Obee's Putting Improvement Thread

[mhudson111]

6 hours ago, milesgiles said:

 

just bumping to announce I managed 54% from 8 feet in practise the other day (50 from 92, setup in a ring)

 

if you get the chance Obee, or anyone else, Im curious what you could do, like I say I think Im 'quite good' but I do, for example, play with a current senior pro who I would have to say is 'much better' lol..

While 54% shows some consistently, pros average 49% in tournament play from 8 ft. , really on single putts never repeated.   So they do better in a single tournament putt than your drill of basically hitting the same putt over and over again.  So I think you probably still have some room to improve.  Keep at it! 👍

[milesgiles]

2 hours ago, mhudson111 said:

While 54% shows some consistently, pros average 49% in tournament play from 8 ft. , really on single putts never repeated.   So they do better in a single tournament putt than your drill of basically hitting the same putt over and over again.  So I think you probably still have some room to improve.  Keep at it! 👍

 

Its a test of stroke rather than reading, which I don’t struggle with, so I’m under no illusion theyd do much better than that. But it only takes 15-20 mins without rushing, which we could all do every time we practice, and probably should..

[Obee]

10 hours ago, mhudson111 said:

While 54% shows some consistently, pros average 49% in tournament play from 8 ft. , really on single putts never repeated.   So they do better in a single tournament putt than your drill of basically hitting the same putt over and over again.  So I think you probably still have some room to improve.  Keep at it! 👍

 

Regularity of surface matters quite a bit. Want to make sure I do this just after greens are rolled. 🙂

[ThinkingPlus]

1 hour ago, Obee said:

 

Regularity of surface matters quite a bit. Want to make sure I do this just after greens are rolled. 🙂

Hard to make a high percentage on bumpy greens no matter how good your stroke is.

[milesgiles]

23 hours ago, Obee said:

 

Regularity of surface matters quite a bit. Want to make sure I do this just after greens are rolled. 🙂

 

sad to report much lower %age today.. I suspect what really, really makes a difference is whether the hole is slightly crowned or slightly sunken..

[GungHoGolf]

For those of you who always use the line on your ball while playing:

 

Do you also use the line while practicing? 

 

Personally, using the line while practicing just feels too slow to me, and if I try to speed it up, I worry that the line isn’t correct. 

 

So I end up practicing without the line (use an intermediate spot 1-2 ft in front of the ball instead), and then find I do better in rounds using the same method I practice with. 

[ThinkingPlus]

11 minutes ago, GungHoGolf said:

For those of you who always use the line on your ball while playing:

 

Do you also use the line while practicing? 

 

Personally, using the line while practicing just feels too slow to me, and if I try to speed it up, I worry that the line isn’t correct. 

 

So I end up practicing without the line (use an intermediate spot 1-2 ft in front of the ball instead), and then find I do better in rounds using the same method I practice with. 

It depends.  I use the line practicing when I am working on stroke.  Most of the time spent on practice greens is pre-round so I am working on speed and don't have alot of time so no line.  If it was important to make the putts while practicing, I would always use the line.

[Patnachts]

I've always been a big proponent of practice like you play. If you are planning on using the line during play it is probably best to use it during practice.

[nitram]

It depends on why you're using the line. If it's for stroke confirmation, it's ok to use it intermittently. If it's for aim purposes, you need to practice how you're going to play.

[Obee]

2 hours ago, GungHoGolf said:

For those of you who always use the line on your ball while playing:

 

Do you also use the line while practicing? 

 

Personally, using the line while practicing just feels too slow to me, and if I try to speed it up, I worry that the line isn’t correct. 

 

So I end up practicing without the line (use an intermediate spot 1-2 ft in front of the ball instead), and then find I do better in rounds using the same method I practice with. 

I use the line when practicing about half the time. I try to make sure that my alignment is good without the line so I start by hitting a few putts with no line. I then switch back-and-forth a bit. I try to always finish my pre-round putting practice with three footers using the line.

