Obee's Putting Improvement Thread

[bilbry57]

I recently re read entire thread after shooting 80 & 81 with 42 and 43 putts respectively in Super senior club championship .  I switched back to Claw from LHL and made it my goal to roll the line like Obee talks about over and over.

I could not get it until I brought out putting mirror and figured out it was playing ball way too far forward which caused my shoulders to be open.  Just played in 30 MPH gusts shot 76 with 28 putts.  Im recommitting myself to this process and thank David for one of the best threads ever.

 

[bilbry57]

Played 11 holes today putting improvement continues 14 putts front 9

3 putts 2 holes on back 9 at Suncadia rope rider just concentrating on rolling the line 

[_chs_]

Hey all,

 

still working on the putting and still committed to the process. I’m sinking more putts and the ball rolls end over end.

 

 I have two questions if people will indulge me:

 

1) when putting, what part of the ball are you focused on?

2) how do you initiate the putting stroke? With your shoulders or do you pull back with your right hand or push with your left (if you are right handed)?

 

Thanks in advance 

 

[Obee]

On 9/11/2023 at 8:53 PM, _chs_ said:

Hey all,

 

still working on the putting and still committed to the process. I’m sinking more putts and the ball rolls end over end.

 

 I have two questions if people will indulge me:

 

1) when putting, what part of the ball are you focused on?

2) how do you initiate the putting stroke? With your shoulders or do you pull back with your right hand or push with your left (if you are right handed)?

 

Thanks in advance 

 

I don't really "look" at anything. I mean, I'm looking at the ball when I putt (like most people), but it's a "soft" look.

As for taking away the putter, I definitely take it away by moving the triangel created by my arms and shoulders all as one piece.

 

[MelloYello]

Yep, I'd agree with @Obee. 

 

Piggy-backing off what he said above:

 

#1

I can't describe exactly where I'm looking as I stroke a putt. My eyes are on the ball by my conscious focus is on speed. I guess you could say I'm looking at the ball but not really seeing it. I'm more focused on what picture in is my head if that makes sense.* It's a little of both. 

 

*A lot of good golf is played in an "unconscious" way (which sounds a bit too Freudian/Jungian for me) or through what most would simply call "2nd nature." The early steps of development involve learning to do something but you won't achieve a level of comfort and competency until you're not explicitly thinking about it and you're acting on impulse or 2nd nature. This is what Rotella and other instructors are referring to. You've got to drill the technical stuff so that it becomes routine enough that you're not thinking about it. 

 

#2

I'd say it's a little of both. I try to use as little of my hands as I can but that's never going to happen entirely. Putting definitely involves your hands. That's inevitable. It's a balance of both, but again, refer to what I said above. If you're comfortable, you're not really thinking about this stuff much anyway. 

[D0ch0l1d4y]

On 9/11/2023 at 10:53 PM, _chs_ said:

Hey all,

 

still working on the putting and still committed to the process. I’m sinking more putts and the ball rolls end over end.

 

 I have two questions if people will indulge me:

 

1) when putting, what part of the ball are you focused on?

2) how do you initiate the putting stroke? With your shoulders or do you pull back with your right hand or push with your left (if you are right handed)?

 

Thanks in advance 

 

 

1. I'm left eye dominant and need to have my eyeline inside the ball by about the width of the ball. I line my left eye up with the back of the ball and my focus point is the apex of the back curve of the ball. I'm a "hit what I'm looking at" player - so if I look at the middle of the ball, my body reacts to the middle of the ball and I end up with a slightly downward AOA and face contact too high.

 

2. As much of a one-piece takeaway as I can. Usually grip with firm hands, even pressure - but try to keep my elbows/shoulders "loose". Feel is pushing the left (lead) shoulder down and back toward the ball.

Edited November 20, 2023 by D0ch0l1d4y
spelling

[_chs_]

On 11/20/2023 at 10:31 AM, Obee said:

I don't really "look" at anything. I mean, I'm looking at the ball when I putt (like most people), but it's a "soft" look.

As for taking away the putter, I definitely take it away by moving the triangel created by my arms and shoulders all as one piece.

 

 

On 11/20/2023 at 10:51 AM, MelloYello said:

Yep, I'd agree with @Obee. 

 

Piggy-backing off what he said above:

 

#1

I can't describe exactly where I'm looking as I stroke a putt. My eyes are on the ball by my conscious focus is on speed. I guess you could say I'm looking at the ball but not really seeing it. I'm more focused on what picture in is my head if that makes sense.* It's a little of both. 

 

*A lot of good golf is played in an "unconscious" way (which sounds a bit too Freudian/Jungian for me) or through what most would simply call "2nd nature." The early steps of development involve learning to do something but you won't achieve a level of comfort and competency until you're not explicitly thinking about it and you're acting on impulse or 2nd nature. This is what Rotella and other instructors are referring to. You've got to drill the technical stuff so that it becomes routine enough that you're not thinking about it. 

