The mental aspect of putting??

[benden]

Good evening/morning,

 

As Arnold Palmer once said .... 'I would like to be able to knock in as many putts as as Billy (Casper) does, but even more than that, i would like to be able to act like he does when he's doing it - with an air of unconcern as to whether the putt drops or not.

 

 

Do you 'gain control by giving up control' or are you completely focused on line, stroke, weight, grain, etc, etc?????????

 

Your thoughts please.

[MadGolfer76]

I honestly don't think about it.

[Michael C.]

Benden, it may have something to do with personality.

 

Here's my experience. One day I set out to play a quick 9. I was by myself. No groups in front of me. When I would get to the green I wouldn't pull the pin. I looked my putt over as walked to my ball and just hit it quickly and moved on. By the 3rd or 4th hole I was amazed at how well I was lag putting. Even drained a couple in 20-25+ range by the end of the 9.

 

That's made me a believer in trusting my brain(subconscious) to do the calculations for me. It freed up my lag putting. I still look at break, line, uphill or downhill for speed but I try not to OVER think it. Visualize and go. Let the chips fall.

 

I wouldn't suggest it for everyone but that's my approach.

 

Good question.

 

 

[AlecEmersonGolf]

heres what i do. I read it (aimpoint express), get behind the ball and find my aimpoint, line up the ball, check that the line is where i want it to be. 3 practice strokes, then close my eyes and make a 4th stroke, visualizing the ball tracking the line i have chosen, and into the hole. then open my eyes, look at the hole, and putt.

[Hawkeye77]

heres what i do. I read it (aimpoint express), get behind the ball and find my aimpoint, line up the ball, check that the line is where i want it to be. 3 practice strokes, then close my eyes and make a 4th stroke, visualizing the ball tracking the line i have chosen, and into the hole. then open my eyes, look at the hole, and putt.

 

So if you join a twosome, it's a foursome?

[Forged4ever]

I honestly don't think about it.

Like Mad, I don't focus on any of that-

 

I visualize my stroke, the path and the ball either dropping into the hole or the man cover on lag putts-

 

I FEEL the stroke-

 

All that other stuff won't stand up over time or under pressure-

 

Stay Well Bro :)

 

Fairways & Greens My Friend,

RP

[Hawkeye77]

Same. Don't play to the level of Mad or Richard, but quit taking practice putting strokes years ago. Too much thinking or getting mechanical = bad for me.

[benden]

Benden, it may have something to do with personality.

 

Here's my experience. One day I set out to play a quick 9. I was by myself. No groups in front of me. When I would get to the green I wouldn't pull the pin. I looked my putt over as walked to my ball and just hit it quickly and moved on. By the 3rd or 4th hole I was amazed at how well I was lag putting. Even drained a couple in 20-25+ range by the end of the 9.

 

That's made me a believer in trusting my brain(subconscious) to do the calculations for me. It freed up my lag putting. I still look at break, line, uphill or downhill for speed but I try not to OVER think it. Visualize and go. Let the chips fall.

 

I wouldn't suggest it for everyone but that's my approach.

 

Good question.

 

Hey Michael,

 

Now the clocks have gone back an hour over here, weekday 9 holes after work are all systems go!

 

Yesterday, on an empty course, we had a speedy 9 that was for fun, nothing serious, no money, just for laughs.

 

Because of the lack of massive consequence putting became almost too easy.

 

Almost like the harder you 'try' the more likely you are to fail. The less you 'try' the easier it is.

 

Another thing that helped me was looking at the hole, not the putter head. It seemed to program me far better, when lag putting, like the weight was left to my subconscious, but it required an enormous amount of trust. BUT, on short putts it was touch and go if they'd fall as i felt that the head could wander if i wasn't really feeling it that day.

 

Don't get me started on putters, lol!

 

I've ditched a £120 putter for a piece of cast aluminium crap that cost me £1 down the rubbish dump. This thing has no milling, no 'loft', no face balancing, no insert, no fancy weighting, nothing but a 'face' on a stick with a hard rubber grip. 'Feel' with it is king. :taunt:

 

Regards.

[benden]

heres what i do. I read it (aimpoint express), get behind the ball and find my aimpoint, line up the ball, check that the line is where i want it to be. 3 practice strokes, then close my eyes and make a 4th stroke, visualizing the ball tracking the line i have chosen, and into the hole. then open my eyes, look at the hole, and putt.

 

Nice,

 

As a 1.8 what are your average putts per round?

[benden]

I honestly don't think about it.

Like Mad, I don't focus on any of that-

 

I visualize my stroke, the path and the ball either dropping into the hole or the man cover on lag putts-

 

I FEEL the stroke-

 

All that other stuff won't stand up over time or under pressure-

 

Stay Well Bro :)

 

Fairways & Greens My Friend,

RP

 

Richard,

 

Do you think, that when you reach that point when you've been playing golf for decades, and you 'trust your swing/stroke' that you now have the ability to automatically go through the putting process??

 

Like you've done it soooo many, many times that the alignment, stroke, read is on 'autopilot' and you can then just 'feel' ??

 

Regards.

