Question:
I ALWAYS look at the ball line from both sides i.e. from the ball and from the other side of the cup (even for those short gimme putts).
I don’t know — if you looked at a two-footer from both sides every time and I was in your foursome, I think I’d go nuts. "JUST HIT THE FREAKIN’ PUTT!" ;-) Seriously, from two feet, just pound it into the back of the hole. I usually don’t even line up two-footers — if there’s any break, I can feel it in my feet standing over the putt. Left-center or right-center if you feel something, but firm and into the back of the cup. Concentrate on following through and putting down the target line. YMMV, of course. Also make sure (for all putts, long and short) that you have a repeatable trigger to get the putter moving. I particularly like Faldo’s trigger of tapping the putter head 3 times on the green and then GO! (I ground and lift the the head minutely 3 times in concert with a tempo befitting the required stroke).
I can’t argue with this. I lift my right thumb and put it back on the grip just before pulling back the putter. I don’t know why. I’ve said this before in another thread: I like to putt the ball with sufficient speed that in case it goes by the hole, I’m confident with the distance coming back. This belief doesn’t really belong in this thread as we are discussing 2-3 ft putts. When I see the pro’s ram the ball in the cup, it’s impressive but it’s not my way.
This might be why we differ about your first suggestion. For short putts, playing break (and hitting it softly so that you *have* to play break) is just too dangerous. In practice sessions I only take ONE ball to the practice putting green and never put from the same location more than once. This ensures that I read the green just as I would if I was playing.
I agree — this is a great idea. And for chipping on a green, I use one ball — I chip it, then walk up and hole the putt. Lather-rinse-repeat. Doug — ___, IBM Microelectronics Division, Burlington, Vermont o ASICs Product Development Engineering | | Phone: (802)769-7095 t/l: 446-7095 fax: x6752 | . Doug’s Homepage: http://members.tripod.com/~masseyd (|)
Response:
I try to take the club back slowly, but not very far — just 8-12 inches or so – Is that right? I think for a three foot putt I typically take the putter back at most 8 inches. Maybe that’s part of my problem? Or maybe you’re putting on extremely slow greens? The greens I most often play are medium to medium slow, but it seems to me a 12 inch "backswing" would produce a putt of six feet or so. Maybe I’m swinging too "hard." (I do use left hand low and try to keep the hands and wrists out of the putt.) But I also try to accelerate through the putt.
Well, for a three-footer, it’s about 8" (I actually stroked a practice putt in my office to figure it out). For me, I go slow on the backswing, then more quickly on the follow-through (which might have something to do with the 8" back, 16-18" through). I try very hard to make sure that my follow-through isn’t decelerating and that it continues down the line of the putt after contact. The greens I play are very quick; when I go to a slow-greens course, I just imagine that the hole is an extra 25% further away and putt to that spot. Doug PS: I had 27 putts on Wednesday — but shot 91. Four penalty strokes, *zero* GIR, but 10 up-and-downs (six were gimmes within a foot). It’s infuriating to waste a good day on the greens by constantly spraying drives all over the place. It seemed like all those up-and-downs were for bogey. Maybe we should form a scramble team. :-) — ___, IBM Microelectronics Division, Burlington, Vermont o ASICs Product Development Engineering | | Phone: (802)769-7095 t/l: 446-7095 fax: x6752 | . Doug’s Homepage: http://members.tripod.com/~masseyd (|)
Response:
I practice putting to a tee, a spot on the ground or to another ball, prior to a round. I could care less with balls dropping into a practice cup, you start missing that cup and you could conjure up some negative putting thoughts. I’d rather head to the first tee with positive "vibes" simply practicing pace and feel. ML – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I practice putting at another golf ball. This technique definitely helps me refine my putting skill and confidence. RJ .. On thing I should make clear in my previous post is that you should of course never be dissatisfied if the ball goes in – only that aiming at the direct center of the hole allows the putter to focus on a smaller area, such that alot of the putts will go in even if you miss a little. Considered from perspective, a putt from this distance in a 2-inch hole should be makeable. This reminds of how a Celtic backs in the 50’s used to practice free throws by placing a smaller ring inside the hoop. After practicing on a more demanding hoop the regulation size seemed huge. Which leads me to wonder about how to find or make a golf hole insert that would have the effect of reducing the size of the hole. Practicing on under-sized holes might make the course greens seem easier. — ToddH Copyright(c) 2001
