Is there a favorite putter training aid that you are using or will use in the off-season to improve your putting? Do you keep this in your golf bag? Do you have a “home-made” one or did you purchase one? We have a number in the studio that we use and have been sent to us. Appreciate the input when you get the chance. Have a good week.
2 Likes
I’ve three favorite putting aids so far.
- My modest indoor putting green. (About an 8’ X 1" strip of green carpet with a hole at the end of it.)
- A putting mirror (though a shiny CD works too) to make sure my eyes are over the ball.
- Finally, a cheap, tiny laser level that I stuck to the top of my Anser with some velcro, which helped me figure out where I was aimed. I’d do it with my LAB, but even the velcro strips would mess with the balance.
2 Likes
In my home office I have an Eyeline mirror, thin metal yardstick and a dome shaped target. I like the target as it’s simple, but you need to get line and speed right to roll the ball into it and it will hold 4 balls. The Eyeline is a fancier model, but I mainly like it for checking my setup. I don’t use the yardstick a lot, but if I can keep the ball on it then it’s rolling it straight.
2 Likes
Prob tried ‘em on all, mirrors, lasers, name it. Only one I carry in my bag: a dispos-all gasket. They’re exactly hole-diameter (OD) and make great targets. They’re cheap, got one at home, too.
I’m of the camp that only thing that matters is where the ball goes, including on the green. The hole doesn’t care if you putt claw, pencil, or what your ball marker is. Only thing the hole knows is entry point & speed.
The gasket teaches a lot about the ball at the hole, where it enters, and at what speed. You can tell how far past the target the ball rolls and at what speed; we all know what entry point and speed drops in or lips out. Or misses entirely. Read it right, consistently get the speed and roll it on the right start line: hole is in danger!
Great item for practicing speed and line even on crowded practice greens before tourneys.
Hope this helps!
3 Likes
I am currently working with Devil Ball Putt-Out DB / Review My issue has never been about speed, it is about impact, especially on 8ft and in This really, really is helping me, especially on the winter bumpy greens. I read an article the other day about TW’s Scotty and an engineer happened to get ahold of it. It basically was talking about impact on the putter face. I know how important that is, just a fraction off as we start to move further away from a hole will make you burn edges or even further out miss putts by alot. How it read was Amateurs strike the ball in area about the size of a nickel, which is why we suck and we have to improve on that. Really great professionals can strike the ball in an area about the size of a dime. TW was inside that, WAY inside that! The engineer TW was better than a machine. That’s why he was so good Tigers sweet spot! Oh yeah, I have a 12’ indoor mat with a hole and ball return, for when I’m bored at home and want to work on the stroke.
2 Likes
Appreciate the input. MJ
1 Like
Like that. If you get a chance snap a picture of it so we call all see it. Thanks again for the post.
1 Like
I think they’re called Sink Strainer Washers. Most home centers carry.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DANCO-4-3-8-in-Sink-Strainer-Washers-2-Pack-88438/206398648
The OD is hole-diameter (see pic), lays flat and can be used anywhere. I sometimes put a dime just inside the gasket to visualize entry point on breakers.
Drag out your Pelz charts or simply put a tee 1 1/2 foot behind the target; center entry past the tee = lip-out city. The more oblique the entry, the slower the entry speed for success; ex: if the ball just touches the gasket it needs hole speed to fall.
On the practice green I can usually find a quiet area to toss down my gasket and practice away undisturbed.
Btw, my fav pre-round drill: put a tee 2’ behind gasket, pace off 15’ and drop two dimes, continue to pace off another 15’ and put a tee as the start and drop three balls. Stand behind the start tee and read the putt. Walk back to the dimes and position them 3” apart, straddling the read line. Walk back to the start tee and putt one ball. Give yourself one point if your putt went thru the dime gate. Give yourself another point if the ball stopped between gasket and back tee. A “made” putt is worth 3 points. If your read was off (ie, ball went thru the dime gate but missed the gasket), re-position the dime gate and try again (but make mental note of how many read errors). Repeat with third ball. Reposition to a new direction (and optionally, distance) and repeat.
This drill will quickly tell you the skills to work on. For example if you’re challenged with start line, you may have to widen the dime gate until you improve. If you have to constantly reposition the gate, your reading skills need work. Obviously, if I struggle parking the ball between the gasket and back tee, I’ll work on adapting to green speed.
Hope this helps!
4 Likes
Thanks for the picture and the detailed information. Have a great day.