[Precis1on]

On 3/10/2022 at 1:23 PM, J295 said:

Advanced apologies if I missed this up thread… But Obee can you and others comment on the value of putter fitting/Sam lab?   Thanks 

 

I've done a SAM every time I've been in Club Champion as part of my fitting. I don't necessarily know if it's a high value handicap dropper. However, it does optimize the launch conditions of your putter and should increase your consistency with strikes and rollout. 

 

I think it's worth doing at least one, once you've nailed down exactly what you're doing with your stroke. Then any putter you use from that point can simply be bent to that spec. 

[Nels55]

5 hours ago, Patnachts said:

I've always been a big proponent of practice like you play. If you are planning on using the line during play it is probably best to use it during practice.

Makes perfect sense!  Except in my case where I seem to do better when I change something.  So I practice without the line and then use when I play.  The  line looks good to me that way.  Probably not a good idea for most folks I suppose...

[D0ch0l1d4y]

Wanted to update here. Played my first actual tournament of the year using the claw grip exclusively.

 

The tournament itself went...poorly. Putting was the only highlight - fortunately this particular thread is about putting 😄

 

Swope Park in Kansas City. They've let Poa take over the last couple years. Historically - I hate poa.

 

Just covering putting - started on 14.

 

#14 - 20' for par - just miss low side. Tap in bogey.

#15 - 35' for par (theme here) - putt broke uphill but good speed - made the 11' for 5

#16 - 12' for birdie - poa'd - tap in par

#17 - 45' for par. Terrible read but good speed again. - made the 8' for 6

#18 - 12' for par. Lip out.

#1 - 12' for par. Made it.

#2 - 18' for birdie from fringe. Pops up and is 4' above the hole. Make par putt

#3 - 15' for birdie straight downhill. Make the 5' comebacker

#4 - 12' for par - left it short, right in the heart.

#5 - 60' uphill for birdie - I've really struggled with the claw making solid contact on long putts. Always a heel miss. Caught this one solid and ran it 6' by. Made par.

#6 - 6' downhill, sidehill for par - made.

#7 - 14' straight uphill for par - made

#8 - 11' for par - left short, tap in.

#9 - 20' down 2 tiers for bogey. make the 4' leftover

#10 - 20' uphill for birdie - bad read, good speed. Par

#11 - 30' uphill, sidehill for birdie. 2' tap in par.

#12 - 30' from fringe down steep tier. Made 8' par putt

#13 - I'd given up at this point. 2 putt from 14'.

 

31 putts on greens that I just don't get along with or read well - I'm taking that as the silver lining of an otherwise disaster of a round.

 

Onward and upward.

[MelloYello]

On 4/20/2022 at 1:01 PM, Obee said:

I use the line when practicing about half the time. I try to make sure that my alignment is good without the line so I start by hitting a few putts with no line. I then switch back-and-forth a bit. I try to always finish my pre-round putting practice with three footers using the line.

 

I tried the line-on-the-ball drill you advocate and I like it but I ran into two issues.

 

(1) It's a pain in the butt to practice with having to bend over and line up a ball every single time you want to roll a putt and (2) it's almost impossible to line up the ball precisely at any significant distance meaning you have to set it up, take your stance, step away, re-align, etc.

 

Long story short, I've found that the Dave Pelz Putting Tutor (gate) accomplishes the same thing as your line does. If you can start the ball on the tightest gate setting, it's effectively the same as inducing a true end-over-end roll wherein the face/path were matched at impact. 

 

Using the Putting Tutor offers many advantages:

 

(1) You don't have to draw lines on golf balls

(2) you don't have to carefully set each one up as you putt

(3) you can remain standing as you practice

(4) you can practice much faster.

 

I highly recommend the device.

[MelloYello]

I'm currently averaging 32 putts per round with 61% GIR, which is roughly about 11/18. I feel my putting is much improved over what it was a year ago when I was probably averaging 35 or more putts per round. My tap-in game is better and my lag putting is not nearly as bad. Here are a few things I've been noticing and/or doing as I go: 

 

#1 - Pace off your distances

 

You wouldn't think to play golf without a GPS or Laser Rangefinder to tell you how far you are from the target. You need the same info when putting. Eyeballing your putts is not sufficient and you will incur a penalty if you are too lazy to pace off putts. 

