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Re: Putting alignment

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Sun, Aug 22 2010 2:46 PM (4 replies)
  • Partsman41953
    341 Posts
    Sun, Aug 22 2010 12:49 PM

    Hi all, 

    I am trying to get my game better than what it is right now but I am losing a lot of strokes right now on the greens. My distance control with putting is not too bad but I am not finding the correct line at the moment. I hear some people say that they do not line up putts and just hit the putt left or right of the ding line depending on the break while others line up the putt and try for the ding line. Are there any "secrets" that anyone would like to share with trying to find the proper line when putting. I am missing a lot of putts which I feel I should be making but not confident with the line I am picking. 

     

    Thanks, 

    Glenn

  • oneputtdavid
    1,337 Posts
    Sun, Aug 22 2010 2:46 PM

    Partsman, The "secrets" to putting with this game is.........................................................now you know what the rest of us have learned after weeks/months/years of playing is. OK all bull aside the real secret is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE what I'm talking about is PRACTICE, if you play golf on real courses and you want to improve; what do you have to do? PRACTICE; what I'm talking about is PRACTICE.                                                                                                                                  Good luck with your game.                                                                                                                                                    P.S. My putting SUCKS also. Tried both approaches to putting as you have mentioned, but I think the latter of the two takes away guessing and meter glitches.

  • PugsAce
    1,825 Posts
    Sun, Aug 22 2010 3:07 PM

    I'm by no means an expert putter, but with time and practice I have become much more proficient at it than I once was.

    Assuming you've already read the FAQ's (over there --->) and searched-out for the many putting tips that have been shared here in the forums, I can only offer what I think has made the biggest difference (other than the Redwood Putter I use) in my putting ability:

    "Feel".

    I know it's an abstract term, so I'll attempt to clarify...

    When you're out on the green (IRL), what do you do before your actual putt? Try to "translate" your normal address IRL to the putting in the game. Personally, translated for me, this results in me standing over the ball (in forward view), after pulling the flag to get a quick, unobstructed overview of the hole, and the course the putt must take.

    After this brief "pre-planning" of the putt, I switch to reverse view. In this view, I take in the actual distance to the cup plus/minus the elevations along its length. Only after doing this do I consider the break(s), sometimes switching back and forth between views to "restart" the grid-dots so as to take note of their individual speeds. (This switching is only necessary on the longer putts where I sometimes find it necessary to "break down" the putt into segments for a better "look".)

    Now, knowing the distance that the putt will have to travel, and having an idea of the break(s) involved, I begin the assessment of the actual power that I feel will be necessary to either "go against/with", or "go through" the break. This, I accomplish by visualizing the path the ball will roll towards the cup. I know... again with the abstractions... : / ... lol...

    There are sooo many places around the cup that a putt can originate from... hence, there are that many different breaks that can occur along its path. I've learned not to fight those breaks, but to confidently work with them. Suffice to say that this "routine" I've developed for myself at address lends itself to not only lining-up these myriad of possible putting scenarios, but it also tends to relax me (my eyes/my reflexes) to the point where that particular putt becomes alot like all the others. The routine cuts away some of the variables that exist.

    Isn't it apparent that some here at WGT can better "see" their putts? Low averages and high tourney placements, I believe, are built upon this ability to judge the greens. Not to say that the all-important approach shot is less a factor, but a quick look at the "more successful" among us will show that indeed, a well-trained putter has its place in lowering one's scores.

    This "visualizing of the putt" isn't necessarily exclusive to those who've innately embraced its importance, though. I've developed my own - with practice - to the point where I can feel confident that, even though I may not drain it, I'll come awfully (and sometimes woefully... lol) close.

    It's so much more than the "add this... subtract that" that some feel they should be capable of accomplishing in a game to "break it down to a science". Putting is not, whether it be in this game or IRL, and will never be a science. And I sincerely feel bad for those who miss out on the fun - the feel - of watching a putt drop into the cup, after setting it up and propelling it onto their chosen line.

    Good Luck.

  • Pangaea
    242 Posts
    Sun, Aug 22 2010 3:32 PM

    Thanks for a very nice post Pugs.

    Putting is without a doubt my biggest problem. Getting to the green is mostly okay, and I have a lot of birdie chances from ~5 yards. I try to do much of the same as you, to get a feel for where the ball will go. It's wonderful to sink a putt that goes through an S-curve and into the cup (though it's fantastically rare I actually pull it off). What is very frustrating is that I can often read the break fairly well, but then I don't hit the sweet spot on the putter, which leads to a close miss. Even when I put a 47 footer I still ended up with 95 feet combined over 18 holes, which says something about the length of the others. Lots of close misses for 2nd tap-ins.

    I don't know if there are any "tricks" to it, or we just need lots more practice. Either way, it's very frustrating to struggle to get par over 18 holes while having (good) birdie chances on most holes.

    How do the great players out there actually putt? Do you change the aiming and try to ding it, or do you try to miss-hit with the right amount so it slides nicely into the cup? Or are simply the approach shots so great that you can nudge it into the cup?

  • birdwell
    561 Posts
    Sun, Aug 22 2010 3:45 PM

    Great points Pugs, as "feel" really does come into play in putting. 

    I play sometimes for the 'ding',  sometimes for a 'miss', but mostly I use both techniques in the same putt.

    I'll take a quick glance in the front view at first, mostly to get a sense of the speed of the putt (getting a number in my head that will put me 2 feet past the hole) . I will then switch to reverse, and read the putt that way, moving my aimer to where I think it needs to be. Now I  switch back to the front view and take a look at where my marker is. I then re-evaluate.  Considering my line, I reconsider the speed. If it looks like I read a little too much break, I may decide to hit it a little soft and let it trickle in (sometimes a good move on a long downhill putt and you really just need to put it close) or I may decide to push / or pull the ball to get back on the right line. If the front view makes me think I haven't read enough break, I may just hit it really firm. or give the ball a little push / pull.  

    If something looks really off, I will just start all over again.

    There is no perfect line, or speed for any particular putt. It is only a combination of the two that's going to get the ball in the hole. 

    one tip:

    For putts with a heavy break (i.e. BPB #15 front pin) try to visualize the direction in which the ball is going to enter the cup. This will make it easier for you to see the line you'll need. 

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