 

#2

I'd say it's a little of both. I try to use as little of my hands as I can but that's never going to happen entirely. Putting definitely involves your hands. That's inevitable. It's a balance of both, but again, refer to what I said above. If you're comfortable, you're not really thinking about this stuff much anyway. 

 

On 11/20/2023 at 12:07 PM, D0ch0l1d4y said:

 

1. I'm left eye dominant and need to have my eyeline inside the ball by about the width of the ball. I line my left eye up with the back of the ball and my focus point is the apex of the back curve of the ball. I'm a "hit what I'm looking at" player - so if I look at the middle of the ball, my body reacts to the middle of the ball and I end up with a slightly downward AOA and face contact too high.

 

2. As much of a one-piece takeaway as I can. Usually grip with firm hands, even pressure - but try to keep my elbows/shoulders "loose". Feel is pushing the left (lead) shoulder down and back toward the ball.

 

Thank you for the replies.  These are things to work on during the off season. I love winter but looking forward to spring. 

[J295]

Putter fitting.
I align 1.8 degrees left, which is consistent with my laser home testing. Looks square to me but it’s not.  

 

Q. Things I can experiment with to get square to look square to me?  

 

64 year old left eye dominant.  
 

edit to add I just located this ….

 

Edited March 21, 2024 by J295

[iacas]

53 minutes ago, J295 said:

Q. Things I can experiment with to get square to look square to me?  

 

Find the right putter. Changing something as simple as the lines can dramatically affect where you aim a putter, where square looks square.

[GolfTurkey]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

 

Find the right putter. Changing something as simple as the lines can dramatically affect where you aim a putter, where square looks square.

 

Which is why I don't really get the spending hours of maintenance with putting mirrors etc. when you can almost definitely find one you aim easily in a good fitting

[Ty_Webb]

12 hours ago, J295 said:

Putter fitting.
I align 1.8 degrees left, which is consistent with my laser home testing. Looks square to me but it’s not.  

 

Q. Things I can experiment with to get square to look square to me?  

 

64 year old left eye dominant.  
 

edit to add I just located this ….

 

 

Have a look at this thread - gets into all of it. 

 

 

 

David Edel has some videos out about it too. Different head shapes, different markings (lines vs dots vs flange vs topline) all affect how the aim looks to you. There are certain trends that *most* people follow. Has to do I think with where on the putter your eyes end up focused, but the only way to know for sure is to try different ones until you find one that looks straight when it's straight.

[J295]

43 minutes ago, Ty_Webb said:

 

Have a look at this thread - gets into all of it. 

 

 

 

David Edel has some videos out about it too. Different head shapes, different markings (lines vs dots vs flange vs topline) all affect how the aim looks to you. There are certain trends that *most* people follow. Has to do I think with where on the putter your eyes end up focused, but the only way to know for sure is to try different ones until you find one that looks straight when it's straight.

Thanks to you and the others who so promptly gave their insights.  
 

I will read this information you provided.

 

The fitter I used for the putter fitting (yesterday) was highly recommended, and very helpful and I think I’ll circle back to him for some follow up.  The recommendation of a blade with toe hang I believe was based on my stroke more than alignment, but perhaps I’m mistaken.  And, with all of the different putters he has available I could go there and begin experimenting to figure out which one helps most with alignment. 
 

 

[Nels55]

33 minutes ago, J295 said:

Thanks to you and the others who so promptly gave their insights.  
 

I will read this information you provided.

 

The fitter I used for the putter fitting (yesterday) was highly recommended, and very helpful and I think I’ll circle back to him for some follow up.  The recommendation of a blade with toe hang I believe was based on my stroke more than alignment, but perhaps I’m mistaken.  And, with all of the different putters he has available I could go there and begin experimenting to figure out which one helps most with alignment. 
 

 

Here is how I align my eye to whatever putter I am using:

 

This may not be the best way but it works pretty well for me to get lined up correctly.  I look at the target while tapping the putter square to the ruler.

[J295]

How do I test my aim with various putters?

 

I know I’m slight left bias as that’s what I found lining up then placing laser on face (cumbersome), and putter fitting showed 1.8 degree left bias. 
 

is there a reliable device or method?

 

thanks.  

 

[Ty_Webb]

I think the best way is probably with a laser, a mirror and a friend. Put a laser down pointing towards where you're going to putt from. Put a ball in the light of the laser. Put a mirror on your putter face (make sure it's square), line up to the ball towards the laser and have a friend move the ball out of the way. Wherever the beam gets reflected is where you're aiming it. That's not exactly easy to come about all of that, so if anyone has a better way I'm all ears. 

 

FYI - I read someone say that a piece of a CD cut out and stuck to your putter face is a good option for a small mirror.

[Nels55]

8 hours ago, Ty_Webb said:

I think the best way is probably with a laser, a mirror and a friend. Put a laser down pointing towards where you're going to putt from. Put a ball in the light of the laser. Put a mirror on your putter face (make sure it's square), line up to the ball towards the laser and have a friend move the ball out of the way. Wherever the beam gets reflected is where you're aiming it. That's not exactly easy to come about all of that, so if anyone has a better way I'm all ears. 