1 Like
The best putter I know made it to the round of 8 at this summer’s US Amateur. I saw him about a week before that using a very simple “gate drill”, just two tees. He told me he’d been unhappy with his putting, and was working to make his stroke more consistent. He mentioned that when he started doing this, he needed to have the tees about a half-inch outside each end of his putter to have enough room to get the putter through. That day he didn’t have 1/8" to spare on either side. I bet I saw him spend a half-hour in one spot, just making consistent strokes. So to me, that’s a pretty damn effective “training aid”, two tees.
3 Likes
Yes, we don’t need to pay a lot for something with complicated design. The “gate” drill is great for the straight back and straight through style of putting stroke. .
In the middle of the winter, I can just lay down a coffee mug at the end of the hallway and practice directional control. It worked well for me to train the eyes lining up with the putting line.
Until my kid made me a putter cup from a 3-D printer while practicing program it. The opening is smaller than the regular cup
2 Likes
I have a 6” piece of 3/4” PVC pipe. When struck squarely the pipe slides along the carpet straight. Hit off-centre, with a closed or open putter face, the pipe skews sideways.
3 Likes
Great replies. Thanks guys. Hope everyone had a good weekend.
1 Like
Lots of useful putting aids mentioned.
One other on the tech gizmo side is the Blast Motion golf sensor - attaches to the butt end of your putter with a rubber adaptor, then pairs to an app on your smartphone. Displays about a dozen metrics (you can customize the display) including things like face rotation and stroke tempo, and can track these data over time. You can compare your stats to different handicap levels; the app also includes vid tips.
Really really useful for indoor practice when rolling balls on a straight, flat mat!
3 Likes
Tracking data over time is a great feature. If one is only relating to data generated information.
Do not ignore our ability which came with the original equipment. Same as we’re getting used to relying on the GPS provided direction assistance, as some of us forgot to use our eyes and our judgement and the Road sign. You are driving too fast if you don’t have enough time to read the road sign before making changes.
The more we use our senses, the sharper they will get. The less we exercise our senses the dumber we’ll become. No technology I know that could completely replace our senses.
Technology is to enhance our life, not to take over. I have a good friend who is the forefront of studying the A.I. development. He will be the first one to agree that A.I. is not for a complete replacement for our sensors. It is super good for collecting and compiling data to assist us to make decision, but can not at this point to direct out life.
Putting is no different than other part of the golf game. Practice is the only way to “own” your game.
Some will argue that practice does not make perfect! Ever heard of this phrase? I agree to this to a certain point.
we are not trying to copy someone else’s golf swing or putting stroke to the exact image. What worked for them may or may not work for me.
Looking at the putting stroke from all the best putters in the history, no two are exactly the same.
In fact the putting strokes from all the great putters are, very different.
Learn and practice with the modern knowledge , then select the ones which suits you personally the best and then stick with it. Changing back and forth will not achieve consistency.
I know, it is boring, but there is “no short cut”. Just like there is no magic wand that will automatically turn all of us into a single digit index holder.
The is the same reason why people could not accept the honest answer from Ben Hogan when asked about his secret for golf swing. A simple “dig it out of the dirt” answer could not satisfy the public’s curiosity.
I have a different style of each of the major putters. Hell shafted blade, center shafted, face balanced, double bend shaft, roll-face, changeable weights… I can putt with each of them quite efficiently. My favorite out of the bunch is a blade style with maybe 4-6 degree toe hang. I can putt with any head weight putter but prefer on the heavier side for a faster green speed and lighter weight for a slower green speed. I prefer a straight shaft, yet I also can putt well with a double bent shaft in a mallet style head. I am really fond of a new putter ( to me ), mallet style head with heartwood and a double bent shaft for face balanced feel. I acquired this putter only after I learned how to do maintenance work on the wood surface ( a drawback on the wooden club heads for it’s high maintenance ).
You see, the honest opinion may kill the thread, however, I sincerely wish all of you will continue to contribute to this thread of your personal experience.
As there is no one road to Rome, as there is no one absolute method to do a task well.
Stay safe out there, as this winter is not even half way over.
1 Like
Agreed. In this case the tech tool cannot roll a straight putt for you, nor make your putter face square at impact, but rather it will show you a number that indicates whether you left face open or closed it at impact - which can be helpful feedback when used in conjunction with practice/self-improvement.
2 Likes
Of course.
Knowledge is good. Putting it to practical use will be a totally different matter.
This is exactly why teaching a young child is much easier than trying to help a retiree who had been successful of what they did before the retirement. Children have open mind and very good at following instructions if tutored correctly.
This why they say, put the child’s hands on the grip and let them loose. Let them have fun then, come back for fine tuning.
1 Like