 

You should pace off each putt to determine with certainty how long it is. I'm routinely shocked at how inaccurate my visual estimates are. Sometimes 20-ft looks like 35-ft or vice versa. Sometimes 20-ft looks like 12-ft. Pacing off the actual distances gives you a much better sense of what you're actually doing and provides real feedback. 

 

As soon as I started doing this my lag putting became infinitely better. I can't stress enough how big a deal this is.  

 

#2 - Certain length putts are more common

 

You're not going to run into all sorts of putts with equal frequency. The vast majority of my 1st putts come from 18-24 feet away because the majority of my approach shots are from 75-125 yards out. This means I routinely end up about 8-yds from the target. It also seems that the majority of my misses end up ~35-40 feet away.

 

Noticing these common lengths allows me to practice these distances a little more. 

[bortass]

On 5/18/2022 at 10:34 AM, MelloYello said:

I'm currently averaging 32 putts per round with 61% GIR, which is roughly about 11/18. I feel my putting is much improved over what it was a year ago when I was probably averaging 35 or more putts per round. My tap-in game is better and my lag putting is not nearly as bad. Here are a few things I've been noticing and/or doing as I go: 

 

#1 - Pace off your distances

 

You wouldn't think to play golf without a GPS or Laser Rangefinder to tell you how far you are from the target. You need the same info when putting. Eyeballing your putts is not sufficient and you will incur a penalty if you are too lazy to pace off putts. 

 

You should pace off each putt to determine with certainty how long it is. I'm routinely shocked at how inaccurate my visual estimates are. Sometimes 20-ft looks like 35-ft or vice versa. Sometimes 20-ft looks like 12-ft. Pacing off the actual distances gives you a much better sense of what you're actually doing and provides real feedback. 

 

As soon as I started doing this my lag putting became infinitely better. I can't stress enough how big a deal this is.  

 

#2 - Certain length putts are more common

 

You're not going to run into all sorts of putts with equal frequency. The vast majority of my 1st putts come from 18-24 feet away because the majority of my approach shots are from 75-125 yards out. This means I routinely end up about 8-yds from the target. It also seems that the majority of my misses end up ~35-40 feet away.

 

Noticing these common lengths allows me to practice these distances a little more. 

Regarding #1- I agree completely. This doesn't need to be precise either, you just need to measure the same way each time. This is a horseshoes and hand grenades scenario, close is good enough. My opinion is as long as you measure the same way each time the feedback will be valuable over time. Maybe my 5 pace, 15 feet is really 13 feet. Doesn't matter, I have called that 15 feet for years and I assume that my brain has made a correlation between what I think 15 feet is and a speed that then gets adjusted based on conditions of the putt. This is just my belief and seems to work decently for how I putt but as always YMMV.

[HoosierHacker89]

6-8 months into this thing: I’m really liking the line and reading putts at a much better rate. I’m still good  for 1-2 horrible putt per round, but this is much better than 5-10 horrible putts. Real progress is being made in my game! 

Edited June 8, 2022 by HoosierHacker89

[D0ch0l1d4y]

This tournament update was some just overall poor play, but decent putting. I'm wavering on whether the claw is where I need to be. Missed some short ones but also made some medium length ones...the worrisome part is I don't feel as comfortable over the ball anymore. May change grips on the putter and give it another go (2-day tournament this weekend).

 

This was the Missouri Am qualifier at Twin Oaks in Springfield, MO.  Greens, for the most part, were in awful shape, but they were mowed. Bermuda isn't out of dormancy yet, and they had about 4" of rain in 3 hours.

 

#1 - 2 putt from 15'

#2 - 3 putt from 15'

#3 - 2 putt from 40'

#4 - 2 putt from 20'

#5 - 2 putt from 10'

#6 - 2 putt from 30'

#7 - 2 putt from 15'

#8 - 2 putt from 60'

#9 - 1 putt from 25'

#10 - 2 putt from 65'

#11 - 2 putt from 15' (green condition played 100% role in the miss)

#12 - 2 putt from 12'

#13 - 2 putt from 75'

#14 - 2 putt from 20'

#15 - 2 putt from 12'

#16 - 3 putt from 30'

#17 - 1 putt from 18'

#18 - 1 putt from 4'

 

 

[dmecca2]

One thing I've been struggling with recently has been green reading. Nothing has been consistent as far as missing low or high, left or right. I can count at least 1 or 2 times a round where I play a putt to break half a cup one direction, and it moves half a cup the other direction. I've tried aimpoint but I cant feel it in my feet well enough for it to work. I've done (and still occasionally do) plumb bobbing and I like it, but have my doubts as to the accuracy of it on fast greens. I've tried reading putts backwards, trying to find the low points, etc. but nothing seems to help.