 

FYI - I read someone say that a piece of a CD cut out and stuck to your putter face is a good option for a small mirror.

If you have a helper and a club ruler or other similar square object you can setup to putt then have the other person pick the ball up and put the ruler down square to the putter face and you can see where you are aimed.  I have done that several times and in most cases the person putting gets a confused look on their face when they see where they are aimed and steps away and then back behind to get another look at it.  If helps if the person doing the putting shuts their eyes while the ruler is lined up.

Edited March 22, 2024 by Nels55
typo

[gophers79]

I know it's been a while since this thread was active, but I just read through it all over the past week or two and am writing to seek help. Seeing the progress of @Obee and others is inspiring.

 

I'm a decent player (+1.x at my best, 3.x at my worst over the past few years, currently 1.3 or so). Arccos tells me I hit 60% of greens over my last 25 rounds, so about 11 greens per round. If you include fringes I'm probably more like 12-13 per round. Gameforge tells me I average 38.4 strokes to get to the green. So, I'm a decent ballstriker and I give myself lots of opportunities. If I had <30 putts per round with those GIR numbers, I'd shoot <70 all the time. My putting is holding me back.

 

Putting used to be a strength for me. When I was younger I LOVED putting and was confident over the ball. Now maybe I'm a bit older and more scarred, but putting is now a weakness and I feel tentative over everything. It's the main thing preventing me from being a consistently plus handicap player. I am averaging 32.6 putts per round over my last 25 rounds, including 1.7 3-putts per round. Gameforge paints a grimmer picture, putting me at 35 putts per round over my last dozen or so (including fringe putts) and 2.5 3-putts per round.

 

Getting the ball to roll end over end has never been an issue for me. I recently went to a putter fitting, and the fitter basically sent me away because I was getting 0 sidespin and perfect numbers on Quintic on a 10 footer that is inconsequential. Getting a good roll has never been my issue, it's the speed control (and maybe picking the correct line). I ended up getting a LAB putter anyway, because even if I don't NEED the help on face angle, it forces me to putt with my shoulders (I've always thought of the putting stroke as an arms movement, and I was taught to accelerate through the ball. Trying to deprogram, the LAB seems to be helping, I'm hopeful this is a 'it gets worse before it gets better' situation).

 

I play a lot of different courses in the Twin Cities, MN area, but the course I play the most (Braemar in Edina) has greens that are massive and tricky to read, while also being decently fast (probably 10 stimp?) and a lot of tiers / shelves. I frequently have long and/or tricky first putts which means my leaves are not often enough inside the 3-foot circle, and I miss too many 4-6 footers. Just yesterday I played 15 holes, hitting 12 greens/fringes with 33 putts (30 putts if you don't count putts from just barely on the fringe). +7 on 15 holes with 12 GIR is not acceptable, and unfortunately this sort of thing happens in almost all my rounds. I just don't take advantage of my opportunities well enough, and I hardly ever make anything in the 'unexpected but makeable' range of ~12-to-25 feet these days.

 

My biggest issue is speed control on the longer lag putts. I don't leave myself with reasonable comebackers often enough. Because the greens I play are huge, and because I'm hitting a lot of greens, I pretty often have 35+ foot first putts, often a couple 40-50-60 footers. When the greens are slopey and fast, and when it's a tough putting day for me / I don't quite have the speed down, those are nearly impossible for me to get within a couple feet. I pretty often feel like I hit the putt as softly as possible for the length of putt and I'm still 6 feet past the hole grinding over a comebacker.

 

So... help? I have a putting green in my basement that I can hit up to a ~10 foot putt on, but like I said I don't really have an issue with hitting a straight putt. It's hitting putts out on the golf course when there's uncertainty about break and speed (or, when I'm nervous) that is the issue.

 

What putting drills do you do to help with speed control on the longer ones? How do you get yourself back to that confidence/cockiness that seems to be essential to putting well? What do you visualize when you putt in terms of speed?

 

Does anyone have a good pre-shot routine that they've found helps calm their nerves if playing in a big event / putting for a personal best?

 

Here's to <30 putts per round. I know it's in me somewhere, just need to figure out what to start working on and put in the work.

Edited October 10, 2024 by gophers79
tagging Obee

[D0ch0l1d4y]

On 10/10/2024 at 11:21 AM, gophers79 said:

I know it's been a while since this thread was active, but I just read through it all over the past week or two and am writing to seek help. Seeing the progress of @Obee and others is inspiring.

 

I'm a decent player (+1.x at my best, 3.x at my worst over the past few years, currently 1.3 or so). Arccos tells me I hit 60% of greens over my last 25 rounds, so about 11 greens per round. If you include fringes I'm probably more like 12-13 per round. Gameforge tells me I average 38.4 strokes to get to the green. So, I'm a decent ballstriker and I give myself lots of opportunities. If I had <30 putts per round with those GIR numbers, I'd shoot <70 all the time. My putting is holding me back.

