I think you are right there HB. I just am afraid at times to practise it as my minds picture is of the worst possible shot that I could hit from that distance which is one that comes out low and off the hosel :crybaby:
How would recommend going about practising this?
Alex

Alex putting
 

Alex,

Good info. I like the routine of DC, Badds, DL III, etc. Just make sure that you do it at your individual pace. You are simplifying the routine, that is good, but do not get in a rush. Make sure you practice the routine enough that it becomes automatic.

Good distance putting is a combination of making a good read of the slopes and hitting solid putts. Make sure that you develop consistant contact. It also helps to be confident about making the second putt.

Alignment. You really have to trust it on the course. You can't putt well thinking about it. So fix it off the course. Design of the putter has a big link to how well it will fit you. Necks, offsets, head shape, loft, etc all affect how well you will line up. If you need help in this area, it is best to consult a professional who understands it. There are also set-up variables that can help (eye line, ball position, distance from ball, etc.).

How many putts should you miss before you lose confidence and start going mechanical?

Line on short putts. DECIDE. Smallest target possible. Pace dictates line. Picture both as you consider the line. Stick with your decision. For now your goal should be to be fully organized and committed to the putt at hand.
Practice putting the same putt at different speeds and lines. Do this with both left to right and right to left putts.

HB

Pitching practice
 

Alex,

I used to play with a guy who never warmed up. He said he did not want to see any bad shots before he played. He was a very good player, but it is not what the best players do.

The first place I would look is set-up. Make sure that you are giving yourself a chance. Get clear about the type of motion you need to produce. Practice it in the mirror. You have to focus on your motion to improve. You want to turn off the part of your brain that is judging or concerned about what other people might think. My suggestion is to get away from anyone else. Practice where no one else can see you, then give yourself a break. Be patient. Golf is about the journey.

Clearly picturing a bad shot will often result in a bad shot. When this happens, you should acknowledge that you did a good job of translating your picture to your execution. So you need to get better at making good pictures. Often, technical improvement will help. You will find it easier to hit good shots. You may also have to spend some effort training your brain to see better pictures. One trick I use is to picture what a particular great player would do in the situation and try to act that out.

HB

This is all great stuff my friend. Thanks for everything, with regards to the short game I have the perfect place to go to at my club where no one would see me practise. Think I will go there again and hit many basic and aquired motions until it works.
Alex

Plan
 

Alex,

Sounds like a plan. Let me know how it works.

HB

I've gotten to the point where I have convinced myself that a bad picture will not lead to a bad shot--I just refocus on my mechanics, relax, and pull off the shot. Usually I have good pictures, but when I don't I have a back-up plan I guess.

Reset
 

mrodock,

We would call that a "reset." Often, you may find yourself interrupted with negative thoughts, pictures, moving partners, beer cart, etc. You are correct that there is always a way out. You just wash it away and start the process over. Excellent point. Refocus. Once you reset, you are in control of your game again.

Interestingly, you will often hear a commentator say a player is struggling when he backs off. I would say he is thinking clearly. If you hear a "no" from somewhere inside -- you should listen and run the numbers again.


HB

The Pro at my home club is running a Short Game clinic in the next couple of weeks and I said that I would go to it so that might help me with my quest to improve my pitching as well. Its always good to get another person to have a look to see what I am doing wrong in terms of technique.
Alex

HennyBeee . . . Now that you got some data about game and mind . . . how would you suggest organizing practice time when you ain't got much time?

Also . . . do you have any suggestions on implementing swing changes . . . not what changes to make . . . but the best way to practice/drill to make 'em actually happen and be able to make the move on the course?

Holla fo' a $.

Short game
 

Alex,

Sounds great. You have found a weak spot, and you are seeking to address it. Often with these short shots, we have ourselves in a funky address position that makes it difficult to hit the shots we want. Your pro should be able to help with this. Good luck.

HB

This is good stuff, folks
 

This is good stuff, folks!

Thank you again HB :salut:

UPP in cloudy Ohio

Bucket's plan
 

Bucket,

I want you to come up with the plan based on the previous posts. Then I'll comment on your plan. Fair? On the move to the course, I'm trying to get some comments on that in the learning golf thread.

HB

Fair . . . Game Plan forthcoming!

