For any golfer who wants to play great golf
Posts tagged Putting
My new favorite practice putting game – Split Nines
Aug 10th
If you want to add some pressure to your putting practice to make it feel a bit more like what you’ll feel on the golf course then try this game.
The game is split into two halves, your front nine and your back nine. On your front 9, each putt is like you’ve hit the in regulation. Every putt made is a birdie, every putt missed leaves a par putt (you must putt in, 3 putting does count as a bogey).
On your back nine, these are your greens missed in regulation. Every putt is for par. Miss and your next putt is for bogey.
So, on the front nine, you want to get as quickly and as far under par as you can. Be sure to mix in 3 shorter putts (4-6 ft), 3 medium putts (6 – 12ft) and 3 longer putts (more than 12 feet) in each nine.
Stop quitting on your putts
Apr 14th
One night while I was on a golf trip in Maryland a few weeks ago, I thought it would be fun to have some putting contests in the room. The carpet was probably rolling about a 10 so it wasn’t too quick. We played a version of leap frog and set the cup out about 12 feet away. The thing that quickly became clear was that it was hard to hit the putts short enough in the beginning to set you up for a good potential leap frog run. It took me some time but I finally figured out why that was.
What I’ve realized is that I was decelerating on those short putts and when you do that it becomes very difficult to have any consistency or to actually control the speed of your putts. Our minds don’t react well to deceleration. They can’t judge have quickly something is slowing down as well as they can judge how quickly something is speeding up. At least that’s true in my experience, although I’m sure there are some of you out there who will disagree and that’s fine.
For putting though you always want to be accelerating. One of the best ways to practice this is actually with short putts. It will really train in feel an in an amazing way.
As I worked with this technique last night, in a very short while I gained tremendous feel for distance. The main thing I did was to ensure that on every through-stroke you feel an acceleration compared to your back swing. Try this out, take some short putts and really focus on feeling the acceleration into the ball. You’ll start to get a lot more feel, and your putting will improve.
Hit more pure putts
Sep 8th
There’s no reason that you can’t become a great putter. It’s the part off the game that requires the least amount of physical strength and it has the shortest swing of the club head.
Lately my putting has been very good. I’ve been sinking a lot of putts in the 10-15 foot range. It’s a range that I struggled with most of the season but I’ve figured out some things that work for me.
Speed
I work on speed with a few simple speed drills. The first drill is from Zen Golf by Dr. Joseph Parent. It involves putting to the fringe. I pick a spot where I’m between 10-15 feet from the fringe and putt to it. As the putt is rolling to the fringe I try to feel whether it’s going to be short, long or right on. Is amazing how much this begins to tune your sense of speed. I do this for a few minutes then move on to the next drill. Read the rest of this entry »
US Open: Strategy, Ball Striking and Putting will determine winner
Jun 17th
Watching the marquee group on usopen.com, you begin to get a sense for what these players are facing. This is a stern test of golf on a scale that is hard to me imagine for me not having played any conditions like that in my life.
The rough is truly punishing, the fairways are fast and the greens, well, it’s amazing these guys can keep it on there, and even more amazing when you see shots land softly.
In a sense it both magnifies their almost superhuman abilities, and yet it also shows them in ways that resemble the way we often feel as golfers. I don’t often see tour players be so uncertain, careful, and vulnerable as they can be during this tournament. And yet it also elevates them simultaneously. Great shots are even more spectacular and magnificent because of the difficult conditions.
It does feel like golf as it should be. I’m not saying that they should play open conditions every week, or that average golfers should be faced with open conditions. But watching the PGA tour week in and week out, they can make the game seem too easy. Then again TV coverage is normally skewed, showing the best players on the planet, on their best days. One of the reasons I love watching them in person is that you can follow players who aren’t playing their best and you’ll see that even if they are spraying the ball (which tour players are capable of) they manage to score well. Read the rest of this entry »
TPI Friday Fix: Green Reading
Mar 27th
Titleist Performance Institute put out an excellent video that includes some excellent green reading strategies. There is a lot to digest but it makes a lot of sense.
Here are the steps outlined in the video:
Read the rest of this entry »
Review: Aaron Baddeley: Putting from seeitgolf
Feb 3rd
Aaron Baddeley:Putting from seeitgolf is unlike any putting video you have seen. It is designed to replace the images of doubt and failure and replace them with success and confidence.
This video is intended to be used both in a 30 day training program as well as before rounds of golf. The idea is that by watching perfectly executed putts free of distractions you build in your mind solid images of success and visualization you can call upon on the golf course. It is intended to be viewed on a portable video player like an iPod, iPod touch, an iPhone or any other portable video player.
The putts are beautifully shot using 4 RED cameras. These cameras record at a very high resolution and are known for fantastic images. Read the rest of this entry »
Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda – The Importance of Putting
Dec 22nd
Steve Stricker would have made an additional 2.3 million dollars this past year if he holed 1 more putt each event that he played.
That is staggering. Can you imagine that? 2.3 million dollars MORE if he had made just one more putt in each event he played.
That is the importance of putting. How much would you work on your putting if that was the payoff?
Review: EEZ-Read Putting Aid
Dec 20th
I’ve been using the EEZ-Read putting aid since this summer and I have found that used properly it can be an important aid to help with putting.
The EEZ-Read is according to the manufacturer:
Place the EEZ-READ precision level on the green, and it shows you exactly how your putt will break. Renowned golf instructor Butch Harmon calls it “one of the smartest putting aids I’ve ever seen. It’s simple to use and perfect on those putts where its tough to read the break, particularly those under twenty feet. This practice aid will definitely shave strokes off your game and build your putting confidence.” Solid stainless steel watchmaker’s base. Easily fits in your pocket. Named “Best New Product” 2008 PGA Merchandise Show.
Keys to Putting well on fast greens
Nov 17th
Key number 1. Try to leave the easiest putt
One of the keys to putting well on fast greens is to leave yourself in the best positions on the green. This does not mean that you need to hit it within 5 feet every time, it means understanding the contours of the green around the pin.
I would much rather have a 15 foot uphill putt with relatively little break, than an 8 footer down a steep hill. On a fast green it is nearly impossible to get the downhill putt to stop especially if it has any side break to it.
There’s a reason when you watch the PGA tour on TV the announcers are always making a comment on when a player leaves the putt below the hole. It is simply a much easier putt to execute. Leaving it below the hole allows you to be more aggressive because the slope works in favor. It will slow down quicker as it nears the hole. Because you can hit it harder, you can also play for less break.
Key number 2. Soft hands, light grip pressure
Handicap Drop – Now 8.6
Oct 14th
Once again my handicap index has dropped. I think all of the things I’ve been working on are having a major impact on my game and how I play it.
This is the lowest my handicap has ever been and I’m pretty excited about that. I am also very excited because I know I still have much I can improve on. I think to move to scratch I will really need to improve my short game. I think the strategy for this will be as follows:
- Putting. Must become a better putter. You can always save strokes putting well. Putting practice will continue while I work on the other short game areas.
- Bunker game. I am finding myself in more fairway bunkers and bunkers by the green. When I miss from long range I don’t miss by as much, but the misses are just enough that they put me in the bunker. I will need to improve my sand save percentage as well as my ball striking from fairway bunkers.
- Pitching and chipping from 60, 30 and 15 yards. Getting up and down from these ranges is essential.