 

Putting used to be a strength for me. When I was younger I LOVED putting and was confident over the ball. Now maybe I'm a bit older and more scarred, but putting is now a weakness and I feel tentative over everything. It's the main thing preventing me from being a consistently plus handicap player. I am averaging 32.6 putts per round over my last 25 rounds, including 1.7 3-putts per round. Gameforge paints a grimmer picture, putting me at 35 putts per round over my last dozen or so (including fringe putts) and 2.5 3-putts per round.

 

Getting the ball to roll end over end has never been an issue for me. I recently went to a putter fitting, and the fitter basically sent me away because I was getting 0 sidespin and perfect numbers on Quintic on a 10 footer that is inconsequential. Getting a good roll has never been my issue, it's the speed control (and maybe picking the correct line). I ended up getting a LAB putter anyway, because even if I don't NEED the help on face angle, it forces me to putt with my shoulders (I've always thought of the putting stroke as an arms movement, and I was taught to accelerate through the ball. Trying to deprogram, the LAB seems to be helping, I'm hopeful this is a 'it gets worse before it gets better' situation).

 

I play a lot of different courses in the Twin Cities, MN area, but the course I play the most (Braemar in Edina) has greens that are massive and tricky to read, while also being decently fast (probably 10 stimp?) and a lot of tiers / shelves. I frequently have long and/or tricky first putts which means my leaves are not often enough inside the 3-foot circle, and I miss too many 4-6 footers. Just yesterday I played 15 holes, hitting 12 greens/fringes with 33 putts (30 putts if you don't count putts from just barely on the fringe). +7 on 15 holes with 12 GIR is not acceptable, and unfortunately this sort of thing happens in almost all my rounds. I just don't take advantage of my opportunities well enough, and I hardly ever make anything in the 'unexpected but makeable' range of ~12-to-25 feet these days.

 

My biggest issue is speed control on the longer lag putts. I don't leave myself with reasonable comebackers often enough. Because the greens I play are huge, and because I'm hitting a lot of greens, I pretty often have 35+ foot first putts, often a couple 40-50-60 footers. When the greens are slopey and fast, and when it's a tough putting day for me / I don't quite have the speed down, those are nearly impossible for me to get within a couple feet. I pretty often feel like I hit the putt as softly as possible for the length of putt and I'm still 6 feet past the hole grinding over a comebacker.

 

So... help? I have a putting green in my basement that I can hit up to a ~10 foot putt on, but like I said I don't really have an issue with hitting a straight putt. It's hitting putts out on the golf course when there's uncertainty about break and speed (or, when I'm nervous) that is the issue.

 

What putting drills do you do to help with speed control on the longer ones? How do you get yourself back to that confidence/cockiness that seems to be essential to putting well? What do you visualize when you putt in terms of speed?

 

Does anyone have a good pre-shot routine that they've found helps calm their nerves if playing in a big event / putting for a personal best?

 

Here's to <30 putts per round. I know it's in me somewhere, just need to figure out what to start working on and put in the work.

 

First of all - give yourself a bit of a break. By the sounds of the greens you frequent - looking up the PGA stats on 3-putt% may give you a little comfort there. 

 

Can you describe your pre-putt routine? 

 

For me, as one of the Obee converts (kind of - no claw anymore) - making sure I read the putt thoroughly, from both sides, as well as walking off the distances has helped me a lot.

 

Before every round, I take several putts from 5', 15', 30', and then a couple from the longest putt available on the warm up green. That helps me calibrate speed and stroke.

 

My pre-putt routine:

1. Observe the entire green complex (fringes, hills/slopes, bunkers, etc) as I approach. This helps me get a general sense of the flow of the green.

2. Initial read behind the ball. I'm left eye dominant (right handed golfer) so I make sure to keep my dominant eye as the "reading eye"

3. Walk around to the other side, pacing off the distance as I go. Read putt from the hole back to the ball.

3a. IF I'm still unsure after that read - I implement @MonteScheinblum's voodoo green reading - this generally gets me in the right ballpark.

4. Trust the read, set up, hit the putt. I don't take practice swings with the putter nor do I use a line on the ball, YMMV.

 

I've gone from 35+ putts per round to right around 30. My handicap has gone up for other reasons (8 rounds this year has something to do with that), but my putting is back to being a strength.

[gophers79]

On 10/11/2024 at 5:02 PM, D0ch0l1d4y said:

 

First of all - give yourself a bit of a break. By the sounds of the greens you frequent - looking up the PGA stats on 3-putt% may give you a little comfort there. 

 

Can you describe your pre-putt routine? 

 

For me, as one of the Obee converts (kind of - no claw anymore) - making sure I read the putt thoroughly, from both sides, as well as walking off the distances has helped me a lot.

 

Before every round, I take several putts from 5', 15', 30', and then a couple from the longest putt available on the warm up green. That helps me calibrate speed and stroke.

 

My pre-putt routine:

1. Observe the entire green complex (fringes, hills/slopes, bunkers, etc) as I approach. This helps me get a general sense of the flow of the green.