The Bucket Scheme
 

1. Learn to develop a pattern eliminating the two-way miss . . . hit more fairways.

2. Pick good SPECIFIC targets. Be aggressive when appropriate.

3. Learn to hit higher pitch shots when necessary.

4. The worst thing I say about my putting from now on is, "I'm putting good, but I'm not making as many as I would like."

5. Do some putting "compass" drills to get better on short putts.

6. Get my eyes checked.

7. "turn of the brain. turn on the game." Try easy not try hard.

8. Practice my alignment on the range and forget about it on the course.

9. Have a big enough set to "let the motion make the shot."

10. Focus ONLY on things I can control . . . not crap I can't.

11. Have fun. Play each shot as an isolated event.

12. Learn how far I hit each club.

13. Define each shot. Use images.

14. Do mechanics practice at home in net. Do "golf" simulation on range.

Is this a decent start?

Bucket's 14 step program
 

Bucket,

You've got it. One more. It's all described in your post, but.... Head up, shoulders back, chest out. Puff up. Act like you know what you are doing; soon you will.

HB

That makes my man boobies stick out too much though!

Bucket

With regards to your eyes and putting, make sure you know which one is "dominant". This may have a bearing on your short putt concerns.

As you know N.B.III putts both ways; he worked for years to make sure his eyes are of equal strength.

Bucket, you found any type of glasses or laser correction that are comfortable for you with the astigmatism?

I've got the same problem with astigmatism and when I wear my glasses while playing sports like softball, I tend to have hand/eye coordination problems. Nothing major, just a little bit off. I've always thought it affects my golf game as well and don't wear my glasses except to read putts. I Even try to take them off when striking the putt.

I gotta wear my glasses or I walk into trees and roll around in bunkers and crap . . . well I do that anyway so maybe I don't.

They make contacts now for folks with astigmatism. Maybe those will help?

Yep, I've got some. I usually get through about 16 holes before my allergies make them unbearable :) I haven't checked the laser correction stuff lately to see if that helps astigmatism now; it didn't used to.

Overkill,

So my dominant eye is my left, what would you recommend I do in my routine and or setting up for a putt? I've heard a couple of different theories.

Thanks!

Matt

#15 Manipulate your childrens so that they love golf and you can play more often

M

Thanks for the interest, my left is also my dominant eye; which I believe is a real plus if you a putting right handed.

A couple of questions/// where are your misses and what is your ball position?


:salut:

I just put 'em on e-bay.

I have my feet about 10 inches apart and the ball about 2 inches inside the left heel. I tend to align about 4 in. to the left for every 10 feet. I have my eyes directly over the ball. In spite of aligning to the left, I will miss putts a bit to the right when I make a bad stroke. I recently switched from a face-balanced mallet to a Scotty Cameron 1.5 so I am starting to release the putter more easily.

M

I am not a teacher, nor do I want to be; nevertheless, for what it is worth I am happy to give you my thougths from my own experience and from what I have seen on Tour over the last 10 years.

First, I believe that putting is all about 'feel'. In reading your response my first reaction is that you may be away too mechanical. Most Pros that I know set up over the ball so they are comfortable and stance wise, that is all they are concerned about.

Two things however, that they are concerned about is that the putter face is pointed where they think it is and that there is no tention in their arms or hands (soft hands). To make sure my hands are soft, I slide my hands up and down the grip and then apply just enough pressure so that I can pick the putter up before I stroke the ball. With the putter face, have someone work with you to make sure you are pointed where you think you are.

Being left eye dominent, I like that you have the ball forward; I like to have my left eye over the ball, not my eyes. Also, My stroke tends to be mainly straight back and through and therefore I like a face balanced weapon. I use S.C.'s Red X. However, if you like a stroke which opens and closes then I believe a toe heavy putter is better.

Now, with this next statement you may think that I have really lost it; but I do not know nor do I care what my stroke really looks like. H B says I don't care because I'm a good putter; I don't want to know because I do not want to be thinking about it. All I want to think about is putting the ball into the hole; all I care about is that the ball starts on the line I intended it to. The last Tourn I played with H B, I had 11 one putts and 25 putts for the round; won my flight by 5 shots.

