Tips on Putting Game

Daniel2oo9

Im 15 and have recently been playing alot of golf with my dad in fermoy.My long game driving is ok (150yards)is my best.I just need help with my putting as my dad said my pace is waay off.So any tips

Iceboy

when putting make sure you only use your shoulders to rock the putter, think smooth back and through, don't jerk at the ball. Go to the practice green and drop balls 5 feet, 10 feet, 15 feet, 20 feet from the hole and get a feel for how big of a stroke you should make, this will really improve your distance and feel

NapoleonInRags

Iceboy wrote: »

You only drive it 150 yards? My 9 year old brother can hit futher than that.

My nine year old brother has more tact than that

Iceboy

NapoleonInRags wrote: »

My nine year old brother has more tact than that

tact?

kagni

Iceboy wrote: »

tact?

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tact

tact (tkt)
n.
1. Acute sensitivity to what is proper and appropriate in dealing with others, including the ability to speak or act without offending.

stockdam

Telling somebody how to get distance control in putting is like telling them how to walk.

You'll get better and better the more you practice. If you can then spend lots of time on the putting green. I used to spend hours putting against other people until I became pretty good.

Practice will enable you to develop a repeating stroke and this will help you to learn how hard you need to hit the ball. As your confidence grows then your putting will get better.

Take 6 or so balls and go to the practice green. Pick a hole that is 30 or or so away and hit the balls. Keep doing this and eventually you'll find the right pace.

So just have patience and I guarantee that you'll get the hang of it.

kagni

What helped my distance control was developing a "core putt".
The link below is an article on how to do it, it sounds complicated but in practice it's fairly straightforward.
A few mins on the practice green before a round will tell you what distance your "core putt" is travelling that day.
http://golf.about.com/cs/tipslessons/a/coreputt.htm

danthefan

The best bit of advice I could give is to decide on the line of the putt (e.g. one ball outside right) and just trust that completely. Don't get in the habit of correcting things mid stroke, it's a disater. Follow through properly too, it really helps.

uptheroyals

its pure feel, look at the hole, and hit it, dont worry about what the putter does etc, tiger ses earl explained it to him as if every time he loked at a putt he took a picture in his mind, so when your over the ball your thinking about that picture, after that, the rest is up to you!! also dont mind about practicing with 6 balls on a green, you only hyave one ball on a course, recreate that, have 18 hole putting competitions with ur friends or dad, or even agains urself and track your score, much more realistic, plus when you come under the gun, u'll be used to only having one attemt, not 2 or 6 even!! and enjoy beating people on the green

Morrisseeee

been playing alot of golf with my dad in fermoy

Fermoy GC ? ah thats easy, every green slopes towards Rathcormac !! :D As for your OP, then its all about practice practice practice, I'd even practice at home, (if you've a hallway with a smooth carpet!), get use to your putter, and get a feel for different distances.

rafared

Nothing beats practice as they say. I would recommend 2 practice drills but before you start make sure you dont grip the club too hard, putting the death grip on the club robs you of the feel in your hands and the pace of your putts will suffer.

1. drop a half dozen balls anywhere on the practice green and try to putt different places on the fringe or edge of the green NOT to a hole. Try to roll the ball as close to the fringe as possible without putting off the green. This drill is great for finding the best pace for your putts or developing an ideal of how hard to hit the ball.

2. Stroke a ball about say 20ft from you with a nice smooth stroke with your eyes closed. Concentrate on how hard it felt your hands and arms swung the putter. Then with your eyes open stroke more balls towards the first one trying to get as close as possible without going past. The idea is to make each putt just shorter than the one before it. If you knock one past the one before it stop and begin again.
This drill ca be done in increasing distances also, stroke the first one say 5 feet and then try to putt each ball just past the one before it.

I would say that overall the best putters I know are very relaxed and at ease on the green,tension is a killer in golf, not just on the tee but on the green.