 

Are there any techniques I should look for or things I should do to that people have found helpful? I'm a plus handicap golfer and there are times where I putt great and I get reads right, but it just seems like this is killing my game and I'm not where I need to be in this department.

 

It also should be noted that my speed has been perfect recently. Definitely no issues on that front.

[GungHoGolf]

3 hours ago, dmecca2 said:

One thing I've been struggling with recently has been green reading. Nothing has been consistent as far as missing low or high, left or right. I can count at least 1 or 2 times a round where I play a putt to break half a cup one direction, and it moves half a cup the other direction. I've tried aimpoint but I cant feel it in my feet well enough for it to work. I've done (and still occasionally do) plumb bobbing and I like it, but have my doubts as to the accuracy of it on fast greens. I've tried reading putts backwards, trying to find the low points, etc. but nothing seems to help.

 

Are there any techniques I should look for or things I should do to that people have found helpful? I'm a plus handicap golfer and there are times where I putt great and I get reads right, but it just seems like this is killing my game and I'm not where I need to be in this department.

 

It also should be noted that my speed has been perfect recently. Definitely no issues on that front.

 

How much foot calibration have you done with Aimpoint Express? I've taught it to many friends, and it's super rare that they cannot feel a 1 to 5% slope with their feet - and most can detect 0.5% intervals. Get this digital level or the Clinometer app for your phone to measure the % slope (NOT DEGREES!) for your phone and give it a solid hour on a practice green before you give up on it. Once you "get" it and learn to feel which foot is higher/lower, then give it a number from 1 (barely noticeable) to 5 (extreme slope), you will NEVER get fooled on the direction of a half-cup break (only the magnitude of it). And it takes only a couple minutes to calibrate your elbow bend for the speed of the greens pre-round.

 

If you simply cannot detect 0,1,2,3,4, and 5% slope with your feet in the standard AE orientation (stradling or to the side of the line, facing the target), try it facing the line (like you putt) - some feel it better at that 90 degree different angle, especially if you compare it from both sides of the line.

[getitdaily]

I may be on the verge of really putting well. A little history...

 

I putt really, really well from 10' and in. I've been using high moi mallets for a while now and they're super solid inside 10'. However, I struggle, mightily outside about 25 feet. I leave putts short 95% of the time and often short enough that I have a knee knocker left for par. 

 

My stroke has been out to in for a really long time. Because I'm out to in, the high moi mallet is perfect because the toe-heavy design causes the face to stay open. My miss is almost always a pull.

 

From distance, that out to in path causes me to be steep and I pound the ball into the ground. So I set out to resolve my path issue this winter. I drew a sharpie "chalk line" on my birdie ball matt in November and went about getting my stroke in to out or in to square. 

 

My putting has been terrible since I started that journey to change my stroke. 16, 17, even 18 putts per 9 often. I hit a lot of greens, but it's so frustrating to hit it so well and miss just about everything. I ventured into a spider ex and thought the groove tech would help with long putts. It did, but the what really started to show was that my stroke was good. My path had changed. My putter didn't match what I needed for my stroke type.  My high moi mallets all had less than 10* toe hang. 

 

So I bought a new putter (2 actually). A wide blade - hydroblast delmonte 1 (29* toe hang) and a mid mallet - spider gt notchback (30* toe hang). I got both putters out on the course today. 

 

Notchback on front 9 - 13 putts (a no putt and a 3 putt due to a terrible read).

 

Del monte 1 on back 9 - 15 putts. Based on putts missed with the del monte, I bet I could have gone 26 putts total today had I used the notchback for all 18. 