Response:
I’m not a bad putter when I get outside of three or four feet. I hole about half of my putts up to ten or twelve feet and the ones that miss don’t miss by much. I make my share of longer putts, and I usually get the 30 and 40 footers within two or three feet. But sometimes it seems like I miss almost half the time from what should be tap in range. I’m pretty good at chipping and pitching, but I still average about 36 putts per round. When I’m over a short putt I just lose confidence, become tense, and make a poor stroke. On the practice green I can make 95 percent of these putts. Anyone have any suggestions (aside from giving up the game)? –Mat Twassel
A lot of people have already replied with some pretty good tips. I ALWAYS look at the ball line from both sides i.e. from the ball and from the other side of the cup (even for those short gimme putts). When you’re standing over the ball, ready to putt, you can still look along the line for the longer putts but don’t try to do this for the short ones, as you’ll see nothing, and seeing nothing will only confuse the mind. The visualisation of the line for short puts, that you saw when you crouched down is no longer apparent once you’re standing over the putt. Just trust what you saw when you crouched down to view the line. Also make sure (for all putts, long and short) that you have a repeatable trigger to get the putter moving. I particularly like Faldo’s trigger of tapping the putter head 3 times on the green and then GO! (I ground and lift the the head minutely 3 times in concert with a tempo befitting the required stroke). I’ve said this before in another thread: I like to putt the ball with sufficient speed that in case it goes by the hole, I’m confident with the distance coming back. This belief doesn’t really belong in this thread as we are discussing 2-3 ft putts. When I see the pro’s ram the ball in the cup, it’s impressive but it’s not my way. Holding your stance with the putter at the end of its swing path also gives the eyes (and mind) something to fix on, rather than prematurely peeping at the hole. It also provides you with feedback if the ball does/doesn’t go in the hole My putting stance is very different. My hands don’t interlock, I crouch over the ball with my elbows sticking out, up and down the line and by legs, hips and head set in cement (rather like Palmer in the Big Three films). There is a sort of diamond shape between my hands, neck and protuding elbows and it is this diamond which only moves. I feel that with my head over the ball, and my elbows in my peripheral vision, I am able to rock this diamond to and fro and ensure equidistant movement back and through the ball. This stance is not so good for very long putts, though. I don’t expect anyone to use this style, but it works for me. In practice sessions I only take ONE ball to the practice putting green and never put from the same location more than once. This ensures that I read the green just as I would if I was playing. One facility nearby has an 18-hole practice putting green with many different slopes (just east of McCowan on Major Mackenzie Drive, Toronto). It would be nice to find a completely flat facility ?? so I can try some of those other (distance) drills people have mentioned. Just my tuppence worth.
Response:
I’m not a bad putter when I get outside of three or four feet. I hole about half of my putts up to ten or twelve feet I’m guessing this is an exaggeration — professionals make half their putts from 6-8 feet. Note that 10 putts from the same spot, 12 feet away, is not the same thing as 10 12-footers on the course, with one chance for each.
Golf Digest published some data once that showed that good amateurs (low handicappers) actually putted better than pros at one specific range of length. I don’t recall for sure but I’m thinking it was from 6 to 10 feet of something. Anyone remember for sure? dsc
Response:
The two-foot putt can be a demading shot if you don’t know how to play it. The trick is – and I know this will sound unbelievable – to play the stroke with a 3-wood instead of a putter. Choke down a little on the grip, open up the stance a few degrees and play the shot like a fried egg explosion from a bunker: that is, pick out a spot about two inches behind the ball and hit it as hard as you can. Hope this tip helps!