2. Initial read behind the ball. I'm left eye dominant (right handed golfer) so I make sure to keep my dominant eye as the "reading eye"

3. Walk around to the other side, pacing off the distance as I go. Read putt from the hole back to the ball.

3a. IF I'm still unsure after that read - I implement @MonteScheinblum's voodoo green reading - this generally gets me in the right ballpark.

4. Trust the read, set up, hit the putt. I don't take practice swings with the putter nor do I use a line on the ball, YMMV.

 

I've gone from 35+ putts per round to right around 30. My handicap has gone up for other reasons (8 rounds this year has something to do with that), but my putting is back to being a strength.

Thanks for the reply! 

 

I don't have a conscious pre putt routine, maybe that's part of my issue. I also after reading this thread have just started incorporating pacing off the distance into my routine, so I'm hoping that will help.

 

Before I get to the ball, I'm looking at the slopes around the green area to understand what the lay of the land is like. Once I get to the ball, I generally start by squatting down behind the ball to assess the break. Then I stand behind the ball to get a feel of what I think the putt will do (up/down, break), then I will walk behind the hole and look from there as well. Finally, I'll squat back behind the ball for one last confirmation on break, line up the line to try and match the break I see, look down the line to confirm the alignment, address the ball, take a couple practice swings to get the feel of the speed, step up and hit it. 

 

I visualize the break like a glowing path painted on the green from my ball to the hole, so I'm simply trying to line my line up to match that line I see in my mind when I'm squatting behind the ball reading the putt. One of the reasons I've never tried aim point is that I have never aimed to a spot outside the cup, I mostly try to hit the line. I also never think about speed, just try to let my feel get it right. On days my feel is well calibrated, lag putts are easy. In days that it's not well calibrated, I really struggle.

Edited October 14, 2024 by gophers79
typo

[Obee]

On 10/10/2024 at 9:21 AM, gophers79 said:

I know it's been a while since this thread was active, but I just read through it all over the past week or two and am writing to seek help. Seeing the progress of @Obee and others is inspiring.

 

I'm a decent player (+1.x at my best, 3.x at my worst over the past few years, currently 1.3 or so). Arccos tells me I hit 60% of greens over my last 25 rounds, so about 11 greens per round. If you include fringes I'm probably more like 12-13 per round. Gameforge tells me I average 38.4 strokes to get to the green. So, I'm a decent ballstriker and I give myself lots of opportunities. If I had <30 putts per round with those GIR numbers, I'd shoot <70 all the time. My putting is holding me back.

 

Putting used to be a strength for me. When I was younger I LOVED putting and was confident over the ball. Now maybe I'm a bit older and more scarred, but putting is now a weakness and I feel tentative over everything. It's the main thing preventing me from being a consistently plus handicap player. I am averaging 32.6 putts per round over my last 25 rounds, including 1.7 3-putts per round. Gameforge paints a grimmer picture, putting me at 35 putts per round over my last dozen or so (including fringe putts) and 2.5 3-putts per round.

 

Getting the ball to roll end over end has never been an issue for me. I recently went to a putter fitting, and the fitter basically sent me away because I was getting 0 sidespin and perfect numbers on Quintic on a 10 footer that is inconsequential. Getting a good roll has never been my issue, it's the speed control (and maybe picking the correct line). I ended up getting a LAB putter anyway, because even if I don't NEED the help on face angle, it forces me to putt with my shoulders (I've always thought of the putting stroke as an arms movement, and I was taught to accelerate through the ball. Trying to deprogram, the LAB seems to be helping, I'm hopeful this is a 'it gets worse before it gets better' situation).

 

I play a lot of different courses in the Twin Cities, MN area, but the course I play the most (Braemar in Edina) has greens that are massive and tricky to read, while also being decently fast (probably 10 stimp?) and a lot of tiers / shelves. I frequently have long and/or tricky first putts which means my leaves are not often enough inside the 3-foot circle, and I miss too many 4-6 footers. Just yesterday I played 15 holes, hitting 12 greens/fringes with 33 putts (30 putts if you don't count putts from just barely on the fringe). +7 on 15 holes with 12 GIR is not acceptable, and unfortunately this sort of thing happens in almost all my rounds. I just don't take advantage of my opportunities well enough, and I hardly ever make anything in the 'unexpected but makeable' range of ~12-to-25 feet these days.

 

My biggest issue is speed control on the longer lag putts. I don't leave myself with reasonable comebackers often enough. Because the greens I play are huge, and because I'm hitting a lot of greens, I pretty often have 35+ foot first putts, often a couple 40-50-60 footers. When the greens are slopey and fast, and when it's a tough putting day for me / I don't quite have the speed down, those are nearly impossible for me to get within a couple feet. I pretty often feel like I hit the putt as softly as possible for the length of putt and I'm still 6 feet past the hole grinding over a comebacker.

 

So... help? I have a putting green in my basement that I can hit up to a ~10 foot putt on, but like I said I don't really have an issue with hitting a straight putt. It's hitting putts out on the golf course when there's uncertainty about break and speed (or, when I'm nervous) that is the issue.

