If I’m understanding you, that’s the way I like to approach putting also - pick a line then focus on the proper speed.
As a side note… this became especially effective for me after taking an AimPoint clinic!
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Early results are really good… The new putter was definitely a good choice for me, I think there is an interesting conversation to be had about getting properly fit, a new putter making me practice more, and better overall technique improving my putting regardless of what is in my hands… At the end of the day, I’m more confident and have a better stroke with my new putter. I am glad I got fit and would 100% do it again. @SeeMorePutters has also been great to deal with, and have offered multiple times to help me with anything that comes up… anyways, new putter informercial over!
The things I’ve been working on are tempo and keeping the face more square during my takeaway… I’ve been mostly practicing in the basement using the SeeMore putting aid… One of the things I noticed doing my tempo drills on green grass was that when I keep my club more square (I think of it as closing my left hand on my takeaway), I hit the ball significantly farther… When I do everything correctly, I hit the putt I want to hit… it’s taken some adjustments, but I chipped and putted on 9 holes today, and was performing far better than I expected.
My routine is currently: OK, Big Cat (I like to tell my putter it’s time to putt…) pull my putter, leave my headcover, look at the green and my putt and start thinking… Read the ball from behind, then again from the low side, then address the ball and hit my putt…
It was working today, and one of my big focuses this year is to remain FOCUSED when hitting golf shots (you may have noticed I’m not great at staying focused…) and especially staying focused on putts. My routine is still a work in progress, but it is relatively quick and painless, so I see no reason to stop.
Overall, I’m happy about the direction of my putter stroke… I haven’t really hit a putt in 2 weeks due to travel and weather, and today was the first day to really battle test my putting. I’m still nursing my back, so I’m going to keep putting and chipping and slowly expand my full swing… I’m excited to play 18 with my new short game. We will see how it goes.
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Nice write up. Always happy to help. Thanks for staying in contact and keep up the great work. It will pay off!
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I’ve now actually rolled some putts in the real world and am REALLY happy with my tempo after practicing with my putter.
My speed control is significantly improved, even on slow greens with little play time. It’s something I still have to focus on, and my takeaway is still a work in progress, but overall, I’m quite pleased with my progress.
One of my big goals was to have less three putts (and more tap in 2 putts) and I’m already seeing better misses. I think as I get things dialed in, I will be making for putts because my misses are better. I’m very excited about this season of golf.
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It’s March! I’m actually very pleased with my progress.
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I have a grip that I’m comfortable with and is consistent… reverse overlap, and I grab the putter with my left hand first… both have been adjustments but have added some consistency.
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I think I’ve covered my seemore putter…
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I’m really liking my preshot routine. Interestingly, I really like not taking a practice putt. I look at the putt from two sides, approach the ball, setup and hit it… I don’t think the practice stroke was doing me any favors. My routine has stuck thus far and still starts with “ok, big cat”.
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Tempo drills! Oh tempo drills… my biggest putting flaw was my tempo, and I had 0 distance control. I’ve spent hours practicing tempo and have seen positive results. I now start every putting session taking my putter to the back of my stance and hit putts until I’m happy with my consistency. It’s been a huge help and my distance control on the course is significantly better.
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I’m thinking about my tempo too. I’ve tried using the metronome thing and the tour tempo app but they don’t really work for me. I’m thinking I may be better off picking a player and watching videos of them putting. So who do we think has the best putting tempo?
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For me, tempo work is more making sure I’m taking the putter back and swinging through the same length.
I’ll just put two tees in the ground and the ball in the middle, and roll putts… my goal is to just keep putts within a small circle.
The seemore putting mat is a great tool as well.
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For putting tempo - plus a bunch of other great metrics - take a look at Blast Motion Golf.
It’s really helped me with that plus opening and closing face rotation.