[Millbrook]

Trust your subconscious and learn to occupy the conscious mind while you do it - Timothy Gallwey The Inner Game of Golf

[benden]

Trust your subconscious and learn to occupy the conscious mind while you do it - Timothy Gallwey The Inner Game of Golf

 

Yep, read this last year - an interesting book, no doubt. BUT, If i remember rightly the author was a tennis coach and a good tennis player who almost certainly has excellent hand to eye coordination and buckets of talent in racket sports. Quite how much, in his case, was mental, i'm not so sure. I saw a grey hair this morning and maybe i'm getting cynical, LOL!

 

Zen Golf - another good read, but be prepared to start re-reading it when you've finished it.

[Forged4ever]

Benden, it may have something to do with personality.

 

Here's my experience. One day I set out to play a quick 9. I was by myself. No groups in front of me. When I would get to the green I wouldn't pull the pin. I looked my putt over as walked to my ball and just hit it quickly and moved on. By the 3rd or 4th hole I was amazed at how well I was lag putting. Even drained a couple in 20-25+ range by the end of the 9.

 

That's made me a believer in trusting my brain(subconscious) to do the calculations for me. It freed up my lag putting. I still look at break, line, uphill or downhill for speed but I try not to OVER think it. Visualize and go. Let the chips fall.

 

I wouldn't suggest it for everyone but that's my approach.

 

Good question.

Almost like the harder you 'try' the more likely you are to fail. The less you 'try' the easier it is.

 

Another thing that helped me was looking at the hole, not the putter head. It seemed to program me far better, when lag putting, like the weight was left to my subconscious, but it required an enormous amount of trust. BUT, on short putts it was touch and go

 

Don't get me started on putters, lol!

 

I've ditched a £120 putter for a piece of cast aluminium crap that cost me £1 down the rubbish dump. This thing has no milling, no 'loft', no face balancing, no insert, no fancy weighting, nothing but a 'face' on a stick with a hard rubber grip. 'Feel' with it is king. :taunt:

 

Regards.

Hey Bro, morning :)

 

I'm heading in for a removal/reimplant of my radioactive seeds and was supposed to be in there @ 7:45-8ish and now I got pushed back to 11ish. It's always hurry, hurry hurry.....wait ;) . Putzes-

 

Regarding "trying" I would say absolutely to your comment. Whether it's overmechanizing your stroke(another form of paralysis by analysis) or simply letting fear, doubt and insecurity enter your mind, these thoughts will destroy a putting stroke or a swing.

 

One just has to first get control of their conscious mind, which dictates what their subconscious mind produces, and accept that it isn't about the stroke-

 

It's about making putts!!!!!!

 

I've had the prettiest stroke and didn't make s*** and had Pluses and Pros alike chirping "oh you're fine. Beautiful stroke. They'll start falling, just keep doing what you're doing and they'll start goin in"

 

It was bulls***!!!

 

They didn't just start going in, lol.

 

It's that doin what ya do, they was that you've always done it and expecting the results to be different this time~

 

Yea, good luck with that, LMAO

 

So I finally accepted what Pete(and his Bro, who while peeps say that he was a weak shot putter, I saw him make a lot of putts, IN HIS 70's, and ya don't win 88 Tour events being a "weak short putter) said about forgetting about my stroke and start concentrating on THE HOLE/TARGET!!!

 

Ya always hear all these yahoos runnin around chirpin "trust it, trust it," lmao

 

Trust This ;)

 

Seriously, you just get a rock solid PSR, and I'm talkin visualizing the strroke needed, and it's just a mental picture of the stroke, not thinkin all these bulls*** technical thoughts about head path, impact angle yada, yada, yada.

 

You just visualize you make the appropriate stroke for the putt needed.

 

Then you visualize the line that it's gonna take-

 

Then you visualize it either dropping in the hole or landing in your target area(man hole cover, picture frame, etc)

 

You can even practice this off the course, where I would whenever I had a few minutes.

 

What people don't realize is that visualization, PSR and the mental game takes as much time, and in most cases MORE TIME, than the physical game because most are much less accomplished with the mental.

 

It takes a hell of a lot more than just standing behind one's ball and "picturing" one's stroke, the ball tracking and falling in the hole, just as it take more than hitting a few nice 7i's on the practice tee to be able to replicate those shots on the course under whatever level if pressure one plays under.

 

I never ever have consciously thought about "trust it."

 

If you gotta say or think that, forget it, you ain't gonna trust s***!!!

 

Seriously, I know what someone's gonna say and no, it still doesn't make a damn bit of difference-

 

Just picture/visualize a successful stroke, putt and outcome and that "trust" bulls*** will take care if it's self-

 

Same with EVERY other swing/shot in the game.

 

Because when we "try," or place a measured, tangible result on something, anything, our whole body changes, physically AND mentally-

 

Our breathing gets shallower and irregular-

 

Our muscles tighten-

 

Our swing/stroke changes, often shortening because we want the moment to just be over with-

 

You've got to find a way to "embrace" the moment, forget about it and just make the damn putt, lol-

 

How do you do this????

 

PSR Bro :)

 

And yes, obviously doing it millions of times over the years, and just like with my physical game, ALL my mental game "practice" occurs off of the course, however I never ever just "go through the motions" or go on auto-pilot.

 

I concentrate on every single PSR on a course!!

