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Putting - What Made a Difference?

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thedue

thedue

Another Day in Paradise
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If you've found success in your putting at some point, what changed things for you? Was it a technique change in the stroke or grip, a change in putters to one that just fit you better, maybe it was someone helping you learn to read the greens better, or all of the above? You don't have to be a great putter to answer, what made you better than you were before?

I've struggled quite a bit this year compared to the last few years and it seem's mostly due to my speed control. After making a couple vids of my stroke I found I was jabbing the putts and that one adjustment in finishing the stroke has made all the difference in the world. How about you?
 
Having a consistent system for alignment and the stroke has made me a better time. And in general, working with people that care how well I putt.
 
While I thought I was a decent putter before, I changed my grip a little, the way I address the ball and those along with my Betti have made me even better
 
mikedean441 said:
While I thought I was a decent putter before, I changed my grip a little, the way I address the ball and those along with my Betti have made me even better
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How did you change the grip? I really have no idea if my grip is right or not, I just kind of wing it.
 
For me it's been a few things:

1) Taking a putting lesson and realizing the importance of putting practice. Rolling balls on the practice green is not putting practice. Focused practice using appropriate drills is putting practice.

2) Making sure my putter feels good. If it doesn't feel right, you're not going to putt well.

3) Learning to use momentum to putt the ball. If you allow your putter to swing naturally with gravity, you have your best chance at a repeatable putting stroke. If you manipulate the club with your arms/hands, you will always struggle with consistency, both in your path and your speed.

4) Learning to find the "feel." This one is hard to describe. There are times when I get up over a putt and I KNOW I'm going to make it. I can feel it. The line is right, the path is right and the speed is right. What that feeling is is your body telling you it has confidence in how it's going to execute all the variables. But if you get up over a putt and you're really not sure what's going to happen, chances are, you're going to miss it. My improvement has come from getting better at capturing that feel.
 
thedue said:
How did you change the grip? I really have no idea if my grip is right or not, I just kind of wing it.
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Right pointer finger down the shaft.

I hear its a big seemore no-no but my control with putts is so much better and I just make more.
 
Having a system that not only works, but it simplifies things while taking variables for failure out of the equation. Plus, it works with any putter.

Simple. Effective. Game-changing.
 
1. Super Stroke grip (keeps the tension out of the hands).

2. Smooth transition on the forward stroke, i.e., not getting too quick or jerky as the putter starts forward.

3. Keeping the shoulders level (not letting the left shoulder get too high).

4. Feeling the distance with two practice swings and then trusting it on the actual stroke.
 
For me it was stance brought on by reading Eric's SPI thread. Just putting more thought into it and being consistent. Oh, and RST helped too.
 
wadesworld said:
For me it's been a few things:

1) Taking a putting lesson and realizing the importance of putting practice. Rolling balls on the practice green is not putting practice. Focused practice using appropriate drills is putting practice.

2) Making sure my putter feels good. If it doesn't feel right, you're not going to putt well.

3) Learning to use momentum to putt the ball. If you allow your putter to swing naturally with gravity, you have your best chance at a repeatable putting stroke. If you manipulate the club with your arms/hands, you will always struggle with consistency, both in your path and your speed.

4) Learning to find the "feel." This one is hard to describe. There are times when I get up over a putt and I KNOW I'm going to make it. I can feel it. The line is right, the path is right and the speed is right. What that feeling is is your body telling you it has confidence in how it's going to execute all the variables. But if you get up over a putt and you're really not sure what's going to happen, chances are, you're going to miss it. My improvement has come from getting better at capturing that feel.
Click to expand...

Ton's of good info here, thanks!
 
For me it came when I finally calmed by lower body down. I found myself having a minor little sway or mini weight shift in my swing. When I found this out, I still don't recall, but I realized that once I made sure to keep everything under my belt as still as possible, then a natural pendulum swing would occur. After that is just came down to picking the correct line, lining up the ball and trusting that line and speed I choose. After that, I improved my putting stats quite a bit.
 
It's about the only time I'm going to say an equipment change made a difference, but getting a putter that better suits my eye and my stroke has done a lot.

The awful part is how long I went thinking different putters was 90% cosmetic and 10% performance.

And like Jman said, developing a consistent system in terms of the read and the setup really helps.
 
Jman said:
Having a system that not only works, but it simplifies things while taking variables for failure out of the equation. Plus, it works with any putter.

Simple. Effective. Game-changing.
Click to expand...

This has to happen for me, I need to get with an SPI instructor soon. I averaged right on 30 PPR last year and this year has been all over the place. Time to get consistent.
 
What has helped my putting most is to have a very slightly open stance. I can seem to see the line better and my shoulder/arm swing is more precise.
 
RST has helped my putting the most.


Amphibians can Tapatalk... Fear the Frog!
 
For me it was working all of last season with my PGA Teaching pro on grip, posture, alignment and reading. The quick fix is that there can be zero 3 putts.
 
Dave Stockton -- Unconscious Putting
 
ATLGolfer said:
Dave Stockton -- Unconscious Putting
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Although I tend to disagree with his philosophies, at least it is a system that you can use to develop consistencies with putting
 
Left hand low or claw I swap between the two

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
 
I started practicing putting with one hand....It slowed my tempo and really helped me keep the same stroke every time up. When I'm out practicing, I will hit at least 50 putts with one hand....my right hand which is my trailing hand. Making putts, especially inside 10 feet has increased dramatically.
 
dhartmann34 said:
I started practicing putting with one hand....It slowed my tempo and really helped me keep the same stroke every time up. When I'm out practicing, I will hit at least 50 putts with one hand....my right hand which is my trailing hand. Making putts, especially inside 10 feet has increased dramatically.
Click to expand...

This is something I did last year and kind of forgot about it. It was always a good way to get the speed on greens before the round, thanks for the reminder.
 
thedue said:
This is something I did last year and kind of forgot about it. It was always a good way to get the speed on greens before the round, thanks for the reminder.
Click to expand...

Duey, try practicing with no thumbs. It will force you to let the putter release through the stroke on its one. Fantastic practice drill for taking the handsiness out of the equation. .
 
This is great advide imo. I actually use no thumbs in my practice strokes during my pre putt routine. I only place them there for a little support on the stroke.
 
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