Webbs

When I was young many moons ago a couple of things I was shown which helped me with pace
Firstly just practice rolling the ball with your hand (like they do on a bowling green) to the hole this just gives you an idea of how fast you need the ball to come off the putter as someone said its all about feel and this gets you visualising the pace, sounds daft but it does work.
Secondly set up somewhere on a putting green not around a hole and lay 3 clubs in a U shape and just putt into this area without hitting any of the clubs, the pressure is off trying to get to within 6inches or in the hole all you are trying to do is get within a say 3feet circle you can then make the U shape progressively smaller as you feel more comfortable.

MrDerp

I'm an beginner and the weight/distance behind my putting is actually pretty good. I just need to practice my lines.

But here's what I was shown in a lesson, I think it might help you.

1. Start with balls at 6ft from the hole. Try and guess the line and place two clubs parallel to that line, above and below, leaving an inch either side of your putter head.

2. Practice getting a pendulum swing on your putter. Smooth back and smooth follow through, equal backswing to follow through. Get your head over the ball as much as possible, and watch your stroke to make sure it stays in line with the clubs you've laid down as markers. Practice not pulling your putter at the last second. make sure your stroke is smooth consistent.

3. Now put a ball between the clubs. Start putting into the hole. If you're hitting short, increase your swing and follow through slightly. If you're hitting long, reduce your back swing and follow through. Keeping going until your holing putts, or leaving it close to left/right. If you have the weight, but not the line, adjust the two clubs appropriately. Keep putting until you get 3,4,5 in a row.

4. Move out to 9ft and repeat

5. Move out to 12ft and repeat

6. You can practice longer putts, but just do it for fun until your 6, 9, 12 are bang on.

It's a great little drill and it worked for me, I used it before I ever went out on a golf course, and in my first ever game I sunk a 12 footer and a couple of 9 footers, which was great because it kept me interested - the rest of my first game experience was as bad as any first timer would have on a links course on a very windy day!

The line should come naturally to you, the weight is what's important when getting your putting confidence I think. All I do is pick my line, commit and hit it appropriately thinking: "This is going in", or "This is going within 1/2 feet" for the shorter (up to 9ft) and longer putts respectively.

One other thing I find when practicing my putting stroke, that I can't figure out, is that if I'm leaving it short, I'm better to over hit the next one and work back to the correct weight. If I try to slightly increase the weight I paradoxically end up shorter - I think I increase the swing, but pull slightly trying to refine the increase. Better for me to work down, and concentrate on keeping that pendulum moving consistently.

alxmorgan

I liked this for pace control

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5TockpcqG8

soundsham

glad to hear your enjoying the golf and in my opinion your on the ball,gauging distace is the most important thing for solid putting

no.1 tip for me if you can is buy a chalkline only about €10 in a hardware shop or B&Q ,stramming 2 lines on the green again on a flat point about 3 inches apart running parallel maybe 20 feet in length,just try putting to the end of the line keeping the ball inside the lines......this will also show you if your making a good contact and will help you to understand & fix your stroke if its a little off

for distance I would recommend not putting to a hole at all.........
try putting fron 20- 30 feet to the fringe of the green, the ball must make the fringe each time but not the longer grass behind the fringe...again see how many you can do practising this both up and downhill

from 15 feet or longer practice with a club lying on the groud 18inches or maybe 2 feet to start off behind a tee stuck in the ground,practise hitting the ball to the tee counting how many you can hit it or that pass the tee but dont hit the club on the ground

practise the 2-3 footers,pick a flat area on the green with no break .........try holing 10 in a row,

drop 3 balls at 3 feet from the hole,make all 3 move back an extra foot if you hole all 3 again move back to 5 feet and so on, if you miss one move back to 3 feet for the hole and start again.......see how far you can go,this can also be done with a single line strammed out to the middle of the hole in chalk so you rfocus is not as much on line rather distance,