 

Regarding looking at the hole(Instinct Putting, and yea, I've got and read the book 3 times, lol), yes, I use this in a practice routine whereby for 2:40-3:00 hours I will look at the hole for every single putt from lags to 1'ers.

 

We have a +3.2 former 2-Time Club Champ from Oakmont in the swat who has putted this way for every putt since the late 90's and he's wicked on the greens, especially on his longer putts though he's nasty on his short/mid-range also.

 

This is the putter that I've posted all over the board, lol

 

My BDay gift to myself for my 16th(1976) and it's been in the bag for probably 36-37 of the past 40 years-

 

I also had one that Sam gave me that was 20gr heavier that I used till I put it in my former caddie's coffin so I'm counting that one too in this number cuz both were retail putters, Sam just had his drilled and filled to add some HW-

 

In '12 I replaced my Scotty T Newport Beach with this baby the last 6 months and putted like a.....

 

Well, I sank some putts, lmao :)

 

Sorry so long but I'm medicated, stuck in this damn bed and bored outa my mind, hahaha

 

I wish you the very best Bro and just breathe, relax and start makin some putts :)

 

My Best,

Richard

[birly-shirly]

I honestly don't think about it.

Like Mad, I don't focus on any of that-

 

I visualize my stroke, the path and the ball either dropping into the hole or the man cover on lag putts-

 

I FEEL the stroke-

 

All that other stuff won't stand up over time or under pressure-

 

Stay Well Bro :)

 

Fairways & Greens My Friend,

RP

 

Richard,

 

Do you think, that when you reach that point when you've been playing golf for decades, and you 'trust your swing/stroke' that you now have the ability to automatically go through the putting process??

 

Like you've done it soooo many, many times that the alignment, stroke, read is on 'autopilot' and you can then just 'feel' ??

 

Regards.

 

Not Richard - but I can reliably inform you that after playing golf for 30 years I never reached the point where my putting stroke was so grooved and effective that I felt I could trust it. I was never a good putter. On the other hand, I've improved my putting considerably in the last couple of years and I feel that I've done it largely through NOT worrying about stroke mechanics but by paying a lot more attention to the line and pace I want to roll the ball at.

 

I know there's lots of talk about having "process goals" and letting outcomes take care of themselves. I've found putting to be an area where I feel a focus on outcome trumps the process. Admittedly, I'm not so outcome focussed that if the ball doesn't go in I won't still give myself a pat on the back if I make a reasonable read, and roll the ball with decent pace close to my intended line.

[Forged4ever]

I honestly don't think about it.

Like Mad, I don't focus on any of that-

 

I visualize my stroke, the path and the ball either dropping into the hole or the man cover on lag putts-

 

I FEEL the stroke-

 

All that other stuff won't stand up over time or under pressure-

 

Stay Well Bro :)

 

Fairways & Greens My Friend,

RP

 

Richard,

 

Do you think, that when you reach that point when you've been playing golf for decades, and you 'trust your swing/stroke' that you now have the ability to automatically go through the putting process??

 

Like you've done it soooo many, many times that the alignment, stroke, read is on 'autopilot' and you can then just 'feel' ??

 

Regards.

 

Not Richard - but I can reliably inform you that after playing golf for 30 years I never reached the point where my putting stroke was so grooved and effective that I felt I could trust it. I was never a good putter. On the other hand, I've improved my putting considerably in the last couple of years and I feel that I've done it largely through NOT worrying about stroke mechanics but by paying a lot more attention to the line and pace I want to roll the ball at.

 

I know there's lots of talk about having "process goals" and letting outcomes take care of themselves. I've found putting to be an area where I feel a focus on outcome trumps the process. Admittedly, I'm not so outcome focussed that if the ball doesn't go in I won't still give myself a pat on the back if I make a reasonable read, and roll the ball with decent pace close to my intended line.

ABSOLUTELY on outcome trumping process!!!!

 

HowTF you gonna make putts if ya don't think about makin it and the ball dropping in the hole or on target???

 

What, "trust it?"

 

Okey dokey, LMAO

 

I don't care what the latest psych-babble says, focus on the target and the hole-

 

Same with your swing-

 

I'm sure that there are some that focus on the process, but my thinking is, I don't give a s*** about the process-

 

I just wanna make the damn putt/shot!!!

 

If you're afraid, tentative or insecure about focusing on the target, grow a pair :)

 

Great post Bro!!!

 

Stay Well My Friend :)

 

My Best,

Richard

 

Edit: This was when I tagged along with Maddie at one of her "Kiddie Klinics" at Dick's a few months ago. I grabbed a Ping Anser off the rack, and for those not familiar with our Dick's, they don't carry the Premium Putter OEMs or the biggies' Top of the line like Ping's milled, etc.

 

 

This was from 9'10"(it was marked on mat) and don't ask me why cuz there was a couple of feet behind me to go the two inches to 10', lol.

 

Anyhoo, I'm blind in left eye, hence the patch and my left side, especially my arm/hand/fingers had little feeling and I have numbness/burning and tingling. When I removed my hand prior to third putt I got a "burner" and if I clench/unclench my fist it goes away.

 

Physically, I'm a wreck, however unmedicated, I still can visualize and see my stroke, my path & pace and the ball falling in the hole.

 

I realize it's on a mat, though I couldn't grip a putter with my left hand 5-6 months ago.