Response:
measure out a distance of a normal putter length from the hole. then i bet you that you cant sink 100 of those putts in a row!
If I heard correctly, this is sort of like what Ben Hogan used to do. He was very accurate from tee to green, but never among the best putters. In his hotel room, he’d try hitting the leg of a chair 100 consecutive times from 4 feet away. Yes – it is a challenge and certainly a good training method – though if you accomplish it, you did nothing more than make 100 consecutively in practice. The original poster did not say he had any more trouble making the crucial putt per se, just that he tends to have trouble with all of them. Though I see your point. Another thing which has helped me is following straight thru – sometimes even exaggerating the follow thru so the blade passes directly over the hole – the idea being if you hit the ball in the same direction, it’ll go in also. Ideally, the putter travels on a slight arc; so it is probably not good to alter the true stroke – though having this idea in mind might be helpful. On thing I should make clear in my previous post is that you should of course never be dissatisfied if the ball goes in – only that aiming at the direct center of the hole allows the putter to focus on a smaller area, such that alot of the putts will go in even if you miss a little. Considered from perspective, a putt from this distance in a 2-inch hole should be makeable. Joseph
Response:
I practice putting at another golf ball. This technique definitely helps me refine my putting skill and confidence. RJ .. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – On thing I should make clear in my previous post is that you should of course never be dissatisfied if the ball goes in – only that aiming at the direct center of the hole allows the putter to focus on a smaller area, such that alot of the putts will go in even if you miss a little. Considered from perspective, a putt from this distance in a 2-inch hole should be makeable. This reminds of how a Celtic backs in the 50’s used to practice free throws by placing a smaller ring inside the hoop. After practicing on a more demanding hoop the regulation size seemed huge. Which leads me to wonder about how to find or make a golf hole insert that would have the effect of reducing the size of the hole. Practicing on under-sized holes might make the course greens seem easier. — ToddH Copyright(c) 2001
Response:
Just before a round make about 20 straight up putts starting at 18" or so from the hole and working back. It will do wonders for your confidence on
Like that one. One other drill I try to do before a round is take three balls. Put them in a line, one at 3 feet, one at 4 feet and one at 5 feet and putt them from 3 feet to 5 feet in order. Then use the same drill from the 3 other angles at 90 degrees from the first set. Do two to three times around the hole and finish with one more set with your eyes closed while striking the ball. Another good drill is to put three balls in a semi-circle at 3 feet and putt them into the hole, then do a semi-circle at 4 feet, then do a semi-circle at 5 feet. If you miss any one of the nine tries, then you start all over at 3 feet. When I have time to practice putting I will do this drill before leaving for home or my next practice drill. Makes you tend to concentrate better with the goal of making all nine tries. Why, yes I have had to not make all nine ad go home – something about trying to explain things to a wife that does not understand what it is like to miss three footers. Cheers, Mike
Response:
Doug writes: I’m not a bad putter when I get outside of three or four feet. I hole about half of my putts up to ten or twelve feet
First of all, thanks very much to all who have answered with suggestions. I’m quite eager to try out some of the suggestions. I’m guessing this is an exaggeration — professionals make half their putts from 6-8 feet. Note that 10 putts from the same spot, 12 feet away, is not the same thing as 10 12-footers on the course, with one chance for each.
I think I make more than half of my 6 footers. Half the 8 footers. Maybe 40% of the ten to twelve footers. The point is that I’m pretty good outside of four feet. I’ve heard that about pros making 50% from six feet. I think touring pros do a bit better than that. But anyway… The reason I responded to this post: You write: I try to take the club back slowly, but not very far — just 8-12 inches or so –
Is that right? I think for a three foot putt I typically take the putter back at most 8 inches. Maybe that’s part of my problem? Or maybe you’re putting on extremely slow greens? The greens I most often play are medium to medium slow, but it seems to me a 12 inch "backswing" would produce a putt of six feet or so. Maybe I’m swinging too "hard." (I do use left hand low and try to keep the hands and wrists out of the putt.) But I also try to accelerate through the putt. Thanks again. –Mat Twassel – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -My technique for a three-footer is to take a wide stance — shoulder length or wider — with most of my weight on the front foot. My head is closer to the front than the back because of this, and I play the ball forward in my stance (to match the position of my eyes). I use a short putter and keep the ball close to my stance — in fact, directly under my eyes (I bend a bit at my waist so this doesn’t mean it’s between my feet. 