Here are some drills that I do which help me with 'feel'. Feel for the stroke and feel for where the putter is. Some of the best putters I know on Tour use them to tune up their strokes.

First, putt 3'rs with your sand wedge until you can make at least 5 (10 is better) in a row. Hold it like a putter and stroke the ball with the leading edge. This will take any 'hit' that you may have out of your stroke.

Second, using your putter, putt 4'rs with your eyes closed and call your putts; push, pull or straight. When you consistantly call them right, then you have a feel for where the putter face is at impact. You will soon get to like how good the straight ones 'feel'.

Now, find a five foot putt that is straight and with 5 balls start stroking sets of 5 until you can make at least 90 out of 100. This will give flow to your stroke and chase away any tension. If you miss more than two in a row go back the sand wedge.

In a former life, I played semi-pro basketball and I like to relate putting to free throws. You looked at the rim and you let it go, if mechanics got in the way, you were done.

Have fun



:salut:

You are too cool Overkill, thanks so much this is extremely helpful! I am now glad my question was so vague, because you went far beyond what I was trying to ask: what is your opinion in how to use your dominant eye to align the putter.

Thanks again,

Matt

Hey Bucket,

I know you aren't a hack, but there might be a lot we can learn from a guy that was a hack and shot 70 after a year: www.scratchtoscratch.com

M

I think the most important thing is that you know. I also believe that those of us who are left eye dominant, putt right handed and are 'spot' putters, which I am, have a huge advantage. I pick a spot a foot or two in front of the ball that I want to roll the ball over; set up with my left eye over the ball and align the putter face with that spot. Even on short putts I don't just look at the cup, I pick a blade of grass, ball mark or other small mark between the ball and the cup.

I believe H B has already covered the importance of selecting a definitive target.

I also took note of something else about my putting while I was playing this morning. All these questions were making me think too much//////(not really); what I noticed is that once I align the putter face to my spot, I don't look up again (move my head). I have a picture of the putt in my head, I align the putter to my spot and I let it go. I believe that, once you are set, if you turn your head to look at the line or the hole, the tendency will be to open the putter face.

This can be real problem for right eye dominant people because they have to turn their heads much more than we do to see the line.


:salut:

Scratch
 

mrodock,

This is a good link. The blog has alot of good info.

HB

Did you order the dude's first 3 chapters? I sent him an e-mail. Should be an interesting read. Wonder what his story is?

Yeah I did, I bet I'll end up buying the book unless it's really expensive.

If it sounds too good to be true...

Let us know if you find any new truths. In the mean time, the archives here are plenty rich but the digging takes a little effort.
:salut:

I don't know how much poking around you have done (if any) but the website is by no means instructional, it is about "advice" to improving dramatically. All that setting goals, practice your short game type stuff. I've found TGM, I'm certainly not looking for swing secrets anymore. I wouldn't be posting a "competitor's" link on this website as I have far too much respect for all the work everyone has done.

I've done my fair share of digging, and will continue :)


Matt

Matt,

I didn't explore the site at all. All I saw was a home page dedicated to taking a 30 Hcp to scratch within a year. Hard to believe at face value, let alone that it can be done with just 'advice'.

Thanks for the clarification. I guess I'm a little hypersensitive about off-site instructional links. Hope it turns out to be good stuff.

Simmer down Belle Star . . . don't get your thong up yonder too tight . . . nobody in this pack is planning a mutiny or nothing. We know where the straight up truth about mechanics is and now even how to play. But we still got a lot of work to do on the most effective way to learn. Anybody that can make a claim to such a feat . . . we need to at least see what it's all about.

Stop sounding like a woman.

And NO Oberdinkleberry . . . you CAN'T see my 6-shooter.

Bucket = off the hook
 

Buck my man,

Your posting has gone to a new level. :confused1

Congrats. :salut:

UPP in stunning Ohio

Poulter
 

Ian Poulter is on "Playing Lessons with the Pros." He communicates very well. Highly recommended. Hoch did a nice job on his show as well. They give good insight into how they work their way around the course.

My favorite quote from IP (not on the show), "Why would I pay a sports psychologist to tell me how good I am when I already know?"

They have Annika coming up Wednesday night . . . that should be an interesting one too. If I wore all that orange stuff like IP . . . I'd be like the GREAT PUNKIN'.