 

So I put forth effort to make my stroke better and then matched up putter type. If today was an indication of my work paying off then I'm going to enjoy the 2nd half of tournament play this year. 

[dmecca2]

14 hours ago, GungHoGolf said:

 

How much foot calibration have you done with Aimpoint Express? I've taught it to many friends, and it's super rare that they cannot feel a 1 to 5% slope with their feet - and most can detect 0.5% intervals. Get this digital level or the Clinometer app for your phone to measure the % slope (NOT DEGREES!) for your phone and give it a solid hour on a practice green before you give up on it. Once you "get" it and learn to feel which foot is higher/lower, then give it a number from 1 (barely noticeable) to 5 (extreme slope), you will NEVER get fooled on the direction of a half-cup break (only the magnitude of it). And it takes only a couple minutes to calibrate your elbow bend for the speed of the greens pre-round.

 

If you simply cannot detect 0,1,2,3,4, and 5% slope with your feet in the standard AE orientation (stradling or to the side of the line, facing the target), try it facing the line (like you putt) - some feel it better at that 90 degree different angle, especially if you compare it from both sides of the line.

I've used it in the past and have had a little success with it. I bought a level for it and own their dvd, but if there is any wind I cant feel anything, and if it's less than 2 percent I struggle. Maybe I need to sit on a green and try this method again, but I feel like there are a ton of 10-15 foot putts that break a lot to start and then straighten out at the hole.

[Obee]

18 hours ago, dmecca2 said:

One thing I've been struggling with recently has been green reading. Nothing has been consistent as far as missing low or high, left or right. I can count at least 1 or 2 times a round where I play a putt to break half a cup one direction, and it moves half a cup the other direction. I've tried aimpoint but I cant feel it in my feet well enough for it to work. I've done (and still occasionally do) plumb bobbing and I like it, but have my doubts as to the accuracy of it on fast greens. I've tried reading putts backwards, trying to find the low points, etc. but nothing seems to help.

 

Are there any techniques I should look for or things I should do to that people have found helpful? I'm a plus handicap golfer and there are times where I putt great and I get reads right, but it just seems like this is killing my game and I'm not where I need to be in this department.

 

It also should be noted that my speed has been perfect recently. Definitely no issues on that front.

 

This is a tough one. I'd have to see you in action to see why your reads are off. I have a few techniques I use (feeling with my feet with the putter dangling from my sternum; laying the shaft down on the line I think my ball needs to take and then deciding whether or not that line is sufficient break to make a putt, etc.) but I'd really have to see you over 18+ holes.

 

You ever in SoCal?

[Obee]

Quick putting update for me. Played a practice round for "The Grizzly" member-guest at my old home course, Bear Creek, in Murrieta, California. Green 11 and very true. Hit the ball nice all day and shot a (mostly) drama-free 71 (par 72, 6,450, 71.8/138).

 

Shotgun and we started on 12:

 

12) 18' birdie make

13) 6' birdie make

14) 6" birdie make

15) Great 2-putt for par from 20' above the hole. First putt was trickling when it got to the hole and still ran 6' by. Made the come-backer

16) 6' par miss. Bogey

17) Tough 2-putt from 35 feet. Par.

18) 2 putts from 18'. Par.

1) 2 putts from 18' for par.

2) Very difficult 50 footer that I leave way short. Up a huge ridge that I misjudged. Only bad putt of the day. 3 putted. Bogey

3) Great 2-putt from 18' above the hole. Slick green, tough pin. Par.

4) 2-putt for bogey from 12'

5) Nice 15' par save.

6) 7' birdie miss.

7) 5' par save

8)) 9' birdie miss

9) 60' eagle MAKE. $1,000 skin.

10) 27' 2 putt for par.

11) 2 putts for bogey from 21' (water on approach on par 5).

 

31 putts. Not my best putting day, but greens were tough and pins were in difficult positions.

 

Taking prednisone for my back. Definitely helping.

[Ty_Webb]

28 minutes ago, Obee said:

Quick putting update for me. Played a practice round for "The Grizzly" member-guest at my old home course, Bear Creek, in Murrieta, California. Green 11 and very true. Hit the ball nice all day and shot a (mostly) drama-free 71 (par 72, 6,450, 71.8/138).