 

I'm a little tense about hitting the real greens as I'm hoping I can read greens right eyed, as I never thought about it before.

 

What sucks is that I'm tryin NOT to think about stuff however by doing that, I'm thinking about it, lmao

 

I used to be one confident MFer, regardless if whether you beat my a** or not-

 

Now, I'm doin too much thinkin-

 

Regarding my right eye, it's my dominant eye, however we'll see :)

 

I believe that I can until I learn otherwise.

 

Oh, and those were my first 3 putts of the day, and that first kid that ya see walking outa the rest rooms later got snagged tryin to lift Nike shirts, lmao.

 

Ava was like, "Daddy, why do people steal?"

 

Kid's ask the damnedest questions, lol

 

Have a nice day :)

 

RP

[Soloman1]

As one of the the worst putters in the world, I recommend heavy drinking (in moderation) prior to your round.

[Boricua Golf]

I don't take practice strokes either, I normally like to see the true roll on the ball, I align, see the line and take the stroke...

[Forged4ever]

I don't take practice strokes either, I normally like to see the true roll on the ball, I align, see the line and take the stroke...

Ditto, nor did I take practice swings, unless I was in the garbage, to gauge the resistance on the club through impact-

 

Fairways & Greens My Friend,

RP

[pmcuk]

 

I honestly don't think about it.

 

 

Exactly - how do you have a "mental aspect" if your brain is nice and empty and in the zone....?

[benden]

Benden, it may have something to do with personality.

 

Here's my experience. One day I set out to play a quick 9. I was by myself. No groups in front of me. When I would get to the green I wouldn't pull the pin. I looked my putt over as walked to my ball and just hit it quickly and moved on. By the 3rd or 4th hole I was amazed at how well I was lag putting. Even drained a couple in 20-25+ range by the end of the 9.

 

That's made me a believer in trusting my brain(subconscious) to do the calculations for me. It freed up my lag putting. I still look at break, line, uphill or downhill for speed but I try not to OVER think it. Visualize and go. Let the chips fall.

 

I wouldn't suggest it for everyone but that's my approach.

 

Good question.

Almost like the harder you 'try' the more likely you are to fail. The less you 'try' the easier it is.

 

Another thing that helped me was looking at the hole, not the putter head. It seemed to program me far better, when lag putting, like the weight was left to my subconscious, but it required an enormous amount of trust. BUT, on short putts it was touch and go

 

Don't get me started on putters, lol!

 

I've ditched a £120 putter for a piece of cast aluminium crap that cost me £1 down the rubbish dump. This thing has no milling, no 'loft', no face balancing, no insert, no fancy weighting, nothing but a 'face' on a stick with a hard rubber grip. 'Feel' with it is king. :taunt:

 

Regards.

Hey Bro, morning :)

 

I'm heading in for a removal/reimplant of my radioactive seeds and was supposed to be in there @ 7:45-8ish and now I got pushed back to 11ish. It's always hurry, hurry hurry.....wait ;) . Putzes-

 

Regarding "trying" I would say absolutely to your comment. Whether it's overmechanizing your stroke(another form of paralysis by analysis) or simply letting fear, doubt and insecurity enter your mind, these thoughts will destroy a putting stroke or a swing.

 

One just has to first get control of their conscious mind, which dictates what their subconscious mind produces, and accept that it isn't about the stroke-

 

It's about making putts!!!!!!

 

I've had the prettiest stroke and didn't make s*** and had Pluses and Pros alike chirping "oh you're fine. Beautiful stroke. They'll start falling, just keep doing what you're doing and they'll start goin in"

 

It was bulls***!!!

 

They didn't just start going in, lol.

 

It's that doin what ya do, they was that you've always done it and expecting the results to be different this time~

 

Yea, good luck with that, LMAO

 

So I finally accepted what Pete(and his Bro, who while peeps say that he was a weak shot putter, I saw him make a lot of putts, IN HIS 70's, and ya don't win 88 Tour events being a "weak short putter) said about forgetting about my stroke and start concentrating on THE HOLE/TARGET!!!

 

Ya always hear all these yahoos runnin around chirpin "trust it, trust it," lmao

 

Trust This ;)

 

Seriously, you just get a rock solid PSR, and I'm talkin visualizing the strroke needed, and it's just a mental picture of the stroke, not thinkin all these bulls*** technical thoughts about head path, impact angle yada, yada, yada.

 

You just visualize you make the appropriate stroke for the putt needed.

 

Then you visualize the line that it's gonna take-

 

Then you visualize it either dropping in the hole or landing in your target area(man hole cover, picture frame, etc)

 

You can even practice this off the course, where I would whenever I had a few minutes.

 

What people don't realize is that visualization, PSR and the mental game takes as much time, and in most cases MORE TIME, than the physical game because most are much less accomplished with the mental.

 

It takes a hell of a lot more than just standing behind one's ball and "picturing" one's stroke, the ball tracking and falling in the hole, just as it take more than hitting a few nice 7i's on the practice tee to be able to replicate those shots on the course under whatever level if pressure one plays under.

 

I never ever have consciously thought about "trust it."

 

If you gotta say or think that, forget it, you ain't gonna trust s***!!!