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All interesting thoughts. On average, I take between 28 and 32 putts per round. I still practice the same drill I was taught at my very first (3rd) lesson, except I start from a foot away, not 6 inches. I drop 6 balls in a circle and hear them go into the hole and move on back about a foot at a time until I get to 4-5ft and have to make them all or start over. I like to hit them with authority. I want to hear them drop. I will read them and putt to a spot 2 inches in front of my ball, everytime, same routine. After that, I will move on back starting around 8 ft and moving back in 2ft intervals to 20 ft with 3 balls and start working on speed and lag them trying to make them, but no further than 24 inches past the cup…uphill, downhill, sidehill, but I finish them out with the 2 putt or start over. My entire drill probably takes 15-20 minutes out of an hour of pre-round warm up. On putts longer than 10 ft, my miss tendency is to close the toe but, I know when I do that, and, I can make that adjustment on the fly. I know I’m probably way to old school for you guys but there is a book out there— The Master of Putting: Classic Secrets of a Putting Legend— It was written by George Low. Mr. Low used to hang out at our Golf Club back in the day and give “free advice” for years. He is probably one of the 5 greatest putters that ever lived. If you don’t believe me, look up who sought out his advice. I will say this, as you get older and put pressure on your game you can get twitchy, hence you see so many players today attempting to take the twitch out with saw grip, up the arm grip, the long putter, the belly putter, cross-hand…Mr. Hogan put together what is arguably the greatest instructional golf piece ever “Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf”…know what he didn’t mention in that book? Because it is such a fragile art, I will say this he built that beautiful golf swing and just built it to become so repetitive and practiced it…know what he HATED doing putting practice and yet that’s half the game! Do the drill for a couple months, then let me know how your putting is? That drill is a building block for consistency. You may not be the best natural putter in your club, some people are just gifted…but you can become the most consistent and if you can make those 3-5 footers without thinking…you will lower your REAL score 2-3 shots per round…I guarantee it.
I’m not sure everyone has (or needs) a buddy like this, but the guy I played with today I can probably count on one hand the number of positive things he’s said.
Today he said “Man, your stoke looks way better”.
Everything is still a work in progress… I had one dumb putt where I wasn’t paying attention to my tempo and was worried about my line… and I had two putts that simply got away from me on a downhill. Neither was particularly steep, they were almost just steep enough to keep a putt rolling…I had lost some focus on the back due to my poor play everywhere else…
When I was focused on tempo, I made good putts. More than anything, I didn’t dread walking onto the putting green. It’s a big first step for me. I’m definitely on the right track and will keep grinding what I’ve been grinding.
@MJTortella We don’t have holes in our putting green, which is a blessing and a curse… right now, I’m simply trying to keep my tempo controlled and focusing on the length I take the putter back determining how far the ball goes…
That’s not a problem…cut a 4 inch disk out of 1/2" plywood and put in your bag with a nail through the center. Take the nail out. When you get to the practice putting green, get a 3" tee and put through the nail hole and fix to the green. When you hit the disk with your ball the will stop dead!
Just use a poker chip. They say if you practice to a small target then afterwards the real hole seems huge!
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Yeah, I’ve spent plenty of time practitioner non hole targets… I’ll usually just putt to a tee, even when I have practice holes.
I just want the hole there on occasion to see the ball go in. Just to reaffirm my practice and make reinforce that my long putts would drop.
It’s not costing me anything not having a hole, but it would be nice to have back!
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Does anyone do ladder drills on the green? I know how to do them on the chipping range, but don’t think that same idea would work for putting… maybe it would?
Just lay out two tees ten feet apart, hit the first putt past the tee and then just keep hitting putts past the last ball until I run out of room?
I’ve been very happy with my tempo work and my putting aid from @SeeMorePutters
I just need a new drill to start honing in distance control.
A good speed drill is this:
Place three ball marks one foot apart from each other making a three foot target with one foot intervals. Then place ball marks 5 ft, 10 ft, 20 ft, and 30 ft from the target. Start hitting putts at the 5 ft ball mark and try to stop it inside the ball marks that measure the first foot. Every time you make it, move back a bit until you get to the 10 ft mark. At this point you now try to stop the ball inside the two foot range. Hit putts moving back each time til you get to the 20 ft mark and now go for the three foot range. Keep going til you get to the 30 ft mark and then try to get three in a row from 30 ft inside the 3 ft target.
This whole thing is very hard and you’ll probably need to find some modifications to make it work for you without driving yourself insane.
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Thanks! I’ll give that one a try… just need to bring a tape measure to the practice green.
Have you looked into “ghost” holes? Trains both speed and line.
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I haven’t! I’ll check it out.
Try your local hardware store for sink strainer washers. Much cheaper.
Satisfying to hit “die speed” and ball stays in center!
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