I also have a little mirror with parrallel lines marked on it, available in most golf shops about €20 you stand over it lining up to putt and it shows you if your shoulders are in line or if your hunched over or too far away from the ball.....I rarely use this myself and it may be a bit of an overkill for a 15 yr old beginner

making sure your putter is the right length would help too, the local pro would advise you of this in the shop,he might give you a little tip or 2 for free who knows........
keep an eye out for the pro's on t.v. see if you notice how still they keep their body and head while rocking their shoulders,also how still they keep their head after the ball has been struck

finally if you have someone to practice with try to challenge each other,
for example whoever putts worst out of 5 retrieves the balls,

good luck,

uptheroyals

rafared wrote: »

1. drop a half dozen balls anywhere on the practice green and try to putt different places on the fringe or edge of the green NOT to a hole. Try to roll the ball as close to the fringe as possible without putting off the green. This drill is great for finding the best pace for your putts or developing an ideal of how hard to hit the ball.

.

has nobody grasped the concept that golf is played with one ball, not "half a dozen" and that it actually is played to a hole!! this is the reason soooo many guys stand up on a tee, whak one into a ditch then stand up with a second and nail it, their so used to hitting multiple golf balls, the game is played with one, we're not playing tennis!! EVERY SHOT COUNTS!! if you really want to improve, look at stuff from amazing teachers like lynn marriot and pia neillson (vison 54) they coach the best, and they teach the same principles to everyone, not a load of hackers on a forum!!

1 ball, 1 cup, thats what u gotta practice, every single shot you play will be different!! so why practice the same shot again and again in practice!!

jonas7

uptheroyals wrote: »

has nobody grasped the concept that golf is played with one ball, not "half a dozen" and that it actually is played to a hole!! this is the reason soooo many guys stand up on a tee, whak one into a ditch then stand up with a second and nail it, their so used to hitting multiple golf balls, the game is played with one, we're not playing tennis!! EVERY SHOT COUNTS!! if you really want to improve, look at stuff from amazing teachers like lynn marriot and pia neillson (vison 54) they coach the best, and they teach the same principles to everyone, not a load of hackers on a forum!!

1 ball, 1 cup, thats what u gotta practice, every single shot you play will be different!! so why practice the same shot again and again in practice!!

You need to relax a bit mate. There is no set way to practice golf. What works for you may not be of any use to someone else. No need for the preaching

danthefan

uptheroyals wrote: »

has nobody grasped the concept that golf is played with one ball, not "half a dozen" and that it actually is played to a hole!! this is the reason soooo many guys stand up on a tee, whak one into a ditch then stand up with a second and nail it, their so used to hitting multiple golf balls, the game is played with one, we're not playing tennis!! EVERY SHOT COUNTS!! if you really want to improve, look at stuff from amazing teachers like lynn marriot and pia neillson (vison 54) they coach the best, and they teach the same principles to everyone, not a load of hackers on a forum!!

1 ball, 1 cup, thats what u gotta practice, every single shot you play will be different!! so why practice the same shot again and again in practice!!

Indeed, you'd never catch a professional on a range...

PhilipMarlowe

A good way in my opinion to get better distance control is to look at the hole when putting! Sounds weird but it could help you to get a feel for distance.
When I am on the course taking a putt, I will take a couple of practice swings, all the time looking at the hole (or target), NOT the ball, so I build up the feel in my mind... then I line up an hit it without delay with that feel still stuck in my tiny brain.
I do look at the ball when taking the stroke but you could try just looking at the hole on the practice green.
It's really about focus... a dart player is focused on the target and isn't looking at the dart he's throwing... when Messi is taking a free kick, he is looking at the ball that he's kicking but you can be sure his focus is on the top corner where he wants to stick it.
You need to work on having that picture or focus in your mind.