 

Seriously, I know what someone's gonna say and no, it still doesn't make a damn bit of difference-

 

Just picture/visualize a successful stroke, putt and outcome and that "trust" bulls*** will take care if it's self-

 

Same with EVERY other swing/shot in the game.

 

Because when we "try," or place a measured, tangible result on something, anything, our whole body changes, physically AND mentally-

 

Our breathing gets shallower and irregular-

 

Our muscles tighten-

 

Our swing/stroke changes, often shortening because we want the moment to just be over with-

 

You've got to find a way to "embrace" the moment, forget about it and just make the damn putt, lol-

 

How do you do this????

 

PSR Bro :)

 

And yes, obviously doing it millions of times over the years, and just like with my physical game, ALL my mental game "practice" occurs off of the course, however I never ever just "go through the motions" or go on auto-pilot.

 

I concentrate on every single PSR on a course!!

 

Regarding looking at the hole(Instinct Putting, and yea, I've got and read the book 3 times, lol), yes, I use this in a practice routine whereby for 2:40-3:00 hours I will look at the hole for every single putt from lags to 1'ers.

 

We have a +3.2 former 2-Time Club Champ from Oakmont in the swat who has putted this way for every putt since the late 90's and he's wicked on the greens, especially on his longer putts though he's nasty on his short/mid-range also.

 

This is the putter that I've posted all over the board, lol

 

My BDay gift to myself for my 16th(1976) and it's been in the bag for probably 36-37 of the past 40 years-

 

I also had one that Sam gave me that was 20gr heavier that I used till I put it in my former caddie's coffin so I'm counting that one too in this number cuz both were retail putters, Sam just had his drilled and filled to add some HW-

 

In '12 I replaced my Scotty T Newport Beach with this baby the last 6 months and putted like a.....

 

Well, I sank some putts, lmao :)

 

Sorry so long but I'm medicated, stuck in this damn bed and bored outa my mind, hahaha

 

I wish you the very best Bro and just breathe, relax and start makin some putts :)

 

My Best,

Richard

 

Richard,

 

Many thanks to you, the Gentleman of WRX, for a comprehensive reply.

 

As always, well written and amusing.

 

I'm sure, if i'd written so many swear words, they woulda banned my backside from here to Mars, LMAO! :taunt:

 

Regarding PSR and its importance.......

 

Was reading the 'GolfingBro' thread when Maddie asked Matt about his PSR. Found this very telling as it's something i was very interested in and became even more so, following a post from 'Pro' to 'Pro'.

 

Would be interesting for a poster's 'sig' to have a breakdown of their own PSR.

 

Or maybe i'm just a very boring individual, LOL!!!!! :taunt:

 

Regards.

[AlecEmersonGolf]

heres what i do. I read it (aimpoint express), get behind the ball and find my aimpoint, line up the ball, check that the line is where i want it to be. 3 practice strokes, then close my eyes and make a 4th stroke, visualizing the ball tracking the line i have chosen, and into the hole. then open my eyes, look at the hole, and putt.

 

Nice,

 

As a 1.8 what are your average putts per round?

Personally i think counting putts is a terrible way of measuring putting performance (i prefer to use strokes gained putting, or at least feet of putts holed), but the answer to your question is around 28

[Michael C.]

I don't take practice strokes either, I normally like to see the true roll on the ball, I align, see the line and take the stroke...

Ditto, nor did I take practice swings, unless I was in the garbage, to gauge the resistance on the club through impact-

 

Fairways & Greens My Friend,

RP

 

I don't really take practice strokes but I do swing the putter back and forth a few times to feel the weight of the putter before I step in to putt.

 

RP, it may be semantics but part of the reason you can go through your PSR, visualize your shot and pull the trigger is because you "trust" your routine and ability. That doesn't mean you actually say or think "trust it" on every shot. You just do. Being confident (there's that word again) over the ball is trust.

 

Hope your procedure went well, my friend.

MC

[Forged4ever]

Regarding PSR and its importance.......

 

 

Would be interesting for a poster's 'sig' to have a breakdown of their own PSR.

 

 

Yea, Maddie asked that and it's telling that I believe that it was like 6-7 pages into his thread and not one single member had asked the question-

 

Not one!!!!

 

You wanna talk about a foundational fundamental??

 

It's the PSR!!!

 

Not a single golfer EVER became a Player, Pro or Am, without a bullet proof PSR-

 

Sure, someone like Kevin Na has a breakdown in his and ya see how devastating that can be.

 

Madison said probably 95% of her Ams have either no or a very shaky PSR, swing and putting-

 

And people wonder why they suck, LMAO

 

For me. I pretty much described mine on the green-

 

I will walk ball to hole and back and then stand about 4-5' behind the ball and visualize myself stepping into address, looking at the hole once then stroking the putt and the ball rolling on the line that I had chosen and either tracking into the hole or inside the man hole cover.

 

I try to keep it as simple as possible because this is my cocoon that I withdraw into prior to my shots and it allows me to mute both the internal and external noise that can creep into one's mind and thoughts and can destroy their shot. Simplicity rules because just like a simple stroke and swing, one. There are less "parts" to break down under pressure and two, when necessary, it is much easier of "fix."