) My hands are slightly ahead of the ball at address and again at impact. Because the ball is forward in my stance, I strike it with a bit of an upswing — not much, but enough to get it rolling rather than hopping. Hops kill on short putts. My hands and wrists are like concrete — completely unmoving through the stroke. All the motion is generated by the swing of the arms. I try to take the club back slowly, but not very far — just 8-12 inches or so — then follow through the ball directly towards the hole (or towards my aiming point, if I’m playing break). The length of the follow through varies — longer for longer putts. The benefit of this is that it’s repeatable. Because you use large muscles (arms and shoulders) rather than small muscles (hands and wrists), you’re less susceptible to nervous twitches that kill. The whole point of the long putters is that you *can’t* putt with your hands and wrists using them — you have to use the big muscles. In practice, I never hit the same putt twice. I drop three balls on the green, but (to start), but them three feet from the hole, a foot or so apart. I hit the first, then step forward, hit the second, then step forward, hit the third. Pick out the three balls, put them in three new spots, such that I’m working a circle around the hole (geometry says it should take me 9-10 putts to circle the hole from three feet, 18-20 putts to circle the hole from 6 feet. I expect to make 90%+ of the three footers and about 50%+ from 6 feet, depending how much break is around that hole. On the course, I’ll make about 90% from three feet and 30-70% from six feet — there’s an enormous difference between those two types of putt. Best of luck!
Response:
I’m not a bad putter when I get outside of three or four feet. I hole about half of my putts up to ten or twelve feet
I’m guessing this is an exaggeration — professionals make half their putts from 6-8 feet. Note that 10 putts from the same spot, 12 feet away, is not the same thing as 10 12-footers on the course, with one chance for each. and the ones that miss don’t miss by much. I make my share of longer putts, and I usually get the 30 and 40 footers within two or three feet. But sometimes it seems like I miss almost half the time from what should be tap in range. I’m pretty good at chipping and pitching, but I still average about 36 putts per round. When I’m over a short putt I just lose confidence, become tense, and make a poor stroke. On the practice green I can make 95 percent of these putts.
Confidence is nice, but that comes after the fact. Tense isn’t necessarily bad — I putt with a death-grip on the putter, and average 32 per round. My technique for a three-footer is to take a wide stance — shoulder length or wider — with most of my weight on the front foot. My head is closer to the front than the back because of this, and I play the ball forward in my stance (to match the position of my eyes). I use a short putter and keep the ball close to my stance — in fact, directly under my eyes (I bend a bit at my waist so this doesn’t mean it’s between my feet. ) My hands are slightly ahead of the ball at address and again at impact. Because the ball is forward in my stance, I strike it with a bit of an upswing — not much, but enough to get it rolling rather than hopping. Hops kill on short putts. My hands and wrists are like concrete — completely unmoving through the stroke. All the motion is generated by the swing of the arms. I try to take the club back slowly, but not very far — just 8-12 inches or so — then follow through the ball directly towards the hole (or towards my aiming point, if I’m playing break). The length of the follow through varies — longer for longer putts. The benefit of this is that it’s repeatable. Because you use large muscles (arms and shoulders) rather than small muscles (hands and wrists), you’re less susceptible to nervous twitches that kill. The whole point of the long putters is that you *can’t* putt with your hands and wrists using them — you have to use the big muscles. In practice, I never hit the same putt twice. I drop three balls on the green, but (to start), but them three feet from the hole, a foot or so apart. I hit the first, then step forward, hit the second, then step forward, hit the third. Pick out the three balls, put them in three new spots, such that I’m working a circle around the hole (geometry says it should take me 9-10 putts to circle the hole from three feet, 18-20 putts to circle the hole from 6 feet. I expect to make 90%+ of the three footers and about 50%+ from 6 feet, depending how much break is around that hole. On the course, I’ll make about 90% from three feet and 30-70% from six feet — there’s an enormous difference between those two types of putt. Best of luck! Doug — ___, IBM Microelectronics Division, Burlington, Vermont o ASICs Product Development Engineering | | Phone: (802)769-7095 t/l: 446-7095 fax: x6752 | . Doug’s Homepage: http://members.tripod.com/~masseyd (|)
Response:
Anyone have any suggestions (aside from giving up the game)?