 

What putting drills do you do to help with speed control on the longer ones? How do you get yourself back to that confidence/cockiness that seems to be essential to putting well? What do you visualize when you putt in terms of speed?

 

Does anyone have a good pre-shot routine that they've found helps calm their nerves if playing in a big event / putting for a personal best?

 

Here's to <30 putts per round. I know it's in me somewhere, just need to figure out what to start working on and put in the work.

Happy to help! Have been slammed with work recently. PM me and let's set up a call. 🙂

[gophers79]

On 10/20/2024 at 9:15 PM, Obee said:

Happy to help! Have been slammed with work recently. PM me and let's set up a call. 🙂

What a generous offer! I'll be reaching out.

[gophers79]

Played a round of golf today. Blustery and cool up here in Minnesota, but on borrowed time so don't mind it. 81 from the Championship Tees at Braemar (6934 yds par 72, 72.7 / 131 but it's way tougher than the slope/rating indicate).

 

Greens were running fast, and the pins were in brutal spots. I asked in the shop after the round and they said the greens were stimping at 11-11.5. Wow! It's really tough to be anything other than defensive on these greens today, there are no "easy putts" on this course.

 

I had 29 (!!) putts, but I also felt like I didn't putt that great? See below:

 

1) 3 putt bogey from 58 feet. Tough first putt up a big ridge and then rolling away from you. Hit a really nice lag which ran out to 5 feet, missed a bender coming back.

2) 1 putt bogey save from 14 feet. One of my playing partners had just gotten a Strackaline book for our course, I trusted it over my eyes and I made the putt.

3) 1 putt par save from 15 feet. This one was carrying too much pace but it caught the cup.

4) 2 putt bogey from 28 feet, nice lag on a tricky first putt

5) 3 putt double (first putt from barely on the fringe) from 20 feet. It was an impossible spot where my first putt started, couldn't get it inside 10 feet and just pulled the comebacker from 12 feet.

6) 2 putt birdie from 20 feet (first putt from barely on the fringe)

7) 2 putt bogey from 27 feet (again, first putt from just on the fringe) - the hole was just on the other side of a ridge, 27 feet was honestly as close as I could have gotten my chip

8.) 2 putt par from 4 feet 😞 the putt turned more than i saw, hit a great chip from a bad lie to give myself a chance

9) 2 putt par from 51 feet. GREAT lag here on a tricky downhiller, left myself a tap in

 

Front 9: 18 putts (15 not counting fringe putts), 39 feet of putts made, shot 41

 

10) 3 putt bogey from 32 feet - bad first putt left myself 4 feet short on a tricky bender, didn't play enough break

11) 0 putt chip in for birdie!

12) 2 putt bogey from 20 feet - Another one where my approach shot was on the wrong side of the hole and I hit a really high quality chip that just ran out

13) 2 putt bogey from 15 feet - hit a FABULOUS pitch from dead to give myself a chance for par, again just pulled the 15 footer

14) 1 putt par from 3 feet - hit a great chip to 3 feet above the hole, was able to make a downhill turner for par

15) 0 putt chip in for par (haha)

16) 2 putt bogey from 80 feet - hit a nice first putt but still 8 feet short, dripped in a downhill straight 8 footer to save bogey

17) 2 putt bogey from 18 feet - nice bunker shot to give myself a chance for par, but didn't play enough break to make it

18) 2 putt par from 60 feet - this was another high quality lag putt from long range. Left myself 1 foot for par

 

Back 9: 14 putts (including the 2 chip ins), 17 feet of putts made, shot 40

 

Total: 32 putts (29 not counting fringe putts), 56 feet of putts made, shot 81. 3x 3 putts, 3x 1 putts, 2x chip ins.

 

So... 29 putts is great. But I chipped in twice, I was only 1/4 on putts 3-5 feet, 2/5 on putts 3-10 feet, and 2/8 on putts 10-20 feet. I was very rusty with the full swing today, and the conditions made it tough - I only hit 6 GIR (typically I hit 11-13), so I was chipping a lot more than normal. My long lags were on point today, so I feel good about that. There was only really one chip that I'd like back, everything else was pretty close to what I was envisioning.

 

My analysis of the above is that my reads are generally good enough for longer putts, but I struggle with shorter putts because I'm not reading them correctly / with enough precision. I have gone to using the line on the ball (I purchased a template that can mark a triple track type line all the way around the ball), but I have a hard time trusting it. For those of you that use the ball, how do you confirm that you've lined it up where you think you should. Anyone have tips for reads inside 8 feet?

[gophers79]

Another round of golf for me this weekend. Still cool and blustery in Minnesota, but I got to play at a different course with MUCH easier greens. I had a bit of success, but I think mostly it was tied to my poor approach performance (only 6 GIR + 2 Fringes). Here's the rundown:

 

Hiawatha Golf Course, 6613 yds par 73, 71.4/127

 

1) 3 putt bogey from 32 feet 😞 middling pitch to 30ish feet, left first putt 4 feet short, hit the second putt how i wanted (right edge / inside right), either was lined up wrong or a misread and it lipped out right edge.

