Getting the Speed Right in Putting

Practice
#43

Thanks for the update on the putter face material.

I am a member of a private country club with a very limited number of members and a VERY large putting green so I can get on it any time. When they punch the greens, I head over to a semi-private course I am a member of and use the greens there. So lots of opportunities. Both of these places are less than 10 minutes from my house…

Also I have a 13 foot Wellputt putting mat in my garage, … So I imagine I am a rarity.

I will stay with my Edel putter, and if it acts up, I will go back to my Scotty Cameron Fastback 1. I was fit for both and they are both good performers for me.

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#44

What, my friend, is a putting tournament??

Also, can you say more about the Edel and why it is your go to? Does torque balanced help with contact and face to path and rhythm and therefore speeed control?

Based on the SeeMore self-fitting guide on its website, my 34.5” putter is one inch too short for me (I’m tall). Sooo… I think I’m in the market for a new putter. Brands that have piqued my interest are SeeMore, EvnRoll (just won MGS award for best blade of 2020), Edel, and Scotty Cameron. I have always tested putters in the past for how they make 3-10 footers. I think now I would test for ability to control speed…

#45

Totally agree (w/OP premise)!

Presuming the first putt is outside 3ft, I also totally agree with … and have adopted into my putting … the idea that -

  • first putt is 90% speed
    …and so…
  • second putt is 90% line

I feel it’s also important to remember that at 8 ft the make rate for the PGA TOUR is an overall average of right about 50%.

Which to me means the rest of us should not “expect” all of our putts to go in. Yes - you should always set up and putt trying to make it in, BUT …

I firmly believe, and what is unquestionably, undeniably working for me is a primary focus of “get the first one close” (ie. as close as possible from any distance, any break).

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#46

For several years the World Golf Hall of Fame hosted a putting tournament on its putting course adjacent to the Hall. They have 18 separate greens. There was a stroke play event, from which the lowest 16 scores moved onto match play. The holes averaged 36 feet… though some were as short as 27 though one time one of the holes was 80 feet.

In Tampa, there was another weekly putting tournament hosted at Westchase Golf Club… 18 holes, it went for 8 weeks… the lowest score over 144 holes was the winner. IIRC it was the World Putting League, which still exists.

Now to answer your question. I am not sure.

Here is how I ended with with an Edel putter. I needed to send my Scotty Cameron back to get re-stored … so I needed a putter. I chose Edel, since there focus was on improving aim. Each putter is customized to your ability to aim correctly… both horizontally and vertically. Then they counter balanced my putter. There are two sets of weights you can use to help you with speed control…and a process to decide if you need the weights, and if you do which of the two. I am sure their website has better information than I have from my memory of the fitting process and my initial decision to get the Edel E-1 Torque Balanced Putter.

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#47

During my summer at as a PGA apprentice at a super high end country club, I had to design a nine hole putting course out of the practice green as a side game to the member-guest championship. This was pretty much as competitive as the tournament itself (maybe even more so) with multiple $1000+ bets being made. I had to design it on paper first, then get to the course at 3am the morning of to build it. That way the members wouldn’t sneak on to the course the night before to practice it (and had apparently happened before when it was built early).

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#48

Cool stuff. How do you fee the torque balance (vs toe hang or face balanced) influences your stroke/rhythm/contact/direction/speed control?

How did you do in the putting tournaments? Is there like a regular circuit of people that compete in those? Is there like a group of people or one person that is considered the best putters in the world?

#49

Not sure how the torque balance influences my stroke/rhythm/contact/direction/speed control. My putting coach David Orr, who works with or has worked with a lot of tour pros (Hunter Mahan, Justin Rose, … and over 50 others) recommended it… it works. Which I could be more helpful.

I have not played in putting tournaments in years, since once I won the World Golf Hall of Fame Putting Tournament in 2011 I had accomplished my goal.

I finished second twice in the Tampa based World Putting League… I used it as a way to gauge my progress. For example the 18 holes are set up so the total length of putts is about 280 plus feet. Hole locations vary each week… In the first even, I had 37 one putts, in the second 8 week tournament I had 47. And I reduced my 3 putts from 5 to 1…over the 144 holes.