Trekker09

Licksy wrote: »

A good way in my opinion to get better distance control is to look at the hole when putting! Sounds weird but it could help you to get a feel for distance.
When I am on the course taking a putt, I will take a couple of practice swings, all the time looking at the hole (or target), NOT the ball, so I build up the feel in my mind... then I line up an hit it without delay with that feel still stuck in my tiny brain.
I do look at the ball when taking the stroke but you could try just looking at the hole on the practice green.
It's really about focus... a dart player is focused on the target and isn't looking at the dart he's throwing... when Messi is taking a free kick, he is looking at the ball that he's kicking but you can be sure his focus is on the top corner where he wants to stick it.
You need to work on having that picture or focus in your mind.

+1 on this. Apparantly your brain will automatically make the correct adjustments when looking at the target. I used to practice putting with my eyes closed as well, and it does improve distance control. Saying that, I could do with hitting the practice green as my putting isn't the May West at the moment

L.O.F.T

Licksy wrote: »

When I am on the course taking a putt, I will take a couple of practice swings, all the time looking at the hole (or target), NOT the ball, so I build up the feel in my mind... then I line up an hit it without delay with that feel still stuck in my tiny brain

I also use Licksy's above method and find it best for feel.

I also, prior to playing 18, spend 10 mins on the putting green putting uphill to a cup from 15ft and downhill to a cup 15ft away to get the feel of good speed into my hands and feel what speed may be needed out on the greens. I find if your speed is good for the day you will rarely leave yourself those difficult 3/4ft putts (providing you read the putt correctly)

uptheroyals

danthefan wrote: »

Indeed, you'd never catch a professional on a range...

im not saying you wouldnt, but i gurantee if they are, their either making some type of swing change, which does take repetitive practice, or could be playing some type of game with feedback, kinda like what phil does with pelz!! look at mcgrane, hits sweet fa balls, plays alot on the course!!

the guy hu started this isnt makin a tecnical change with his swing, he's tryan hole more puts!!

L.O.F.T

uptheroyals wrote: »

the guy hu started this isnt makin a tecnical change with his swing, he's tryan hole more puts!!

kagni

soundsham wrote: »

I also have a little mirror with parrallel lines marked on it, available in most golf shops about €20 you stand over it lining up to putt and it shows you if your shoulders are in line or if your hunched over or too far away from the ball.....I rarely use this myself and it may be a bit of an overkill for a 15 yr old beginner

Draw a couple of lines on one of the free CDs you get with the newspaper - does the job too.

uptheroyals

L.O.F.T wrote: »

slag the grammer all you want!! but when it comesto who would make bigger improvements to this guy, i know it would be m#11

L.O.F.T

uptheroyals wrote: »

slag the grammer all you want!! but when it comesto who would make bigger improvements to this guy, i know it would be m#11

I'm not slagging your grammar, your grammar is annoying: read the forum rules: It says:
ALWAYS READ THE CHARTER!
Posting in "rtrd"
- Using txtspk n ur psts is cnsdrd been rlly stpd cuz u hv qwert kbd n ur pc so xpct 2 b wrnd. Please don't do this, this is not a bannable offence but repeat offenders might be "asked" to take a break from posting.

larry1

Iceboy wrote: »

tact?

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

rafared

uptheroyals wrote: »

has nobody grasped the concept that golf is played with one ball, not "half a dozen" and that it actually is played to a hole!! this is the reason soooo many guys stand up on a tee, whak one into a ditch then stand up with a second and nail it, their so used to hitting multiple golf balls, the game is played with one, we're not playing tennis!! EVERY SHOT COUNTS!! if you really want to improve, look at stuff from amazing teachers like lynn marriot and pia neillson (vison 54) they coach the best, and they teach the same principles to everyone, not a load of hackers on a forum!!

1 ball, 1 cup, thats what u gotta practice, every single shot you play will be different!! so why practice the same shot again and again in practice!!