2) 2 putt par from 18 feet, lipped out the birdie putt but it was always too low

3) 1 putt par from 4 feet - this one was a tricky downhill left to right slider, i lined it up but then adjusted over the ball to play more break and dripped it in dead center. A good reminder to myself that maybe I'm not all that great at reading the putt from behind.

4) 2 putt par from 15 feet, bad effort here left it short by about a foot

5) 1 putt par from 4 feet, another nice chip (amazing what a little confidence will do after making the tough putt on 3)

6) 2 putt par from 21 feet

7) 2 putt par from 21 feet (this was a temporary green, not much chance to make anything there)

8 ) 1 putt par from 6 inches, GREAT chip

9) 2 putt par from 18 feet

 

Front: +1 38 (par 37), 16 putts, 21 feet of putts made

 

10) 2 putt par from 22 feet (first putt from the fringe), blew it by 6 feet but made the comebacker for par

11) 2 putt double from 5 feet 😞 

12) 1 putt par from 10 feet - par 3, I shanked my tee shot (rusty!) but hit a brilliant approach from 105 over a tree and a pond to 10 feet below the hole. This par felt good 😎

13) 2 putt bogey from 30 feet

14) 1 putt par from 6 feet, nice up and down from 45 yards short of the green after I chunked my approach shot

15) 1 putt par from 12 feet, ran my chip right by the hole but a little too feisty and 12 feet past. Really nice putt here, it came in the side door.

16) 2 putt bogey from 8 feet, hit a nice putt but the ball caught a ballmark about 3 feet out and swerved it offline. I think it would have gone in otherwise.

17) 2 putt par from 40 feet (first putt from fringe), great lag to just a foot or two for an easy tap in par

18) 2 putt bogey from 40 feet, this was another great lag that may have gone in if it did not hit a leaf a couple feet out from the hole. Easy tap in.

 

Back: +5 41, 13 putts not counting fringe putts, 44 feet of putts made

Total: +6 79, 29 putts, 65 feet of putts made

 

4-6 feet: 4/6

4-10 feet: 5/8

11-20 feet: 1/4

20+ feet: 0/7

[kiawah]

Offseason is starting to roll around as I can no longer hit the putting green before work without freezing to death, so figured I would share where I'm at. I am coming off a decent putting summer where I practiced almost daily and got a good groove going. As I have been able to practice less, the results have gotten a bit worse. Last weekend, I hit 13 greens and shot 78 with a three putt and a lot of missed decent chances. Greens were rolling very fast and wasn't hitting awful putts, but also only had a singular one putt. Had another couple rounds that were pretty similar. 

 

In a vacuum, I wouldn't really be upset with any of the putts I missed other than a short 4 or 5 footer for birdie, but I have just been putting pretty carefully as my ballstriking has gotten better which is a shame. I really enjoy putting and it has historically been a strong point in my game, but I think I am overthinking a bit since I can't just go practice all the time. I have a birdie ball green where I can roll a few shorter putts in my apartment, but it doesn't seem to replicate the real deal. 

 

I will say my speed control was pretty good at least, a couple weeks ago I was way off and had my worst tournament round in a while. But it's been tough and while I have been doing a good job of trying to stay confident/positive/patient, the confidence isn't coming easily and I do not feel like I am putting freely. I have been kind of microanalyzing alignment, posture, stance, grip (even switched to LHL a few weeks ago), stopped using the line on the ball to focus on speed a bit more, but I am still in search of some sort of breakthrough. Recently switched back to my old blade that I gamed for the majority of the past decade after a stretch with a mallet this summer and while I really love the feel of it, I'm just having a hard time feeling comfortable/taking pressure off myself. 

 

My stroke doesn't have huge glaring flaws. Occasionally, my head/lead shoulder raises a bit in the throughstroke and sometimes the putter goes back a little outside. But I can roll a ball end over end without issue. With left hand low, I have had some issues figuring out how my right arm is supposed to work since it doesn't feel comfortable locked straight and it sits with a little crook in my elbow at address, but I feel like it's gotten kinda armsy, so I might just go back to using the regular interlock I know and love.

 

The weird thing is, my coach prescribed me some right hand only putts and I am able to apply great touch and there's such a nice flow to the stroke. I have been feeling like I would be better off one handed, although I just don't believe in it on the golf course. Need to get back to just turning my brain off and rolling the ball, but that's been hard without the confidence induced by seeing lots of putts go in on the practice green. 

 

This weekend, I'm gonna do an old drill where I forget about the second putt/comebacker and just hit some putts trying to roll the ball to my target and hole them. Will also set up a gate drill with a gate for the putter head and the ball to get some putts started on line. I know I'm not that far off, but it feels like I am sometimes. I just need to trust myself and try to roll the ball to my spot, stop looking for a way to miss, etc. 

[Barische]

i love the education and tips given here.. much appreciated 🙇

[Obee]

Made a breakthrough yesterday after having a horrible last six months putting.

Turns out that "paying attention," "taking my time," "having a routine," and "committing to my line" are integral parts of putting well. 

Who knew???