no miracles, metheds or magic tips here. you just need to learn to cope with the pressure of putting from that distance, SO; measure out a distance of a normal putter length from the hole. then i bet you that you cant sink 100 of those putts in a row! when you are ready to collect on that bet, you are by then a bloody good putter. because the pressure builds and builds with every putt, so much that if you ever make 99 in a row you will be more nervous than Bernhard langer 20 years ago from 2 feet. when i tried out this method it took me until the third session (an hour or so each) to make 10 in a row! i probably got over 20 in a row once, and that was about 70. trust me – this method works.
Response:
Leave you head in the locker room!! Don’t move you head is correct but the key is not moving you body. You body is much smarter than you are. You can focus your eyes on something, move you torso, and your eyes move and remind focused on the object.
Make sure you don’t move your head. Keep focusing on the point where the ball was until you hear the ball drop into the hole. Alternatively, you can putt while looking at the hole rather than the ball. This has worked well for me in the past when my short putting was shaky. Just look at the back of the hole (or wherever you want to hit it) and hit the ball where you are looking.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m not a bad putter when I get outside of three or four feet. I hole about half of my putts up to ten or twelve feet and the ones that miss don’t miss by much. I make my share of longer putts, and I usually get the 30 and 40 footers within two or three feet. But sometimes it seems like I miss almost half the time from what should be tap in range. I’m pretty good at chipping and pitching, but I still average about 36 putts per round. When I’m over a short putt I just lose confidence, become tense, and make a poor stroke. On the practice green I can make 95 percent of these putts. Anyone have any suggestions (aside from giving up the game)? –Mat Twassel
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone have any suggestions (aside from giving up the game)? no miracles, metheds or magic tips here. you just need to learn to cope with the pressure of putting from that distance, SO; measure out a distance of a normal putter length from the hole. then i bet you that you cant sink 100 of those putts in a row! when you are ready to collect on that bet, you are by then a bloody good putter. because the pressure builds and builds with every putt, so much that if you ever make 99 in a row you will be more nervous than Bernhard langer 20 years ago from 2 feet. when i tried out this method it took me until the third session (an hour or so each) to make 10 in a row! i probably got over 20 in a row once, and that was about 70. trust me – this method works.
