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Putting Practice Vs swing Practice

  • 02-11-2010 9:59am
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 346 ✭✭


    Do you find you spend most of you practice time on your irons and woods and neglect putting.

    I have found myself doing this and am just wondering am i alone on this. i go driving rage on 1-2 times week and play 1-2 times at the weekend. i practice putting 30 mins before my round and it is really only to get a feel for the green more so than practice. its only kinda hit me now that i use the putter 30 times a round driver 11 time! and my practice proportion would be 100 to 1 in favour of the driver!

    why do golfer tend to do this?

    As sam snead said "drives for show, putts for dough"


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,989 ✭✭✭Trampas


    Cause people like to smash a ball a mile. They feel happier if they can hit it 300yards off the tee than making putts


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 274 ✭✭mox54


    a basic good consistent swing is essential however good putting is a skill that some have and some don't, I don't have it so rely on a good swing to compensate, practice, practice, practiceand a van load of luck;)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 530 ✭✭✭VikingG


    Not a good enough golfer to give a detailed comment... but one thing I have noticed is that on the putting green prior to competitions the players tend to focus on distance... putting the ball 5 feet, then 10, then 15 and so on.

    Also most of the courses I have played the putting practice green is not always representative of the greens on the course...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 447 ✭✭NoelAPM


    Find putting practice extremely boaring.. So much so I normally don't bother with practise greens before a round! Thankfully I have good feel for it so I'm not really held back, but I would like to find a fun way to practice putting so I could get better! Any1 got any pointers?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 564 ✭✭✭WillyWonka


    Although I agree that putting should be higher on the list it's worth considering that a bad putt will cost you 1 shot. A bad drive could cost you 2 (or more!)


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,370 ✭✭✭✭GreeBo


    WillyWonka wrote: »
    Although I agree that putting should be higher on the list it's worth considering that a bad putt will cost you 1 shot. A bad drive could cost you 2 (or more!)

    Or...a bad drive might cost you 1 shot, a bad putt will always cost you 1 shot.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,939 ✭✭✭Russman


    GreeBo wrote: »
    Or...a bad drive might cost you 1 shot, a bad putt will always cost you 1 shot.

    a big +1 to that, absolutely !

    The bad drive might cost you nothing if you can putt :D

    I'm kinda paraphrasing from one of Bob Rotella's books here, but as long as golf is about getting around in the lowest number of strokes, the short game will always be the most important part of the game.

    A good way to take some of the boredom out of putting practice is to challenge yourself, like, say, hole 25 two footers in a row - its not the first 24 that are the hard ones, its that last one !


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 541 ✭✭✭fonda


    WillyWonka wrote: »
    Although I agree that putting should be higher on the list it's worth considering that a bad putt will cost you 1 shot. A bad drive could cost you 2 (or more!)


    A bad putt could end up further away than the original putt and follow it up with another bad putt and you end up turning a birdie putt (after your perfect drive and perfect approach) into a double bogey!

    A bad drive could be a huge slice end up in the trees, if you lay it up short and chip on to the green and one putt you've saved par!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,370 ✭✭✭✭GreeBo


    Try playing a round where you are 10% off with all of your shots.
    Driving, approaches, bunker, chipping will all be fine....10% off on every putt will mean you never get off the first green!

    Putting is vital, its the only part of the game where you have a definite goal that you MUST accomplish.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 107 ✭✭uptheroyals


    seanmc1980 wrote: »
    As sam snead said "drives for show, putts for dough"

    or s butch sid to me drive for dough..... putt for more dough!!

    best advice ill give you is buy dave pelz book 10 min a day to better putting


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 484 ✭✭AldilaMan


    IMO there are 2 key distances in putting. 30-40 footers and 4-6 footers. Any fool can 3 putt from 30-40 feet but a good putter will mostly 2 putt. Likewise any fool can 2 putt from 4-6 feet but a good putter will hole 50/60% of these regularly and that's alot of shots in a round. If you can't putt you can't play golf!!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7 coff26


