, AGSI Mezza, and a Gauge Japan Tera C/S.

taylormadefan · June 7, 2006

Try messing with the loft/lie. I know for me, I bend the loft down to 0* because I play the ball forward in my stance and hit up on it slightly. Stock putters with 4* of loft get the ball up in the air, while 0* rolls it straight away. My putters include a YES! Tracy, AGSI Mezza, and a Gauge Japan Tera C/S.

If you have a forward press on your stroke, the opposite may be true. With a forward press you deloft the putter face, so there's not enough loft. Often times this results in the golfer trying to add loft to the putter and hit "up" on the ball.

Adding loft to your putter may be a good thing as well.

A putter fitting is a good idea, find someone with a good eye who's got a good reputation as a fitter and see what they think about your stroke.

BTW, the Yes! and AGSI putters tend to be very low lofted 2.5* at most.

Placebo · June 7, 2006

If you have a forward press on your stroke, the opposite may be true. With a forward press you deloft the putter face

I actually started doing this intentionally about 3 months ago and the difference in the roll is amazing. I'm considering having an old putter de-lofted to see how it works.

Albatros · June 7, 2006

Have someone look at your putting stroke and ball position. I would guess it has something to do with those. Example: The last time I played with my dad(he uses a 2-Ball), he was really hand-sy with his stroke and was actually hitting down on the ball causing it to pop up off the ground and bounce, then roll. Once I got him swinging with his shoulders, he got a nice roll out of it.

Because it aint the putter! The Yes! putters put a great roll on the ball.

Bulldog · June 7, 2006

I will try a forward press....

Love my YES! Callie, overall, my putting is very good, except for an occasional "come up short" on a long putt because of the ball hopping. It may be a greens issue, as they are slower than usual, and I am hitting the ball instead of rolling it to the hole.

Bulldog...

taylormadefan · June 7, 2006

I will try a forward press....
Love my YES! Callie, overall, my putting is very good, except for an occasional "come up short" on a long putt because of the ball hopping. It may be a greens issue, as they are slower than usual, and I am hitting the ball instead of rolling it to the hole.
Bulldog...

Remember, if you try a forward press, you may need to add loft to your putter. However, a forward press is a good thing, because at impact, you want the putter shaft leaning slightly forward.

Putting is such an individual and subjective part of golf. Stan Utley's advises that golfers do "hit" the ball and actually hit down on it to lift it out of its depression and get it rolling immediately.