Is that 100 putts from the same spot or from different directions to the hole? me
Response:
One thing I’ve done recently on short putts is to concentrate totally on getting lined up and not think about how hard to hit the ball. I don’t even make a practice stroke, just take an extra second and maybe a second look to make sure I’m aimed right at the center of the cup (or maybe the left/right edge for break) and then concentrate on making a short, straight takeaway and a positive (accelerating) stroke. You don’t want to try and "baby" it into the hole. This is in contrast to longer putts (say anything longer than 4-6 feet) where I think a little more about distance control … make a couple of practice strokes until it feels "right", and then concentrate on repeating the last practice stroke. I know this may be contrary to some teaching where they recommend you have the same pre-shot routine all the time, but I seem to have had good luck with this shifting of focus from aim-for-short to distance-for-long (and my putting has definitely improved recently). Rob – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m not a bad putter when I get outside of three or four feet. I hole about half of my putts up to ten or twelve feet and the ones that miss don’t miss by much. I make my share of longer putts, and I usually get the 30 and 40 footers within two or three feet. But sometimes it seems like I miss almost half the time from what should be tap in range. I’m pretty good at chipping and pitching, but I still average about 36 putts per round. When I’m over a short putt I just lose confidence, become tense, and make a poor stroke. On the practice green I can make 95 percent of these putts. Anyone have any suggestions (aside from giving up the game)? –Mat Twassel
Response:
Make sure you don’t move your head. Keep focusing on the point where the ball was until you hear the ball drop into the hole. Alternatively, you can putt while looking at the hole rather than the ball. This has worked well for me in the past when my short putting was shaky. Just look at the back of the hole (or wherever you want to hit it) and hit the ball where you are looking. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m not a bad putter when I get outside of three or four feet. I hole about half of my putts up to ten or twelve feet and the ones that miss don’t miss by much. I make my share of longer putts, and I usually get the 30 and 40 footers within two or three feet. But sometimes it seems like I miss almost half the time from what should be tap in range. I’m pretty good at chipping and pitching, but I still average about 36 putts per round. When I’m over a short putt I just lose confidence, become tense, and make a poor stroke. On the practice green I can make 95 percent of these putts. Anyone have any suggestions (aside from giving up the game)? –Mat Twassel
Response:
I’m not a bad putter when I get outside of three or four feet. I hole about half of my putts up to ten or twelve feet and the ones that miss don’t miss by much. I make my share of longer putts, and I usually get the 30 and 40 footers within two or three feet. But sometimes it seems like I miss almost half the time from what should be tap in range. I’m pretty good at chipping and pitching, but I still average about 36 putts per round. When I’m over a short putt I just lose confidence, become tense, and make a poor stroke. On the practice green I can make 95 percent of these putts.
Try looking at the cup instead of the ball on short putts — sure-fire yip cure. … Tom
Response:
I certainly don’t have as much experience as some, but something which helps me is not being satisfied with simply making the putt – from 2-3 feet the ball should go straight down the middle, so I try doing that. Joseph
Response:
I’m not a bad putter when I get outside of three or four feet. I hole about half of my putts up to ten or twelve feet and the ones that miss don’t miss by much. I make my share of longer putts, and I usually get the 30 and 40 footers within two or three feet. But sometimes it seems like I miss almost half the time from what should be tap in range. I’m pretty good at chipping and pitching, but I still average about 36 putts per round. When I’m over a short putt I just lose confidence, become tense, and make a poor stroke. On the practice green I can make 95 percent of these putts. Anyone have any suggestions (aside from giving up the game)? –Mat Twassel
Yeah! Toughen up! I hear they have some spines on sale at K-Mart. 
Actually, you are probably setting yourself up to fail a little, Mat. You get to the point when you can’t get the ball close enough to the hole when you miss and breathe a sigh of relief when a short putt goes in. That is *no* way to live let alone putt. If you are making everything else look easy then tow the line, tell yourself you are a great putter, and accept the outcome regardless of the … uh… outcome. Btw, taking the pro-line view of things is a good practice. Rattle the back of the cup. That really takes some guts, but if you are going to be strong don’t go halfway. Scott (Who is still looking for that "blue light special" for talent
Response:
Do what the pros do. Draw the line on the ball, line it up and trust your line. Be aggressive on uphill puts and passive on downhill putts. Also, what type of ball do you use? Try using something a little softer.
Better yet.. put a line (chalk-line will work) on the ground… straight putt slightly up hill. Then position a couple clubs on each side of it and parallel to it so that they are a bit more than putter head length apart. Now spend a couple hours putting up the tracks. Start close make 3-5 in a row move back 6", keep going as far as you can. If you miss, move one or two levels closer and start again. You will soon be making nearly every one of these out past 3 or 4 feet. You can then try straight down hill… you can then try side hillers although you may want to forego the chalk line and clubs as they are difficult to set up. Just before a round make about 20 straight up putts starting at 18" or so from the hole and working back. It will do wonders for your confidence on those knee knockers. dsc
Response:
Do what the pros do. Draw the line on the ball, line it up and trust your line.
