What are YOU doing to improve your putting?

[glensmithis]

I have done the SAM evaluation and nothing was 'in your face' wrong. The putter I was using was fitted by an excellent Edel fitter in the Chicago area (Matt Jones) was correct for my swing, my impact was spot on, rotation was minimal, loft and lie specs were good, etc. Hell, I even made quite a few putts during the session.

[danattherock]

I would carefully evaluate the relationship of your eyes over the ball, and ball position front to back. With all you said above, it would seem plausible that your not aiming where you think you are. It's a very common error, and eye and ball position are two of several variables. Sounds like you've been down quite a rabbit hole. Read Geoff Mangums E-book, "Optimum Putting". Not your cookie cutter putting book. Also, his Tips section on his website has tons of great articles, Puttingzone as I recall is his site. He is regarded as quite the putting guru.

 

 

Dan

[glensmithis]

Note taken. However, I am pretty confident that my aim was corrected with the Edel fitting. I was aiming all over the place with my other putters.

[Stephen1125]

I practice a lot at home. 4-8 footers with an alignment mirror. Getting a consistent stroke is the biggest thing for me. You've got to start the ball on line.

I also play putting games. Golf digest has put out a few issues with some you can try. It really takes your mind off of it being practice and makes it more fun.

[danattherock]

I ordered a UST frequency shaft for this SC TEI3 I had restored by Torrey Rat (website), Dawn Patrol here.

 

Got this UST frequency filter shaft in an older Rife Antigua. Distance control is unreal. $29 on Golf Works, or EBay. Same folks.

 

Will sport a Pingman blackout. Going to be the bees knees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tannyhoban]

Methodically buying and eliminating every brand and configuration of putter in creation.

[danattherock]

Hah. Been there myself. It's fun.

 

Found my place with older Scotty TEI3's and Yamada putters with burning copper finish.

 

 

 

Dan

[danattherock]

Enjoy the shopping. But BE SURE to get a SAM putterlab done.

[CPHoya]

I go in and out of playing a lot of golf, and I'm currently in one of my "all in" golf phases. Thus, I've been stopping by the putting green on the way to work each morning. I make myself make 25 10 footers and 10 20 footers, then I have to go 10 for 10 from 5 feet. Then I leave. It's great.

 

But in terms of technique and equipment, I got one of those SkyPro swing analyzer things that you affix to the shaft of your club to track your path. Cool gizmo for full swing stuff, but pertinent here is that it also tracks your putting stroke.

 

I was alarmed by a few things. First, I learned years ago that my most consistent putting stroke makes a slightly upward strike of the ball. Thus, I do not forward press - that's like, the dead opposite of what I think I need to do with my stroke. I was alarmed to find that my 4° Ping Redwood Anser actually has a dynamic loft at impact of like 7° or something close, which is basically quite bad. I have a slight arc to my stroke and - for better or worse - that's not changing. I've always gravitated to blades because of the sensation of "path correction" that I get with other types of putters. I feel like I'm fighting them.

 

With this new information I decided to visit my local club guy for a SAM analysis. Basically, it was: too much loft at impact, slightly backward shaft lean at impact, but very consistent stroke and impact. The Redwood Anser has about a 4-5 o'clock toe hang and we quickly realized that was about perfect given my slight arc. We hit a few different putters and it was the same story with all of them, which was predictable but drilled into my head that searching for "the one" was going to be pointless.

 

The solution: just bend my putter a little to reduce the loft to 0.5° and the lie to ~ 68° and voila, better rolls.

 

I will say this: my speed control is muchhhh better. Also, as an aside, I've hit basically all the putters and I like this old Redwood Anser from a decade ago more than anything else. Personal tastes.

 

CLIFFS: Hit lots of putts, every day, and make a lot of them. Make yourself see it go in. Hone a consistent putting stroke, then adapt your equipment to what your body does best. That probably means bend your putter a little. Utley would approve.

[hot_corner]

Lag putting is a big problem for me so lately I've been doing the drill where you lag a putt up to the fringe of the green without trying to putt onto the fringe. Do this from various distances and I'm already starting to see improvement.

[Mitchoh80]

I've made a putting platform with a gutter 100mm behind the hole that feeds into a channel that runs back down to the putting end. Holed putts and putts just long come straight back to you. Don't like going to fetch the ball? Don't leave it short. I spend an hour a day on it and go to the practice green once a week. Spend 20 mins on 3 footers round the world. 20 mins lagging from 20/30ft and 20 min playing the holes as a course trying not to 3 putt. I keep score on all three drills to keep track of any improvement.