 

Shotgun and we started on 12:

 

12) 18' birdie make

13) 6' birdie make

14) 6" birdie make

15) Great 2-putt for par from 20' above the hole. First putt was trickling when it got to the hole and still ran 6' by. Made the come-backer

16) 6' par miss. Bogey

17) Tough 2-putt from 35 feet. Par.

18) 2 putts from 18'. Par.

1) 2 putts from 18' for par.

2) Very difficult 50 footer that I leave way short. Up a huge ridge that I misjudged. Only bad putt of the day. 3 putted. Bogey

3) Great 2-putt from 18' above the hole. Slick green, tough pin. Par.

4) 2-putt for bogey from 12'

5) Nice 15' par save.

6) 7' birdie miss.

7) 5' par save

8)) 9' birdie miss

9) 60' eagle MAKE. $1,000 skin.

10) 27' 2 putt for par.

11) 2 putts for bogey from 21' (water on approach on par 5).

 

31 putts. Not my best putting day, but greens were tough and pins were in difficult positions.

 

Taking prednisone for my back. Definitely helping.

 

By my very rough off my head estimate, you gained somewhere between 0 and 0.5 strokes putting. The 60' eagle make is a big deal! And nice payout!

[MelloYello]

Something else to take into consideration is the grass on which you're putting. 

 

Bentgrass is common here and it provides a beautiful, consistent roll at all lengths. There's no grain to worry about and the way in which we experience speed seems consistent both on long and short putts. The downside of bentgrass is that (A) it requires a lot of maintenance effort and (B) it's soft and usually gets cratered with pitch marks.

 

Bermuda is also common here. It's almost always grainy but it's easier to care for and is usually more robust WRT to resisting ball marks. I have to be much more creative / analytical when I putt on bermuda. The longer the putt, the faster the green seems to be. The shorter the putt, the quicker the ball seems to stop. I routinely have to watch my speed carefully and play plenty of break on long, lag putts while simultaneously having to "jam" the short putts in. If you don't hit your short putts with a lot of conviction, they quickly lose their line and end up missing the hole. 

 

The grain also effects the way in which the ball breaks. Down-grain and into-the-grain break is different and the speed of those putts is also affected. Then you've got the occasional putt where you have to trust the grain to help slide the ball left / right. 

 

Most places I see bermuda, it's routine that players struggle in the range of 2-10 feet. They often leave the makeable 8-10 foot putts short and they don't bang the 3-4 foot "tap-ins" in with sufficient speed to hold their line. 

 

I will admit that in the past, the torture of putting on grainy bermuda has contributed to my limited confidence with the putter. The day I started considering the above behaviors as not simply being the result of my poor putting but rather a "feature" of the surfaces themselves was the day I started to relax and have fun with this "game within the game." 

 

.

Edited June 9, 2022 by MelloYello

[dmecca2]

1 hour ago, Obee said:

 

This is a tough one. I'd have to see you in action to see why your reads are off. I have a few techniques I use (feeling with my feet with the putter dangling from my sternum; laying the shaft down on the line I think my ball needs to take and then deciding whether or not that line is sufficient break to make a putt, etc.) but I'd really have to see you over 18+ holes.

 

You ever in SoCal?

unfortunately I'm about as far away as you can get over here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I'm going to try and document my reads and outcomes to try and find some tendencies if there are any.

[bortass]

4 hours ago, MelloYello said:

Something else to take into consideration is the grass on which you're putting. 

 

Bentgrass is common here and it provides a beautiful, consistent roll at all lengths. There's no grain to worry about and the way in which we experience speed seems consistent both on long and short putts. The downside of bentgrass is that (A) it requires a lot of maintenance effort and (B) it's soft and usually gets cratered with pitch marks.

 

Bermuda is also common here. It's almost always grainy but it's easier to care for and is usually more robust WRT to resisting ball marks. I have to be much more creative / analytical when I putt on bermuda. The longer the putt, the faster the green seems to be. The shorter the putt, the quicker the ball seems to stop. I routinely have to watch my speed carefully and play plenty of break on long, lag putts while simultaneously having to "jam" the short putts in. If you don't hit your short putts with a lot of conviction, they quickly lose their line and end up missing the hole. 