 

Obviously, I'm not a numbers guy. This guy asked me what my dynamic loft was and also my AoA and I thought he was screwin around and I laughed and he said "no, I'm serious," lol. He's like a 9-10 cap. He said he heard that I liked to putt for cash. I said yea, why not, lol. I told him that I had no clue about any of those numbers but I'd be glad to engage him for a Ben Franklin and I then took him for $100 with 6/10 from 10'(Tour Ave: 42%). He ran 3.

 

Typical Putz, haha.

 

When I am visualizing my stroke/swing, I am FEELING the stroke or the swing. This is where I determine the pace/speed-

 

I visualize myself from outside my body as it just allows me to better see and feel my stroke and swing.

 

My Bro, Maddie and Nathan Smith visualize from inside their bodies or basically standing over the ball.

 

It's whatever allows you to better SEE & FEEL the swing/stroke needed for the shot-

 

Well Bro, the very best to you :)

 

As Always~

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever My Friend,

Richard

[Smash Factors]

I think the most important things are finding a putter that looks good to you and then finding a grip style that allows you to swing confidently. After that, the rest of the putting stuff just falls into place with practice.

[Forged4ever]

I don't take practice strokes either, I normally like to see the true roll on the ball, I align, see the line and take the stroke...

Ditto, nor did I take practice swings, unless I was in the garbage, to gauge the resistance on the club through impact-

 

Fairways & Greens My Friend,

RP

 

I don't really take practice strokes but I do swing the putter back and forth a few times to feel the weight of the putter before I step in to putt.

 

RP, it may be semantics but part of the reason you can go through your PSR, visualize your shot and pull the trigger is because you "trust" your routine and ability. That doesn't mean you actually say or think "trust it" on every shot. You just do. Being confident (there's that word again) over the ball is trust.

 

Hope your procedure went well, my friend.

MC

I sort of do the same thing, as I stand behind ball and look at hole-

 

I'll grip and regrip the putter as I look at the hole, though I just keep the putter in front of me-

 

Also, I have not grounded my putter(or driver) since I was 15yo(1975).

 

I agree absolutely with confidence/trust however for me, my confidence comes from my belief in and my ability to make a putt, even more so than a swing.

 

Madison told me that I was being disingenuous by not revealing why I don't use the word "trust" or it's inclusion in the process or outcome-

 

I've said it before and I'm surprised that no one brought this up however I knew that I would hear about it last night, LMAO.

 

Those were Pete's words to me starting in 1977, approximately 3 years after we turned a corner of sorts as I got to Plus for the first time and it was almost as if when he said "Trust yourself RP, you're there. Trust yourself," that I had gotten the ultimate stamp of approval because he would never say that if he didn't believe that I had the swing/stroke to get the job done and if he trusted me, well, I was good to go cuz Pete didn't bulls*** or patronize. It was his mantra for me, whether it was for the Game, my future businesses, Madison or Life, and I know that I always chirp that I don't need affirmation or confirmation and that really isn't accurate or true because while the individuals that you or someone would guess that their opinions or affirmations would matter to me, well, they just didn't. There were six peeps in my life whose opinions mattered- My Grandmother, My Mother, My Grand Pap, My HS football position coach(LB), Pete and Madison.

 

That's it-

 

I pretty much burried "trust" and it's use with Pete on 04/11/2006.

 

There is only one individual who I can accept and even smile in the face of extreme tension and stress when they use it and it has the same exact same calming and soothing effect on me, and allows me to go to a place mentally that no matter how things turn out, I know that I'm ready, I'm good and I just gotta pull the trigger, and I'm not just talkin a putting stroke or swing cuz, hell, I haven't had one of those for marbles in over 3 years, haha

 

And you know who that individual is Bro :)

 

To me, the phrase has been trivialized by the fact that it's in every other swing and psycho babble book goin and you got teachers running around squawkin it and they have absolutely no idea about what the feeling or mental state is to "trust oneself" just as Sam and Pete felt that the vast vast majority of teachers who have never EFFECTIVELY swung a club under pressure cannot possibly understand the physical and mental changes, but especially physical changes that occur when we face a stressful shot/stroke(quickened pulse, shorter more irregular breathes and tighter muscle contractures) so how can they possible do anything but stand there and chirp "trust yourself" and "just breathe."

 

I just feel like most things today, the words and what they stand for have been cheapened-

 

It's me, I know this, haha :)

 

Take care Bro & have a great weekend!!

 

My Best,

Richard

[finleysg]

Twice last season I had well over 100' of putts made. First was at Pebble where I had a caddie reading every putt. His reads were all perfect. The second was at the end of the season during a 1-ball scramble. First putt was to learn the line/speed, second one kept going in.

 

When I get to doubting my mechanics or ability this year, I intend (hope) to remember those two rounds. When you trust the line and speed, you'll make a lot more putts. So I'm going to putt with a lot more confidence, even if I have to fake it!

[Dan Drake]

I recently changed my attitude/routine for putting and it has helped tremendously.

 

But, before I mention all that, I have to mention tracking your putts and using strokes gained to measure yourself. You probably will be surprised at the results. I know I was. I always considered myself a good short putter and a awful lag putter. I knew I was a good short putter because I was better than the guys in my usual group, they were higher handicappers, and I could get hot and make every putt inside of 8' in a round every now and again. I thought I was an awful lag putter because I saw the guys on TV on Sunday rolling 45' putts to 3", and I could barely get them to 3'.