Seriously, I had gotten into some bad (mental) habits due to back and hip pain. I just wasn't at all involved in my putting process. Even when I tried to grind, I wasn't actually doing it, you know?

Yesterday I committed to making putting during my round a completely separate "game within a game," and it really payed dividends. I used to do that all the time when I was putting extremely well for a long time. I couldn't wait to get to the putting green to play that game. 

And I didn't even make many putts. It's not like it was me looking backwards and justifying my good putting with "my mental game was better." I made two 18 foot birdies but missed 3 5-footers for birde, but they were all very tough downhill/sidehill sliders on tough, fast, sloping greens. But my line and speed were good on all of them -- and that's the only thing you're looking to do with putting, because it's the only thing you control once you pick your line/speed: Did I hit my ball on my line, at my speed?

And yesterday, I was finally doing that again...

@isaacbm 

Edited December 9, 2024 by Obee

[kiawah]

2 hours ago, Obee said:

Made a breakthrough yesterday after having a horrible last six months putting.

Turns out that "paying attention," "taking my time," "having a routine," and "committing to my line" are integral parts of putting well. 

Who knew???

Seriously, I had gotten into some bad (mental) habits due to back and hip pain. I just wasn't at all involved in my putting process. Even when I tried to grind, I wasn't actually doing it, you know?

Yesterday I committed to making putting during my round a completely separate "game within a game," and it really payed dividends. I used to do that all the time when I was putting extremely well for a long time. I couldn't wait to get to the putting green to play that game. 

And I didn't even make many putts. It's not like it was me looking backwards and justifying my good putting with "my mental game was better." I made two 18 foot birdies but missed 3 5-footers for birde, but they were all very tough downhill/sidehill sliders on tough, fast, sloping greens. But my line and speed were good on all of them -- and that's the only thing you're looking to do with putting, because it's the only thing you control once you pick your line/speed: Did I hit my ball on my line, at my speed?

And yesterday, I was finally doing that again...

@isaacbm 

Went to see my golf coach this weekend. The diagnosis: there is nothing in particular wrong with my stroke. In fact, he thought it looked great. 

 

As I probably knew deep down, I have been doing a really bad job of "seeing the putt" in my head before I stroke it and visualizing a line. After some practice on Saturday and Sunday, it's still a little bit tough for me to really visualize the line, but I am at least forcing myself to find a target. I will say the greenskeeper picked a hell of a time to punch the greens, lol! It's tough for me to really "see" lines, which is weird because I can visualize fine on full shots or chips or whatnot, but seeing a line on the green is just a little cloudy/hard to picture for me. Work in progress for now. 

 

But I am right there with you in terms of picking up bad mental habits. Even though I have recently made solid strides towards really getting myself excited to go putt and free up my stroke, there haven't been significant gains because I have been lazy with picking my targets and my reads and even my practice strokes (which I am ditching for now to try and really focus on my target more).

 

I remembered that when I am putting well, I really don't care much about whether or not the ball goes in or not, just whether or not I did a good job of picking a spot and sending the ball on its way to that spot. And realized that I have also been putting too much pressure on myself/making a bigger deal about putts rather than downplaying them. I know my stroke is pretty good but I am not applying it well when I am haphazardly picking a spot and cautiously trying to get it there. I have definitely allowed my fear of three putting to overcome my love of one putting, but I will look to put that in the rearview ASAP. 

 

On the bright side, my lag putting speed seems to have gotten better 🙂

[redshirtgolfer]

On 12/14/2022 at 11:46 PM, Ty_Webb said:

I saw someone mention the Tempostik in here. I looked into that a little bit - it's an interesting looking piece of kit, but holy smokes is it expensive! About $600 for a LED strip and controller. Dug around a little and figured out how to make my own. Here's my first prototype:

 

 

I figured out the timings by finding Tiger's SAM puttlab report and using the acceleration to calculate speed and distance from start point along the way, then setting the delay between each LED lighting up based on the distance profile. It's smoother in real life than the gif shows. This is about a 15 foot putt I think

 

Right now I can only adjust the timings by rewriting the program. Next step trying to automate it so I can have a tempo and a putt distance input and have it figure out the timings based on that. I think I can figure out all the automation to make that happen, but then programming it into the microcontroller will be the challenge. 

did you make some progress here? Came across the speedstik today but no really keen to spend 600$ for a couple leds and a 20$ controller. 

[Ty_Webb]

17 minutes ago, redshirtgolfer said:

did you make some progress here? Came across the speedstik today but no really keen to spend 600$ for a couple leds and a 20$ controller. 

 

No further than I was in what you quoted. I like it in concept, but it's difficult to make it in a way that is shareable.

[J295]

What do you all like to use to check your face alignment when practicing 3 footers?
 

By this I mean set up with no aids then use device to determine putter face alignment.  
 

I can put down a laser after I set up but that process is a bit clunky.  But perhaps that’s the best option?
 

Bonus question.  Any good way to get data on face at impact other than at a putting lab (have used split color ball to check for end over end roll as a proxy for face angle at impact data).