Putting problems!

golfnuts

I seem to be leaving a lot of putts short everytime. My stroke looks ok, rocking the shoulders back and forth.

I was just wondering would a heavier headed putter be more beneficial to me, I'm using a mc gregor one (I picked it up a few years ago, dont ask ) at the moment and I am in the market for a new one. I know picking putters is a matter of look and feel but is there any other attribute I should look out for.

Ta

L.O.F.T

golfnuts wrote: »

I seem to be leaving a lot of putts short everytime. My stroke looks ok, rocking the shoulders back and forth.

but is there any other attribute I should look out for.

Have you tried hitting your putts harder?

golfnuts

L.O.F.T wrote: »

Have you tried hitting your putts harder?

When I try to hit putts harder I find that I lose control and feel, I find the rocking of the shoulders back and forth can be too long a stroke and I lose control and feel. I just thought if I get a heavier putter and keep the same stroke it might help.

Trampas

Not just a recent thing?

Daithio9

There was a study done in Harvard a few years ago on putting and the results found that 99.99% of putts didn't go in if they were hit hard enough.

stockdam

Daithio9 wrote: »

There was a study done in Harvard a few years ago on putting and the results found that 99.99% of putts didn't go in if they were hit hard enough.

Maybe you mean 100% (99.99%) if they weren't hit hard enough.

stockdam

Golfnuts......is this just a recent thing? Do you struggle in the winter months or on slow greens?

I find that on slow/poor greens I need a heavier or mallet putter. On fast greens I can use my usual lighter one.

golfnuts

stockdam wrote: »

Golfnuts......is this just a recent thing? Do you struggle in the winter months or on slow greens?

I find that on slow/poor greens I need a heavier or mallet putter. On fast greens I can use my usual lighter one.

Na it bugs me all the time i can never seem to get to grips with green speeds even on my own course...its really a pain in the a*se. If I got a say 20ft put i'll nearly always leave it between 10ft or less to the hole short, i just cannot hit the bloody thing hard enough and when i do, it whizzes past the hole so next time i double cross myself then next time i just cant seem to give it enough to get to the hole :mad:

Maybe i'm just going mad....!!!

jimmystars

Have you got a putting routine.Physical and mental one. Maybe its a mental issue if your leaving them short and running others miles past.

Try Dr Bob Rottellas putting book if you havent already gone down this road. Im a big fan of his at the moment.

heavyballs

golfnuts wrote: »

Na it bugs me all the time i can never seem to get to grips with green speeds even on my own course...its really a pain in the a*se. If I got a say 20ft put i'll nearly always leave it between 10ft or less to the hole short, i just cannot hit the bloody thing hard enough and when i do, it whizzes past the hole so next time i double cross myself then next time i just cant seem to give it enough to get to the hole :mad:

Maybe i'm just going mad....!!!

probably 90% mental imo,you'll lose your fell completely if you don't have a clear idea of how hard you have to hit it,remember the way you get the feel is through your hand eye co-ord,if i'm struggling with spead i set up about 5 tees all at different lenghts from 15-50 feet and surround the hole with tees in a 4 foot sq,
just pracice,r u a member of a club local for this sort of practice

another 1 is closing your eyes after doing your practice putts etc from about 15 -20 feet

heavyballs

jimmystars wrote: »

Have you got a putting routine.Physical and mental one. Maybe its a mental issue if your leaving them short and running others miles past.

Try Dr Bob Rottellas putting book if you havent already gone down this road. Im a big fan of his at the moment.

+1 although re his books in general the best is,"Golf is not a game of perfect"

stockdam

I'd suggest that you spend 30 minutes or so per week on the practice green on middle to long range putts. You don't have to aim at a hole.........just try to get the ball as close to the fringe of the green.

If you are leaving putts way short then a heavier putter will not work.

Do you take practice swings or do you just step up and putt. Practice swings help to get the right length of swing....then just step over the ball and duplicate them.

Maybe try a lesson......you may be overswinging and decelerating?

kagni

I used to have the same problem - leaving almost every putt short. I came across this website last year and it has a huge amount of information about putting. It has way more info than anyone would ever want, a lot of it is baffling and the layout of the site is confusing as f*ck.

Still there is some really useful stuf fthere if you can find it, the "core putt" method helped me a lot with my distance control...
http://puttingzone.com/MyTips/core.html

golfnuts

stockdam wrote: »

I'd suggest that you spend 30 minutes or so per week on the practice green on middle to long range putts. You don't have to aim at a hole.........just try to get the ball as close to the fringe of the green.

If you are leaving putts way short then a heavier putter will not work.

Do you take practice swings or do you just step up and putt. Practice swings help to get the right length of swing....then just step over the ball and duplicate them.

Maybe try a lesson......you may be overswinging and decelerating?

I've tried putting while looking at the hole and get good results especially on long putts. I do take a practice swing beforehand and try to repeat over the ball.
Conclusion: Practice a little more, but specific drills & try hit it harder or maybe get a lesson. Or sign mself in

Cheers lads.

ozymandias10

Also..some people I knew that had good lines on putts but were leaving them a foot short have started to play the putt ( ball) from the left foot (not centre) and the same swing strength is getting them to the hole...

C.O.Y.B.I.B

golfnuts wrote: »

I've tried putting while looking at the hole and get good results especially on long putts. I do take a practice swing beforehand and try to repeat over the ball.
Conclusion: Practice a little more, but specific drills & try hit it harder or maybe get a lesson. Or sign mself in

Cheers lads.

I had similar problems until recently . One thing that brought home to me how much it was in my head was when I went out and bought a new outter expecting it to be the end of my putting problems :rolleyes:
First game with the new putter and I couldnt miss from 3-6ft which was always a problem area . I had no 3 putts that day and was telling anyone who'd listen what a great putter I was after buying . Fast forward 3 weeks and I'm exactly where i was before I bought the putter . missing 2 footers leaving 20ft putts 10ft short . I realised then it was all in my head and the new putter had just given me confidence temporarily !!

What helped me was doing taking a few reccomendations and putting them together .
1. Stare at the ball and dont move the head till after putting
2. Always follow through (I had a tendancy to stop after hitting the putt)
3. Take a 4 or 5 pendulum practice swings before every putt nice and loose.

I'll quantify the above by saying I play off 21 and while this has worked for me , there may be no scientific basis to it . It's probably just a confidence thing , but most shot/preshot routines are .

Best of luck