    There is an interesting stat - I think it comes from Dave Pelz - but from three feet the % of putts holed is 97 (for pros) but from 6 feet it's between 50 and 60. You can see all the stats you like on the PGA tour site.
    You need to get your long putts within three feet but you also need to get your pitches and chips into that kind of range. That will make you a much better putter because your putts will be that much easier!
    I think for practice, holing a certain number of putts is great because it simulates pressure and there is more pressure on a putt than any other shot, particularly if it's for a birdie.
    Just on a sidenote there's nothing worse than playing with lads who smash a putt at the hole and then complain that 'it never broke'. That cracks me up!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,798 ✭✭✭Mister Sifter


    Nothing improves your putting more than chipping practice.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7 coff26


    Well said sifter. It's the secret to a lower score and when you start holing some putts, it's amazing how confident you get


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 41 anthonyt


    Has any one taught of getting fit for a putter?Getting the the right putter in your hands is verry important there are a lot of putters out there do you know what to look for?or is the most important thing brand?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 59 ✭✭Nerdstrom


    Iv actually been considering a putter-custom fit recently, What does the process entail?

    I do put a lot of thought into the rest of my clubs to make sure they suit me, but I have been using the same putter for 10+ years, since I was about 10!!

    In saying that, I do like my old style putter, and have achieved plenty of success with it. But i suppose someone could have a driver that they 'hit well' but a different shaft option might optimize their spin rate and pick up 15 yards, while going straighter. I wonder would a suitable putter do the same...


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 41 anthonyt


    Nerdstrom wrote: »
    Iv actually been considering a putter-custom fit recently, What does the process entail?

    I do put a lot of thought into the rest of my clubs to make sure they suit me, but I have been using the same putter for 10+ years, since I was about 10!!

    In saying that, I do like my old style putter, and have achieved plenty of success with it. But i suppose someone could have a driver that they 'hit well' but a different shaft option might optimize their spin rate and pick up 15 yards, while going straighter. I wonder would a suitable putter do the same...
    Spin is mostly created from the head through weight position. When you are talking about optimizing spin, I think you are talking about reducing spin in your driver. A few points, 1. less loft and increased angle of attack, 2. weight moved to the front of the head, 3. gear effect, hitting the ball at the top of the face with a high tee, 4. the type of ball used. The best thing to do with a shaft is to get the right lenght, weight to suit your swingspeed and tempo and getting the right torque to suit your ball flight. PUTTER FITTING - You must have to right lenght shaft for your arm hang, the right lie and loft, that would be the basic set up. Once you have the correct lenght of shaft which is decided by your arm lenght, posture and eye-line. If your eyes are not in line with the ball you will not get the best out of your putter, eg. if your eye-line is behind the ball you will pull it to the left, if it is in front of the ball it will pull to the right. When you have the lenght right the next thing to work on is the correct lie. The lie must be flat on the ground, the reason is loft. For the loft to work the head must lie in the correct position. Loft is decided by the type of greens you play and the time of year, winter time, generally more loft, simply because the greens are not cut on a regular basis and you need to get the ball up and rolling at the hole, the opposite will apply to summer, less loft=faster greens. Head weight which is again controlled by conditions. A heavy head will hit the ball longer then a light head, it has to do with the type of greens you play. NOW FEEL- When you pick up a putter the first thing you come into contact with is the grip and the weight. Weight can be controlled by the shaft and of course the head. Some believe that if you put the weight inside the shaft in a certain position, lets say in the centre, you will get more followthrough or have the weight near the grip end for more control of the head, so basically it will increase static weight which will give you more control. This can be achieved with a heavy putter shaft also. One of the most important things is your putter stroke. Heads are designed for 3 different types of strokes and you must have the right one for your stroke or the stroke you want to work on and that is controlled with the positioning of weights in the head. If is also crucial to choose the correct type of grip to suit your stroke. A lot to take in! Take a breather, remember this is just one club, hope this info helps!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 48 micky radigan


    I think people practice they,re driving and irons more because there r a lot more moving parts in the swing than putting ,now i know putting is essential but i think in the back of a lot of peoples minds is i pick my line i feel the distance i hit it,When it comes to the full swing there is a lot more to think about therefore a lot more practice needed.I think if i played with a guy who was an amazing putter and never missed from inside 6 feet i would say to myself wow i need to work on my putting


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,035 ✭✭✭✭-Chris-


    anthonyt wrote: »
    check out <snip>

    Good God, that's a terrible website.

    I'm sure it cost you a fortune, but it's very frustrating to use...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 64 ✭✭Mono25


    bit harsh, dont see anything that bad that would warrant saying it was a terrible website...

    i've nothing to do with the site whatsoever


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,989 ✭✭✭Trampas


    what annoys me for starters about the site is when I select the site it ask me to enter but if I have found your site means I want to reach the homepage not the front door.

    It is a site where someone like to do a bit of flash and thinks they are showing off but there is to many moving parts and I had to leave after a minute


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,282 ✭✭✭MyKeyG


    seanmc1980 wrote: »
    Do you find you spend most of you practice time on your irons and woods and neglect putting.

    I have found myself doing this and am just wondering am i alone on this. i go driving rage on 1-2 times week and play 1-2 times at the weekend. i practice putting 30 mins before my round and it is really only to get a feel for the green more so than practice. its only kinda hit me now that i use the putter 30 times a round driver 11 time! and my practice proportion would be 100 to 1 in favour of the driver!

    why do golfer tend to do this?

    As sam snead said "drives for show, putts for dough"
    My view is that how well you get your ball from the tee to the green dictates what sort of putt you'll have once you get there. If you're dropping shot after shot with a shoddy swing then a two putt once you eventually get to the green is the least of your troubles. Secondly I personally feel I can hold a better line putting with less practise than when pitching or driving. There's a whole lot more that can go wrong with your irons than your putter. If I'm playing a practise round and my swing is suffering I sometimes don't even bother putting because I'm anxious to get on to the next hole and sort my swing.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 298 ✭✭mr.mickels


    seanmc1980 wrote: »
    As sam snead said "drives for show, putts for dough"

    That oft-repeated phrase is total nonsense and I can guarantee Snead never believed it, it was just a remark that had a nice ring to it. And Snead who was a very prolific winner was one of the best ball strikers ever, a solid long hitter, the foundation of his success was his straight long drives, the same with the likes of Nicklaus who was never considered an outstanding putter. The putting stroke is a simple stroke and doesn't need anywhere near as much time to master as the driving. At the very highest level putting becomes more significant, but the difference between putting for birdies and putting to save par is good tee-shots. The best golfers in every club is almost always the best ball strikers. Most club golfers need to spend more time on their long game. Also a club golfer has only so much time to devote to golf unlike a pro who lives for nothing else. And even the pros will tend to spend far more hours chipping and pitching than putting practice.


  • Subscribers Posts: 4,419 ✭✭✭PhilipMarlowe


    Crap link to spectacularly crap website posted by idiot poster with his attempts at crap cheap advertising by digging up a zombie thread to post crap about his (presumably) crap company (if his crap websites and attempts at cheap advertisements are anything to go by) on the cheap by linking to his brainless flash-tastic website that looked flashy but does it still have the story about the [url=https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/157379/146905.PNG[/url] on it any more or has that crap been removed the way his post was removed here?... oh, and anthonyt has been banned.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 64 ✭✭Mono25


    Licksy wrote: »
    Crap link to spectacularly crap website posted by idiot poster with his attempts at crap cheap advertising by digging up a zombie thread to post crap about his (presumably) crap company (if his crap websites and attempts at cheap advertisements are anything to go by) on the cheap by linking to his brainless flash-tastic website that looked flashy but does it still have the story about the streets of Hanoi on it any more or has that crap been removed the way his post was removed here?... oh, and anthonyt has been banned.

    that was such a good put down that even i feel like i've done something wrong, quite impressive licky i'll make sure not to cross you :D


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