 

Boy was I wrong. Not only am I a better lag putter than short putter, it ain't even close. I'm damn near a tour quality lag putter! My lag putt stats from 40' - 100' are really, really close to tour quality ('0.04 SG/putt)

 

Now, my 4'-15' putts, what I thought was a strength of my game. LOL. I lose almost a 1/3 of a stroke against the pros from this range. I simply don't make enough putts from there.

 

I say all that to make sure that you look at your putting empirically. Don't just assume that you are strong or weak in one area of putting. Know it, then go work on it.

 

All that said, I changed my whole routine for 2 reasons. 1. I often would forget the speed of a putt between the time I "calculated" it and hit the putt and 2. I can throw a wadded up piece of paper into a trash can from across the room better than anyone I know!

 

I'll start with the 2nd point first, as it seems a bit silly. But it's not. I have spatial awareness. Plenty of it. That's all putting is, to be honest. So if I can "feel" the different air resistances of different wadded up balls of paper and calculate exactly how much force to put into my arm to throw one of them across the room from 32.5', and then determine exactly how it is sitting in my hand and which fingers need to be at what tension to accomplish the correct transfer of energy to the ball of paper, then I'm quite certain that I can lag a 30' putt! (Holy run-on sentence, Batman!) This realization allowed me to make my routine shorter and much more instinctive.

 

The first point was a simple fix. The LAST thing I do now is say in my head what speed I want the ball to go in the hole. Slow, Medium, or Fast. These correlate with not only what the slope of the entire putt is, but also what the slope is around the hole. All other distance calculations and speed of the green calculations are left to my subconscious. If it is wrong every now and then, so be it. But at least I am not in doubt over the putt. There is literally nothing to doubt, as I've done no thinking about it! No pacing off the distance, no practice strokes, nothing.

 

So, without further ado (been enough of that from me already), here is my putting routine:

 

1. A.P.E. the putt

2. Stand behind the ball ON the starting line (not with the ball between my eyes and the hole, with the ball between my eyes and the starting line)

3. Get over the ball, aligning the face of the putter to my starting line with my right hand,

4. Take a nice long deep breath in, while looking at the hole

5. Put the left hand on the putter, while looking at the ball, breathing out, and mentally saying the speed I want the ball to go in the hole

6. Putt

 

I do the Aim Point Express reading of the putt while everyone else is putting/chipping/walking up to the green, etc. The whole routine takes me 20 sec. from the time it's my turn to putt until the ball is rolling. If I feel tense or pensive over the putt, a 2nd deep breath cures that and doesn't force me to start over. I do say the speed on the out-breath again, that's important.

 

That's my PSR for putting and I hope that I don't ever change it. I've been using it for 3 rounds and have made more long putts, left more long putts closer and have improved my short putting.

 

So, to answer the OP's question, I give up control of the putt, but I put all my effort into doing my PSR. Everything else will take care of itself.

 

Now I need to go work on those 10'-15' putts!

[Forged4ever]

I recently changed my attitude/routine for putting and it has helped tremendously.

 

But, before I mention all that, I have to mention tracking your putts and using strokes gained to measure yourself. You probably will be surprised at the results. I know I was. I always considered myself a good short putter and a awful lag putter. I knew I was a good short putter because I was better than the guys in my usual group, they were higher handicappers, and I could get hot and make every putt inside of 8' in a round every now and again. I thought I was an awful lag putter because I saw the guys on TV on Sunday rolling 45' putts to 3", and I could barely get them to 3'.

 

Boy was I wrong. Not only am I a better lag putter than short putter, it ain't even close. I'm damn near a tour quality lag putter! My lag putt stats from 40' - 100' are really, really close to tour quality ('0.04 SG/putt)

 

Now, my 4'-15' putts, what I thought was a strength of my game. LOL. I lose almost a 1/3 of a stroke against the pros from this range. I simply don't make enough putts from there.

 

I say all that to make sure that you look at your putting empirically. Don't just assume that you are strong or weak in one area of putting. Know it, then go work on it.

 

All that said, I changed my whole routine for 2 reasons. 1. I often would forget the speed of a putt between the time I "calculated" it and hit the putt and 2. I can throw a wadded up piece of paper into a trash can from across the room better than anyone I know!

 

I'll start with the 2nd point first, as it seems a bit silly. But it's not. I have spatial awareness. Plenty of it. That's all putting is, to be honest. So if I can "feel" the different air resistances of different wadded up balls of paper and calculate exactly how much force to put into my arm to throw one of them across the room from 32.5', and then determine exactly how it is sitting in my hand and which fingers need to be at what tension to accomplish the correct transfer of energy to the ball of paper, then I'm quite certain that I can lag a 30' putt! (Holy run-on sentence, Batman!) This realization allowed me to make my routine shorter and much more instinctive.

 

The first point was a simple fix. The LAST thing I do now is say in my head what speed I want the ball to go in the hole. Slow, Medium, or Fast. These correlate with not only what the slope of the entire putt is, but also what the slope is around the hole. All other distance calculations and speed of the green calculations are left to my subconscious. If it is wrong every now and then, so be it. But at least I am not in doubt over the putt. There is literally nothing to doubt, as I've done no thinking about it! No pacing off the distance, no practice strokes, nothing.