Now I am just the guy you want on your scramble team who putts last since I have learned from the other three guys and will usually make the final putt. For example, this last weekend, I made 6 putts after everyone else missed… so we had a decent scramble score. :slight_smile:

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#50

That’s amazing! You are such an accomplished putter! I look forward to learning from you. Have you always been into putting? What made you fall in love with it so much? I love putting. It’s a universe unto itself!

Do you find it hard to switch between a torque balanced putter and face balanced or toe hang? Why do you think more companies done make torque balanced putters?

#51

I have not always been an accomplished putter. When I played junior college golf – I sucked. More than once I had 4-5 three putts a round. Quit golf for work and family. Started back in 2006, after no golf for 38 years. When I started back, I had golfer’s and tennis elbow on my left arm and could barely touch my face it hurt so bad. So the doctor said I could practice putting for 2-3 months but NO golf. So that got me started… I was committed to improving my putting, since I knew I needed to make this a strong part of my game… and was given the blessing of the time to do it. Then I just fell in love with it.

I only use my torque balanced putter… and have for four years… so I do not switch. The biggest challenge for me was the sound of the ball coming off the putter face… when I changed from the Scotty to the Edel.

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#52

^ that’s really interesting … congrats on your achievements!! :+1:

So speaking of putting speed…

I’ve played with people (other recreational players) who are so line consumed and obsessed it takes them what seems like a reeeeally long time to get set … and then to pull the trigger…

IMO even if, let’s say, the line is perfect and the stroke is perfect yet the ball still ends up 6 to 10 feet long or short of the hole - then to my mind, what’s the point?

What’s working for me … and no may not work for everyone … is picking and committing to a line and then focusing on speed. As I continue to work with this method, I’m finding more putts are stopping closer to the hole plus more putts are starting to drop.

One of the keys to a good round for me is not stressing over making birdie putts, but … 3-putt avoidance.

#53

I learned today that loft and lie matter when it comes to your putter! I hadn’t really ever thought about it and hadn’t noticed either were off for me…

I went to a putter fitting today (Shout out to Nick! and Golf Headquarters) and he asked if I had my putter with me… I didn’t. Brought mine in… he bent it upright and increased the angle… I hit some putts… my consistency was markedly better.

Amazing. I had planned to spend the next 4 weeks working on my putting (and I’m still going to)… but I feel like I’m starting off in a dramatically better place than I was.

I’m really excited to get back to golfing…

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#54

The more I delve into the idea of controlling speed the more important I think it is to get fit for a putter. Length, lie angle, loft, head type, and hosel type all have a huge impact on how you aim and how you set up and how you putt. I’ve never been fit for a putter. I think it’s time.

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#55

I always “knew” it was important, but didn’t think it would make as much of a difference as practicing… I’ve spent a ton of time this summer practicing, both pre and post injury… My putting did not significantly improve.

I got my lie and loft adjusted today and rolled the best putts of my life… I’m actually embarrassed I didn’t do this earlier.

I think I’m an extreme case where both were off by a few degrees, but getting your putter set up so a consistent putt leads to consistent results is definitely a huge step in the right direction.

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#56

It is amazing that this is rather new technology for the putter. The most used club in the bag and we’re all just now starting to figure out how important fitting them is.

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#57

This is a great drill but I do have a question. Would it not be better to think of a 1/2 circle? Even with or past the hole? I am asking because if it’s speed we are working on (and believe me I need to work on it) then 3 ft in front of the joke or anything in front of the hole has zero chance and this speed isn’t correct. Just a comment and a thought !

#58

Funny we’ve been talking about putting and speed. Check out this new putter Rick Shiels just reviewed. Very interesting.

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#59

Strictly imho, but… I’m aware of the Dave Pelz mantra of 18" past the hole; however - I saw an interesting video from Scott Fawcett talking about his DECADE system and specifically a segment about putting.

In there he talked about a study he did of top level college golfers and their putting distance dispersions (long / short of the hole) … based on his analysis of that data, he concluded that AT the hole was the right speed in order to move the (emphasized) central tendency of -all- the putts closer to the hole

Yes - a few will be short but overall more putts will end closer to the hole

(Note… as always individual tendencies and specific putt circumstances will vary.)

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#60

That is just crazy!
…let the old people shuffleboard jokes begin… :wink:

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#61

Gotta look that vid up!

#62

Sorry I don’t have the link but it’s on Scott’s site (free content) somewhere.