The OP was looking for some help with the pace of his putts. Putting to the fringe is a known and used method of helping improve pace putting. A well known and repsected teaching pro showed me this method and I can say from experience that it works. By the way do you think you have to tell everyone golf is played with one ball?
Also to call everyone on this forum a hacker is ignorant to say the least. There are some excellent players with very low handicaps posting here. Did it never occur to you that some of these players may have had lessons from some of the top teachers and would be able to pass on advice to a 15yr old kid looking for help?
It also wouldnt hurt to maybe use the odd full stop, capital letter to start a sentence and stop the text talk. Then maybe it wouldnt be so painful to read the drivel your spouting.

stockdam

The OP asked for help to develop a better feel for pace(distance control).

All I can do is to say what I did at his age and what worked for me.

Unfortunately there is no way to teach pace. You can teach the basics of a good stroke and you can teach some good training routines. However the only way to develop feel/touch is to hit thousands and thousands of balls and to observe. The observing part is the key.

Hitting 6 or more balls to the same target (whether it be a hole, a tee or the fringe of the green) lets you learn. You want to hit the same putt over and over again and get the feel for how to control your distance. I used to do this on a carpet at home. I'd hit one "marker" ball and then hit 6 or more balls with the aim of getting each one to roll the same distance......over and over and over again.


However that's only the start. You've also got to learn how to putt on very fast greens and very slow ones and you'll only learn this from experience. Then there's uphill and downhill putts and damp greens. Oh and after that you need to work out out to read the line and to trust yourself.

That may sound daunting but anything that is easy is not a challenge.


My advice is to practice as much as you can. You'll get your rewards and anyone who can putt (and chip) well will always be competitive.

Good luck and enjoy. You have time on your side.......I wish I had.

dotcom13

Golf balls, Putter, 2 shoes and a room with a carpet. Practice practice practice.

Put your to shoes together as a hole a foot out from the wall. Hit 5 balls, everytime you hit the wall with one ball, geather them all up and start again until you dont hit the wall at all. Make sure you also put a marker infront of the shoes .i.e you must get inside this mark also.

This add's a little pressure on yourself a little like playing around.

Improved my putting to no end.
Give it ago even once to see if you think it's a good drill..

uptheroyals

rafared wrote: »

The OP was looking for some help with the pace of his putts. Putting to the fringe is a known and used method of helping improve pace putting. A well known and repsected teaching pro showed me this method and I can say from experience that it works. By the way do you think you have to tell everyone golf is played with one ball?
Also to call everyone on this forum a hacker is ignorant to say the least. There are some excellent players with very low handicaps posting here. Did it never occur to you that some of these players may have had lessons from some of the top teachers and would be able to pass on advice to a 15yr old kid looking for help?
It also wouldnt hurt to maybe use the odd full stop, capital letter to start a sentence and stop the text talk. Then maybe it wouldnt be so painful to read the drivel your spouting.

ok well if you can come up with one good reason as to how hitting the same putt again and again to a fringe will help your pace on all puts, not just putts that length, on that particular green, with that particular gradiant, go ahead!! But why not take one ball, play 18 holes on a putting green, then he would have to adjust for pace with every different putt he looks at, just as he would on the course!! putting to a fringe is all well and good, but thats like trying to get the ball to fall in the door drunk on every put, just let it hang on the front lip and fall in, sooooo unrealistic!!

And I know theres some low handicappers on this site, I am one of them, I also know of pro's on this site as it was a pro that introduced me to it, but lets face facts, alot of people spout on about experts in this game, thinking they have first hand knowledge of how that person teaches the game etc, because you have read their book. In reality they have no clue!! I would be surprised if 10% of people here have been to so much as 1 elite coach in the game!! Its the same pet peeve i have about handicap golfers teaching their friends or making reccomendations to higher handicappers, when really they have no clue what it will do to the ball!! leave it to the pro's to do that, thats why they are studying it for 3 or 4 years!!