 

So, without further ado (been enough of that from me already), here is my putting routine:

 

1. A.P.E. the putt

2. Stand behind the ball ON the starting line (not with the ball between my eyes and the hole, with the ball between my eyes and the starting line)

3. Get over the ball, aligning the face of the putter to my starting line with my right hand,

4. Take a nice long deep breath in, while looking at the hole

5. Put the left hand on the putter, while looking at the ball, breathing out, and mentally saying the speed I want the ball to go in the hole

6. Putt

 

I do the Aim Point Express reading of the putt while everyone else is putting/chipping/walking up to the green, etc. The whole routine takes me 20 sec. from the time it's my turn to putt until the ball is rolling. If I feel tense or pensive over the putt, a 2nd deep breath cures that and doesn't force me to start over. I do say the speed on the out-breath again, that's important.

 

That's my PSR for putting and I hope that I don't ever change it. I've been using it for 3 rounds and have made more long putts, left more long putts closer and have improved my short putting.

 

So, to answer the OP's question, I give up control of the putt, but I put all my effort into doing my PSR. Everything else will take care of itself.

 

Now I need to go work on those 10'-15' putts!

Exceptional Post Bro!!!

 

That's so funny about the wadded up paper cuz Pete would wad up different sized pieces of paper and have me sit in a chair and toss the paper to cans at different distances-

 

I also walked into Pete's off a few times and Sam was doin the drill crept he'd just use different sized paper at the same basket~

 

Have a Great weekend :)

 

All the Best,

Richard

[Michael C.]

I don't take practice strokes either, I normally like to see the true roll on the ball, I align, see the line and take the stroke...

Ditto, nor did I take practice swings, unless I was in the garbage, to gauge the resistance on the club through impact-

 

Fairways & Greens My Friend,

RP

 

I don't really take practice strokes but I do swing the putter back and forth a few times to feel the weight of the putter before I step in to putt.

 

RP, it may be semantics but part of the reason you can go through your PSR, visualize your shot and pull the trigger is because you "trust" your routine and ability. That doesn't mean you actually say or think "trust it" on every shot. You just do. Being confident (there's that word again) over the ball is trust.

 

Hope your procedure went well, my friend.

MC

I sort of do the same thing, as I stand behind ball and look at hole-

 

I'll grip and regrip the putter as I look at the hole, though I just keep the putter in front of me-

 

Also, I have not grounded my putter(or driver) since I was 15yo(1975).

 

I agree absolutely with confidence/trust however for me, my confidence comes from my belief in and my ability to make a putt, even more so than a swing.

 

Madison told me that I was being disingenuous by not revealing why I don't use the word "trust" or it's inclusion in the process or outcome-

 

I've said it before and I'm surprised that no one brought this up however I knew that I would hear about it last night, LMAO.

 

Those were Pete's words to me starting in 1977, approximately 3 years after we turned a corner of sorts as I got to Plus for the first time and it was almost as if when he said "Trust yourself RP, you're there. Trust yourself," that I had gotten the ultimate stamp of approval because he would never say that if he didn't believe that I had the swing/stroke to get the job done and if he trusted me, well, I was good to go cuz Pete didn't bulls*** or patronize. It was his mantra for me, whether it was for the Game, my future businesses, Madison or Life, and I know that I always chirp that I don't need affirmation or confirmation and that really isn't accurate or true because while the individuals that you or someone would guess that their opinions or affirmations would matter to me, well, they just didn't. There were six peeps in my life whose opinions mattered- My Grandmother, My Mother, My Grand Pap, My HS football position coach(LB), Pete and Madison.

 

That's it-

 

I pretty much burried "trust" and it's use with Pete on 04/11/2006.

 

There is only one individual who I can accept and even smile in the face of extreme tension and stress when they use it and it has the same exact same calming and soothing effect on me, and allows me to go to a place mentally that no matter how things turn out, I know that I'm ready, I'm good and I just gotta pull the trigger, and I'm not just talkin a putting stroke or swing cuz, hell, I haven't had one of those for marbles in over 3 years, haha

 

And you know who that individual is Bro :)

 

To me, the phrase has been trivialized by the fact that it's in every other swing and psycho babble book goin and you got teachers running around squawkin it and they have absolutely no idea about what the feeling or mental state is to "trust oneself" just as Sam and Pete felt that the vast vast majority of teachers who have never EFFECTIVELY swung a club under pressure cannot possibly understand the physical and mental changes, but especially physical changes that occur when we face a stressful shot/stroke(quickened pulse, shorter more irregular breathes and tighter muscle contractures) so how can they possible do anything but stand there and chirp "trust yourself" and "just breathe."

 

I just feel like most things today, the words and what they stand for have been cheapened-

 

It's me, I know this, haha :)

 

Take care Bro & have a great weekend!!

 

My Best,

Richard

 

I agree that some words and sayings have been cheapened.

 

I'm glad you explained your deal with the word trust. After I posted my first thought was "Oh crap!!! Did I just tell RP what he was thinking!!!"

 

LMAO! :D

 

Glad you took in the context it was meant.

 

Hi Maddie! Hope you're both well,

MC

[benden]

Well, it's Friday, it's late afternoon and works finished. So what do we do?

 

I suppose it's got to be the Blessed putting green!!! :taunt: