Why is puting so hard?

technodub

Having an absolute nightmare at the moment on the greens and i really think its starting to affect my game.... Im playing off ten drive the ball really well irons can be sometimes erratic but counter it with a very good short game (chipping that is) but on the green im dying a slow death and its startin to affect the rest of my game as its annoying my and affecting my concentration....



Putter is 34' length and has a standerd grip. Could this putter not suit me? Maybe its too small? Is it something to do with the face? I see quite a few players with a very wide putter grip could that help? I dont expect people to come here and answer all my questions but anybodys help from past experience would be much appreciated! Cheers

Keano

By asking the following question I hope you think I am being a smart ass but how often do you practice your putting?

technodub

Well unfortunately i couldnt really aford a decent club in dublin that i would be happy to play regularly so i got a distance membership to slevenamon in tipp which is a long way to drive to use the putting greens! I try to play once or twice a week and usually spend some time on the putting greens there! I understand that it needs alot of practise but the amount of putts im having every time i play a round i would expect to start seeing some improvements

Keano

Maybe try get a putting mat to help you practice during the week. Putting imo is all about confidence. If you stand over the ball and think you are going to 3 putt more often than not that will happen.

Mineshaft

I'm having 36 to 38 putts per round playing off 15 and shooting between 83 and 93 on any given day. My putting has gone backwards in the last month.

I have an average of 2.37 putts per GIR's. Driving me nuts. I am rarely in trouble of the tee, so I spent a lot of time practicing hitting greens with short irons now to find my putting is killing me.

I am going to have to spend alot of time putting I reckon.

SM746

technodub wrote: »

Having an absolute nightmare at the moment on the greens and i really think its starting to affect my game.... Im playing off ten drive the ball really well irons can be sometimes erratic but counter it with a very good short game (chipping that is) but on the green im dying a slow death and its startin to affect the rest of my game as its annoying my and affecting my concentration....



Putter is 34' length and has a standerd grip. Could this putter not suit me? Maybe its too small? Is it something to do with the face? I see quite a few players with a very wide putter grip could that help? I dont expect people to come here and answer all my questions but anybodys help from past experience would be much appreciated! Cheers

I use 34 aswell. Couple of years back I had problems and changed my stance totally and its now the strongest part of my game by an absolute mile. I should say the local pro changed my stance as it was all his work over the course of two lessons. I narrowed my stance, play just inside my right foot. It helps me get a nice fluid pendulum swing and it keeps the putter square after impact which gives me the straight line that works for me.

mike12

Whats the problem with your putting/ are you pushing or pulling short putts or is it pace that is killing u.
If you are a straight back and thru putter than a face balanced putter will suit best, if u putt in a arc than something with a bit of toe hang will be better.

mr.mickels

technodub wrote: »

Well unfortunately i couldnt really aford a decent club in dublin that i would be happy to play regularly so i got a distance membership to slevenamon in tipp which is a long way to drive to use the putting greens! I try to play once or twice a week and usually spend some time on the putting greens there! I understand that it needs alot of practise but the amount of putts im having every time i play a round i would expect to start seeing some improvements

You can improve your putting stroke on the carpet at home.
I would be a decent enough putter. Putting is the simplest stroke in golf and is the easiest to master. Are you missing putts from poor pace or poor alingment. The pace of the putt is by far the most important, especially for anything over 6 feet, get the pace right and you will sink a fair share. Many golfers give too much attention to the line and not enough attention to pace.
Another issue for many players, they take far too long to hit the putt, too long reading it and too long standing over it before making the stroke.
Being right-handed, I hold the putter with a firm grip with the left hand, and control the putting stroke with the right using a light grip pressure. I find this works very well, that was a tip from Seve years ago, and it does help. Once you get a feel for the distance/pace of greens try to decide the line quickly and hit it fairly quickly.
The only other point is to hit the short 3-4 foot putts firm, playing it straighter through the break, you will probably hole most of them.
The putter you are using is fine.

sweetswing

If what your doing now is not working "change it" . Practice practice ! To get down to ten you must have been a fairly competent putter at some stage, it sounds to me you have lost some confidence on the greens !

Rikand

I posted this link before, but if you are struggling with your putting, the routines in this should help improve it. They certainly helped improve mine.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/93/golf/ultimate-practice-routine-992787/

Anto12

Was having similar problems during the summer - was leaving putts way too short or a mile past the hole .. just didnt feel comfortable - changed my routine a small bit also got the Dr Bob Rotella book " Putting out of your mind " .. Stuff he says is straight forward eneough but it did help me a lot .. Playing off 10 at the mo ..

technodub

Keano A Legend wrote: »

Maybe try get a putting mat to help you practice during the week. Putting imo is all about confidence. If you stand over the ball and think you are going to 3 putt more often than not that will happen.

mike12 wrote: »

Whats the problem with your putting/ are you pushing or pulling short putts or is it pace that is killing u.
If you are a straight back and thru putter than a face balanced putter will suit best, if u putt in a arc than something with a bit of toe hang will be better.

I understand it s alot to do with confidence played today and 3 putted 4 times 3 times was from inside 6 feet ( they were down hill swingers though!) Pace wise im not too bad but it could be the mechanics of my stroke as i feel i pull a few putts and struggle with the reads too! Going for a lesson on saturday so hoping he can shed some light on were to go from here! thanks for all the replys will take it all on board and when i win my first major i wont forget you guys

PRAF

Are you getting your lag putts (30 feet plus in my book) within a 3 foot circle around the hole? If not, you need to work on your lag putting. It's a great way to eliminate the 3 putts.

For those 10-30 footers, do you tend to leave a lot of putts short? If so, try working on stroking your putts with enough speed so that if you miss, you end up 18 inches behind the hole. That way, you are maximising your chance of making it. 100% of short putts don't go in

For those shorter putts, do you tend to miss on the low side or the high side? Most pros (and even more amateurs) tend to miss on the low side. If you are 3 putting from 6 feet, it sounds to me like you aren't playing enough brake and so you miss on the low side. This is a disaster. When you miss on the low side on a down hill slider, you end up leaving yourself a 4, 5 or even 6 footer on the way back. That'll give you the heebie jeebies any day!

Agree with a previous poster by the way - practice, practice, practice to improve your putting. Unfortunately, I don't always practice what I preach myself. Best of luck anyway!

Trampas

When I was putting awful I found it was more with the starting motion was terrible, very jerky. I started doing the forward press and my putting improved greatly. Got better roll on the ball.

technodub

PRAF wrote: »

Are you getting your lag putts (30 feet plus in my book) within a 3 foot circle around the hole? If not, you need to work on your lag putting. It's a great way to eliminate the 3 putts.

For those 10-30 footers, do you tend to leave a lot of putts short? If so, try working on stroking your putts with enough speed so that if you miss, you end up 18 inches behind the hole. That way, you are maximising your chance of making it. 100% of short putts don't go in

For those shorter putts, do you tend to miss on the low side or the high side? Most pros (and even more amateurs) tend to miss on the low side. If you are 3 putting from 6 feet, it sounds to me like you aren't playing enough brake and so you miss on the low side. This is a disaster. When you miss on the low side on a down hill slider, you end up leaving yourself a 4, 5 or even 6 footer on the way back. That'll give you the heebie jeebies any day!



Agree with a previous poster by the way - practice, practice, practice to improve your putting. Unfortunately, I don't always practice what I preach myself. Best of luck anyway!

ye i think my confidence on the short putts is totally gone and sometimes i struggle to know whether to hit them straight and hard or allow for break if not so bad from a bit further away bit i do struggle with the lines more then the pace:mad: