Any hints on using broom handle putters?

Peterdalkey

I am in serious difficulty with my putting, was pretty decent but have gone up from 30ish per round to 40ish. 3 new putters tried in past 3 months, think I should try a broom handle. Any tips on set up etc?


Cheers

Peter

scrubber72

Get custom fitted then cut 18 inches off the end and use it like a man would. Ppfftt

Peterdalkey

And the putter?

GreeBo

Peterdalkey wrote: »

I am in serious difficulty with my putting, was pretty decent but have gone up from 30ish per round to 40ish. 3 new putters tried in past 3 months, think I should try a broom handle. Any tips on set up etc?


Cheers

Peter

Save yourself some money.
If you were averaging 30 ppr and now its 40 then something has changed.

In your other thread you have said you already tried a bunch of new putters and it hasnt helped.
You have changed. Something, in your swing, setup or attitude has changed.

What are you stats like? Are you suddenly 3 putting a lot (obviously you are doing it at least 4 times, but that might be a result of suddenly 2 putting everything)

Are you suddenly missing short putts, everyone leaves themselves 3/4 footers, if you are only getting 20% of these then thats a great way to increase your PPR stats.

Before you spend any more money, figure out why you are taking so many putts all of a sudden. Analyse it over a couple of rounds and you will soon figure it out. After that come back and "we" can try to figure out the cause. You might just need a quick lesson etc, but spending 200 lids on a new putter wont make you a better putter and more than a new driver makes you a better driver of the ball. (unfortunately!)

Peterdalkey

GreeBo,
Your second sentanced is indeed prescient, something has changed. I can still read the putts, I know where I want them to start and more often than not on the putting green get decent results. The problem, is with score card in hand on the course, I freeze behind the ball, just can't start the takeaway smoothly despite trying all sorts of preshot routines/practice swings/grip relaxing techniques. To be honest, it is a pure confidence thing, I simply lose belief in what I know to the correct line and strike force. My misses are still pretty decent, but am now at the stage of missing the 2-3 footer back! It is pathetic, especially when playing with guys who knew me as a pretty deadly putter, ah you will get it back they say.

I have no idea how to use a long putter other than it seems to me when I see them used on tv or playing with somebody who is using one, how smooth it all appears. I am prepared at this stage to start from low babies and work the massive change to a broom style which i know will take lots of work to acclimatise and build the key confidence.

Cheers

Peter

GreeBo

and what will you do when you have the same mental problem with your broom handle?
You are running out of options if you go down this road.

Try something positive to break out of this mental rut.
Have you read any books on it?

Can you putt well without a scorecard in your hand? If so then the length of the putter isnt the problem...and Im confident you know this.

From the sounds of it its the putts you expect to make that you are missing. Thats a normal enough reaction that happens to everyone at some stage. For whatever reason anxiety creeps in, making you miss some, increasing the anxiety, etc, etc.


I'd try something radical like putting my with eyes closed or not looking a the ball on the short ones. Something to break the anxiety pattern. Try using a 3iron or a belly wedge, anything to get you excited and happy about holing them, rather than scared and annoyed that you dont.

onlyfinewine

Peterdalkey wrote: »

GreeBo,
Your second sentanced is indeed prescient, something has changed. I can still read the putts, I know where I want them to start and more often than not on the putting green get decent results. The problem, is with score card in hand on the course, I freeze behind the ball, just can't start the takeaway smoothly despite trying all sorts of preshot routines/practice swings/grip relaxing techniques. To be honest, it is a pure confidence thing, I simply lose belief in what I know to the correct line and strike force. My misses are still pretty decent, but am now at the stage of missing the 2-3 footer back! It is pathetic, especially when playing with guys who knew me as a pretty deadly putter, ah you will get it back they say.

I have no idea how to use a long putter other than it seems to me when I see them used on tv or playing with somebody who is using one, how smooth it all appears. I am prepared at this stage to start from low babies and work the massive change to a broom style which i know will take lots of work to acclimatise and build the key confidence.

Cheers

Peter

Extra weight on the putter head has helped some people because it takes more effort to start the putter and it takes effort to affect the swing once it is moving. You can try lead tape on the bottom of the putter and see if it helps. It has the effect of smoothing out the stroke. People have also started counter-balancing the top of the putter and then you have more weight again, but obviously it is not all in the head then.

You could also try reading Tim Gallwey and see how you feel after that. He is strong into the mental side and claims he can cure any afflictions that are out there.
Any one who averages around 30 putts should be slow to change to a different style of putter, but needs must! and only you know how you feel.

Other than that it sounds like the pre-yips which you already know the cure for and perhaps you should demo a belly and a broomhandle to see which goes best for you if you still feel the need after trying the above. Principles are the same except you anchor the top of the putter and just let it swing controlling the distance of the putt by the size of the swing you take and not by the pace of the swing.

Peterdalkey

onlyfinewine wrote: »

Extra weight on the putter head has helped some people because it takes more effort to start the putter and it takes effort to affect the swing once it is moving. You can try lead tape on the bottom of the putter and see if it helps. It has the effect of smoothing out the stroke. People have also started counter-balancing the top of the putter and then you have more weight again, but obviously it is not all in the head then.

You could also try reading Tim Gallwey and see how you feel after that. He is strong into the mental side and claims he can cure any afflictions that are out there.
Any one who averages around 30 putts should be slow to change to a different style of putter, but needs must! and only you know how you feel.

Other than that it sounds like the pre-yips which you already know the cure for and perhaps you should demo a belly and a broomhandle to see which goes best for you if you still feel the need after trying the above. Principles are the same except you anchor the top of the putter and just let it swing controlling the distance of the putt by the size of the swing you take and not by the pace of the swing.

Thank you for the insightful post
I certainly will have a look at Tim Gallwey. Interesting that you mention adding weight to the head. I have been using an odyessy two ball for many years now and anytime I lost my stroke I stuck self-adhesive car alloy wheel lead balancing weights in the head cavity and practiced/played with it that way until things returned to normal. This time around it does not seem to work at all, distance control evaporates.
I really do fear it is the pre yips. Thinking about it now, the problem started during the summer after I passed my 60th birthday ( Late male menopause?) I still have the two ball, so perhaps I will go back to it, load it up with lead again and try a new grip. I currently use an interlock grip with right index finger straight down the grip and both thumbs flat on the front. My lead wrist is locked at 90 degrees, so it it is quite a crouched stance. Was messing at home last night and tried a grip with both index fingers straight down the grip and the thumbs crossed over. It seems to promote a pronounced shoulder only rock, a more upright stance, and reduces all hand/wrist/arm action.

I appreciate all the constructive comments and I suppose I do now realise that the problem lies in the 4 inches between my temples, rather than any mechanical body crumbling! If I can find a change that I can believe in, I expect that vital confidence will return.

Cheers


Peter