 

The grain also effects the way in which the ball breaks. Down-grain and into-the-grain break is different and the speed of those putts is also affected. Then you've got the occasional putt where you have to trust the grain to help slide the ball left / right. 

 

Most places I see bermuda, it's routine that players struggle in the range of 2-10 feet. They often leave the makeable 8-10 foot putts short and they don't bang the 3-4 foot "tap-ins" in with sufficient speed to hold their line. 

 

I will admit that in the past, the torture of putting on grainy bermuda has contributed to my limited confidence with the putter. The day I started considering the above behaviors as not simply being the result of my poor putting but rather a "feature" of the surfaces themselves was the day I started to relax and have fun with this "game within the game." 

 

.

Well this is interesting. The course I have been playing the last two years has Bermuda greens. I've been using Arccos most of that time and my weakness is inside 10 feet. I'm a 22 index and SG compared to a 0 HCP for the last 50 rounds shows the following for putting: Overall I'm -6.1 SG; 0-10 feet is  -4.1 SG; 10-25 is -1.2; 25-50 is -0.8; and 50+ is -0.1.

 

I've missed so many 3 foot putts that it's become a bit of an obvious issue for me even without the Arccos data. I've reached the point where 3 - 4 feet is no mans land for me. It's a roll of the dice and could go either way. I'd rather have a 5 foot putt because I don't feel as bad missing that as I do the 3 footer, lol.

 

Putting hasn't been my biggest weakness, so I have not been working on it much. That's changed and it's now #2. I don't think it'll take a huge amount of work to improve but I'm probably wrong, lol. 

 

My current thoughts are to use a driveway marker and putt over it to help with improved speed and a Pelz Putting Tutor to help with my setup and line. I'm open to other suggestions if any of you have some.

[dmecca2]

Over the past week I've been reading the greens a lot better and making a few more putts, but every other round or so I seem to have a bad putting day where I miss some short ones and it hurts my round severely. Some of them are misreads, but most of them are pushes or pulls.

 

In my clubs summer championship, after a -1 first round and in 3rd place, I had a 4 foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to break our course record. I knew exactly what was on the line and my hands were shaking way too much and I missed the putt, and then missed the next one.

 

Next I had the Philadelphia Amateur and my putting was good but not great. I qualified for match play and in my morning match, I made a bunch of putts and won my match, but in the afternoon, I struggled severely again. Missing 5 makeable putts inside 10 feet and barely lost.

 

I'm again wondering if I should switch putters to a mallet with a little more face control.

[Ty_Webb]

4 minutes ago, dmecca2 said:

Over the past week I've been reading the greens a lot better and making a few more putts, but every other round or so I seem to have a bad putting day where I miss some short ones and it hurts my round severely. Some of them are misreads, but most of them are pushes or pulls.

 

In my clubs summer championship, after a -1 first round and in 3rd place, I had a 4 foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to break our course record. I knew exactly what was on the line and my hands were shaking way too much and I missed the putt, and then missed the next one.

 

Next I had the Philadelphia Amateur and my putting was good but not great. I qualified for match play and in my morning match, I made a bunch of putts and won my match, but in the afternoon, I struggled severely again. Missing 5 makeable putts inside 10 feet and barely lost.

 

I'm again wondering if I should switch putters to a mallet with a little more face control.

 

I would suggest two things. One is tracking your putting stats. Missing 5 putts inside 10 feet might not be that bad. If they're all 7-9 footers and you had 10 of them in the round (unlikely granted), that could be an average PGA tour player's putting day. It's also worth looking at why you had those 7-9 footers. Was it chips that could have finished closer or from good approach shots. That could influence what you really need to work on.

 

The other is I used to find that my putter head wobbled a lot during my stroke. I put a backweight in the grip (100g) and it completely shut off the wobbling. My stroke got much smoother as a result. If you have a grip that lends itself to doing something like that then it's worth giving it a try. If you don't, then you can stick some quarters on the top of the grip with tape to see if it makes any difference to the feel (just on a mat or on the practice green). 9 quarters is around 50g.