Yup. Get one of those ball markers and put a solid black line half way (or all the way) around your ball. Line up the ball from behind it, then align your putter dead square with the line on the ball. After that if you miss, it’s stroke mechanics.
Response:
What has really worked for me this year is a Pre-Shot routine. I found I don’t think so much about the small putts. The 3 or 4 foot putts, for the most part, you should not give away the hole. So what I do, is while I am behind the ball lining up the putt, I find a blade of grass on the back side of the cup to aim for. Next, I take 2 practice strokes with the exact same stroke I will use when I hit the putt and then visualize my ball rolling into the hole, then put my putter down behind the ball, take one last look at my blade of grass, and stroke. This is just my routine. If you go to the practice green, and develop your own routine, you will find you don’t "think" so much about the small ones on the course, and they WILL start falling in. Rich in Maine
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m not a bad putter when I get outside of three or four feet. I hole about half of my putts up to ten or twelve feet and the ones that miss don’t miss by much. I make my share of longer putts, and I usually get the 30 and 40 footers within two or three feet. But sometimes it seems like I miss almost half the time from what should be tap in range. I’m pretty good at chipping and pitching, but I still average about 36 putts per round. When I’m over a short putt I just lose confidence, become tense, and make a poor stroke. On the practice green I can make 95 percent of these putts. Anyone have any suggestions (aside from giving up the game)? –Mat Twassel
Response:
I’m not a bad putter when I get outside of three or four feet. I hole about half of my putts up to ten or twelve feet and the ones that miss don’t miss by much. I make my share of longer putts, and I usually get the 30 and 40 footers within two or three feet. But sometimes it seems like I miss almost half the time from what should be tap in range. I’m pretty good at chipping and pitching, but I still average about 36 putts per round. When I’m over a short putt I just lose confidence, become tense, and make a poor stroke. On the practice green I can make 95 percent of these putts. Anyone have any suggestions (aside from giving up the game)?
Look at what the differences are. What are you thinking about when you get ready to putt one in on the putting clock? Now what do you think about when you get ready to putt one on, say, #4? I would venture to guess that on the clock you’re just thinking of the target, and pretty much nothing else. On the other hand, out on the course, I would guess, you are thinking about needing this one for par, or birdie. How many of those short ones do you miss when it’s for bogie or worse? Try to just think target. –Mat Twassel
Thanks, Tony Harmon "A golfer with great dreams, can accomplish great things." — Bob Rotella "A day without hitting golf balls, is a day longer to getting better" — Ben Hogan "The average golfer’s problem is not so much a lack of ability as it is a lack of knowing what he should do." — Ben Hogan
Response:
I’m not a bad putter when I get outside of three or four feet. I hole about half of my putts up to ten or twelve feet and the ones that miss don’t miss by much. I make my share of longer putts, and I usually get the 30 and 40 footers within two or three feet. But sometimes it seems like I miss almost half the time from what should be tap in range. I’m pretty good at chipping and pitching, but I still average about 36 putts per round. When I’m over a short putt I just lose confidence, become tense, and make a poor stroke. On the practice green I can make 95 percent of these putts. Anyone have any suggestions (aside from giving up the game)? –Mat Twassel
Response:
I’m not a bad putter when I get outside of three or four feet. I hole about half of my putts up to ten or twelve feet and the ones that miss don’t miss by much. I make my share of longer putts, and I usually get the 30 and 40 footers within two or three feet. But sometimes it seems like I miss almost half the time from what should be tap in range. I’m pretty good at chipping and pitching, but I still average about 36 putts per round. When I’m over a short putt I just lose confidence, become tense, and make a poor stroke. On the practice green I can make 95 percent of these putts. Anyone have any suggestions (aside from giving up the game)? –Mat Twassel
Do what the pros do. Draw the line on the ball, line it up and trust your line. Be aggressive on uphill puts and passive on downhill putts. Also, what type of ball do you use? Try using something a little softer. Mark