[Mitchoh80]

im no Jordan Speith but the swing thought ( if there is such a thing in putting ) is to focus on a single dimple where the putter will struck the ball. Keep your head down and still and set up 90* to your starting line.

[Mitchoh80]

It all comes down to practice really. A lot of people find putting practice a tedious exercise but if you're 100% committed to improving then you'll do it with a smile on your face.

[Matt J]

My next lesson will be with a putter and a SAM lab.

[danattherock]

SAM putterlab eval was absolutely eye opening for me. Great idea.

 

 

 

Lag putting is a big problem for me so lately I've been doing the drill where you lag a putt up to the fringe of the green without trying to putt onto the fringe. Do this from various distances and I'm already starting to see improvement.

 

Best thing that helped my lag putting was reading and practicing from Instinct Putting, by Eric alpenfels, director of golf at Pinehurst. Basically, just looking at hole, rather than ball, while putting. A very old technique I found. Simple book, but stunning results. Lots of old reviews here, one by myself. Worth looking into if you want to improve your distance putting.

 

 

 

 

Dan

[JBake]

In the last couple years I've really turned putting from a weakness to a strength. My largest focus is on setup, parallel shoulders, feet, knees, hips etc. Really worked on getting putter aligned. Face aim is something like 86% of putting from what I've read. Then I just keep my elbows to my body with a super soft grip, I overlap 3 fingers to get almost a single grip on the putter so I can maintain level shoulders. Using a putter that doesn't have a line on it has helped me dramatically as well, the line makes me aim left. Without the line I focus on the face much more and don't look at it during the stroke. Most of my work is done behind the ball, practice strokes perpindicular to line, none next to the ball. I use three parallel lines on the ball that I line up and just try to align parallel to those then trust my stroke.

 

I've taught my method to other people including my club pro to "fix" his putting along with some of the NCAA guys at our course. They love the simplicity.

 

Listen to Bob Rotella's putting out of your mind, great mindset for putting.

[MeikoKaji]

I go in and out of playing a lot of golf, and I'm currently in one of my "all in" golf phases. Thus, I've been stopping by the putting green on the way to work each morning. I make myself make 25 10 footers and 10 20 footers, then I have to go 10 for 10 from 5 feet. Then I leave. It's great.

 

But in terms of technique and equipment, I got one of those SkyPro swing analyzer things that you affix to the shaft of your club to track your path. Cool gizmo for full swing stuff, but pertinent here is that it also tracks your putting stroke.

 

I was alarmed by a few things. First, I learned years ago that my most consistent putting stroke makes a slightly upward strike of the ball. Thus, I do not forward press - that's like, the dead opposite of what I think I need to do with my stroke. I was alarmed to find that my 4° Ping Redwood Anser actually has a dynamic loft at impact of like 7° or something close, which is basically quite bad. I have a slight arc to my stroke and - for better or worse - that's not changing. I've always gravitated to blades because of the sensation of "path correction" that I get with other types of putters. I feel like I'm fighting them.

 

With this new information I decided to visit my local club guy for a SAM analysis. Basically, it was: too much loft at impact, slightly backward shaft lean at impact, but very consistent stroke and impact. The Redwood Anser has about a 4-5 o'clock toe hang and we quickly realized that was about perfect given my slight arc. We hit a few different putters and it was the same story with all of them, which was predictable but drilled into my head that searching for "the one" was going to be pointless.

 

The solution: just bend my putter a little to reduce the loft to 0.5° and the lie to ~ 68° and voila, better rolls.

 

I will say this: my speed control is muchhhh better. Also, as an aside, I've hit basically all the putters and I like this old Redwood Anser from a decade ago more than anything else. Personal tastes.

 

CLIFFS: Hit lots of putts, every day, and make a lot of them. Make yourself see it go in. Hone a consistent putting stroke, then adapt your equipment to what your body does best. That probably means bend your putter a little. Utley would approve.

i did what you did with the SkyPro. my conclusion was to get a SeeMore PTM1, 1 degree loft, 68 degree lie and it's taken all concern about hitting my lines out of consideration. focusing just on speed and target is great.

[icecat88]

Indoot putting mat in my den