Best approach to hole breaking putts

AldilaMan

I have a difficulty sometimes holing 3-4 footers accross a slope. The type of putt I'm talking about would be (for a right hander) a right to left break that could be as much as 3 balls outside the hole played for maximum break to die in the hole or just outside the right edge at firm pace. These putts typically can be holed on a variety of lines with the correct pace but getting the combination of line and pace is proving difficult.

Is there one method which is more reliable than others? ie keeping inside the hole and hitting hard to remove the break or playing half the maximum break with medium pace. What do you do on these?

mafc

I usually set the ball up on the toe of the putter for both breaking & downhill putts. Works for me, might be worth a try.

TRS30

To me it depends on the speed of the greens. Slower play less break and hit it harder, faster greens play more break and obviously hit it softer.

Nothing worse than a power lip out on fast green and being twice as far from the hole!

heavyballs

mafc wrote: »

I usually set the ball up on the toe of the putter for both breaking & downhill putts. Works for me, might be worth a try.

That's great for you but not good advice at all,you should not change where you strike the ball on the putter regardsless of slope.

The op just needs to practice more,try to visualise a broken line of a certain colour travelling from your ball to the hole on the intended line.
The quicker the putt the quicker the line flashes.

Part of your problem might be just bad reading.
Also,practice 3-5 foot putts a lot,it will give you confidence to be more agressive on the initial putt.

EauRouge79

Back of the hole every time for me. Worry about the next putt after. I find that I have a much better chance of holing them with a positive stroke.
If I try to cosy putts in from anywhere inside 5 feet, one miss seems to affect all of my confidence. If I have a go and miss it doesnt affect me as much.

As heavyballs said you must practice these putts a lot.

Set a circle of balls around the hole and sink every one. If you miss one you go back to the start and sink each one until you complete the circle.
Short putting is all about confidence for me.

Miley Byrne

I pick a spot at the apex of the putt and try to roll the ball over that spot. Same if i have a 3 footer with break or if I have a 20 footer with break. I find you have to be very confident to box in a 3 footer and take the break out of it because you could have a four footer back. Whereas if you play for the break you know that worse case scenario you will have a gimme if you miss. I'm not saying that you should dribble these putts but when playing for the break hit the put firm enough that you will only pass the hole by 8-10 inches should you miss. Find a putt with a bit of break on the practice green and hit lots of putts until you find which combinatoin of pace & break you are most comfortable with. I really find picking out a spot on the apex helps me though.

PhilipMarlowe

Depends on your standard of putting I'd suggest. If you are normally good at 3-4 footers, then you are able to hit the ball where you want to, so in that case man up and hit it firmer, allowing less break (which is easier to read/predict).
If you're so-so on those length putts on the flat in general, then it's not good advice to be banging them at the hole firm

mafc

heavyballs wrote: »

That's great for you but not good advice at all,you should not change where you strike the ball on the putter regardsless of slope.

The op just needs to practice more,try to visualise a broken line of a certain colour travelling from your ball to the hole on the intended line.
The quicker the putt the quicker the line flashes.

Part of your problem might be just bad reading.
Also,practice 3-5 foot putts a lot,it will give you confidence to be more agressive on the initial putt.

As I stated works for me......... always use toe of putter for downhill putts,takes the speed out of the putt.

GreeBo

mafc wrote: »

As I stated works for me......... always use toe of putter for downhill putts,takes the speed out of the putt.

I only use the toe on crazy downhill putts, ones where getting the ball to the hole isnt an issue. Anything else should always be out of the sweetspot.

Russman

mafc wrote: »

use toe of putter for downhill putts,takes the speed out of the putt.

Would you not just hit it easier to take the speed out of it ?

mafc

Russman wrote: »

Would you not just hit it easier to take the speed out of it ?

Could do, but find my method works

PRAF

I tend to play maximum break. Most people miss these kind of putts on the low side because they underestimate the break.

GreeBo

Russman wrote: »

Would you not just hit it easier to take the speed out of it ?

If its fast and downhill then it can be hard to make a proper stroke if you are only swinging an inch back. Hitting it off the toe allows you to at least accelerate into the ball, giving it a proper roll and keeping it on line better than a decelerating tap does.

kagni

mafc wrote: »

As I stated works for me......... always use toe of putter for downhill putts,takes the speed out of the putt.

Ray Floyd used to do something similar and he had a fantastic short game. He recommended hitting putts off the toe for right-to-left breaks and off the heel or left-to-right breaks.

heavyballs

kagni wrote: »

Ray Floyd used to do something similar and he had a fantastic short game. He recommended hitting putts off the toe for right-to-left breaks and off the heel or left-to-right breaks.

link?????
i'd say it was more right and left of centre as opposed to heel/toe,

kagni

heavyballs wrote: »

link?????
i'd say it was more right and left of centre as opposed to heel/toe,

Nope, what I wrote is correct.
I don't have a link but it's in his book "From 60 yards in" which I have.
Here is the quote from the book --
"For shorter putts with hard, fast breaks........On a right-to-left putt I will play the ball off the toe of the putter; on a left-to-right putt I will play it off the heel."

golfnut1

Imo the best way to hole these are to insure you have the correct mental approach.

First of all you have to accept that these kind of putts are hard to hole and that your not going to hole them all.
The nearer the hole you get the more pressure we tend to put on ourselves thinking " I should make this putt its only 4f" that kind of thinking is not the right approach.
All you can do is have a good look at the putt. See how you want the ball to go into the hole. Pick your line and commit to it and stroke it.
The most important thing for me is to accept that I may miss and to come to terms with that before I make the putt. This attitude helps me putt without fear and without trying to steer it in which just doesn't work.
Rottella calls it "giving up control to gain control".
Another mental trick I use myself especially in match play when faced with these putts is I imagine I'm the opposition watching and Instead of fearing the putt I have I feed off the fear the opposition has I'm just thinking" oh **** this guys only got a 4f and he's been holing them all day oh well that's another hole lost". It's whatever works for you but these putts are more down to mental attitude that technique imo.
Hope this helps.

Alrite Chief

Funny enough I can recal sinking some difficult right to left breaking putts accidentally off the toe!! Must bare in mind. However I try the same stroke same contact with every putt to encourage feel and consistency. Confident hard stroke all the way for me. Take as much of that break out as possible. You will probably earn yourself more 2 putts the easier way but the one putts you get from a firm confident putt will reap rewards. In my opinion.

uptheroyals

Best approach is book onto an aim point putting course with Donal Scott and Gareth mcshea. The lads are based in edmonstown but do courses for other pros all over the country. It's 100quid normally but well worth it, you'll learn alot from the fundamentals one. Havnt done the advanced one yet but hoping to soon