Golf!!!2!

[jayswin]

In my experience your average golfer will go to the range and put significant time into irons, driver, hybrids, woods.

Those same golfers will typically stop at a putting green for 5 minutes before a round, tap a few balls around in a non pointed manner, from random distances and go "alright got a feel for the greens". And that's basically their entire practice putting regiment.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Well, yeah. If you're playing casually, that makes sense. Turning 3 putt holes into 2 putt holes will make a huge difference to the number on the card at the end of the round, but it isn't going to make your round much quicker and it isn't going to save you lost balls. Most players are just trying to keep it in play off the tee and get it towards the green, just make their way around the course.

Personally I'm totally aware that I have a bunch of strokes to be gained on the green if I improved my lag putting, but I still focus on the rest of my game because when the rest of my game is on I'm having a good time regardless of whether the putts fall or not.

[jayswin]

But I was responding to a poster who specifically mentioned putting being a weak spot in his game and wanting to improve it.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

OK, well it sounded a lot like you were making a general (and probably accurate) comment about the way most golfers practice golf. I didn't realize you were offering someone such useful advice as "try spending some time on a putting green, that might help".

[jayswin]

God you're an ass, haha.

[jayswin]

It actually was useful to suggest to somebody thats struggling with putting that we as golfers often don't put a ton of time into it and to set more putting time aside with repetitive putts from concentrated distances.

For me that absolutely did the trick over attempting to change grip technique. Just a suggestion between fellow cp'rs in a thread where we discuss a shared sport. ****ing miserable ass, lol.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

I was literally trying to continue the conversation by talking about having different goals, based directly on a post you made and you gave me a snarky emoji to suggest my post made no sense because you were trying to advise someone else to inprove his putting through... practice? Gee, I bet he hasn't tried that yet, can't imagine why I was responding generally to your comment. You're the ass here; post 6483 was totally unnecessary.

But sure, fine, back to putting advice, Windsor I found looking at the hole instead of the ball helped me, especially from 20 feet in. Triple track also helps a lot of people.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by jayswin

In my experience your average golfer will go to the range and put significant time into irons, driver, hybrids, woods.

Those same golfers will typically stop at a putting green for 5 minutes before a round, tap a few balls around in a non pointed manner, from random distances and go "alright got a feel for the greens". And that's basically their entire practice putting regiment.

I know I need to do this more but also wonder if I need to fix my grip, putting thoughts etc.

I guess with other shots it's easier to identify the issues (swing path, takeaway, grip, etc).
I like analyzing my game and am able to adjust everything else. Even when it's going wrong, I at least have an idea of what I'm doing wrong and how to practice correcting it.

With putting, I don't have any real thoughts or strategies out there, I just putt and hope to get better with repetition.

Had six 3 putts in my round yesterday. It's comically bad and frustrating.
Also had 11/14 fairways from the tee which is really good for me, so I feel like 2 different golfers out there.
One guys pretty competent, one guys a total clown.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

]With putting, I don't have any real thoughts or strategies out there, I just putt and hope to get better with repetition.

What are your thoughts and strategies? What grip do you use? Do you have a bias for your stroke (push versus pull)? What do you do to develop feel? Do you have feel? Do you know how to read a green? Putting is pretty much line and feel, so you need figure out both to eliminate those three putts and get you to a respectable 33-36 putts around (double digit handicapper).

[bigrangy]

For me, I try to simplify putting as much as possible.

Read the putt, line up your ball to a point matching the read, hit the ball as straight as possible. Trust the read above everything else.

I find whenever I’m still thinking about the line while putting I start to miss a lot more. Lock that in then the only thing that matters is a smooth stroke (which should be easy) and pace (much harder).

This also lets you know more obviously if your choice of line was wrong, so you can learn from that over time.

[bagofpucks]

Not quite what this thread was created for, but figured I’d share my experience anyways. We had a team event at Launchpad Heritage Pointe last week and I could not believe how much fun it was. I hadn’t picked up a club in close to 5 years and that experience definitely almost got me hooked again if I had a bit more time and money to put towards anything, but with young kids I’ll have to wait a few more years. Food was decent enough and I really enjoyed all the different games you could play. I can totally see going there for a date night or a meet up with a few of my golfing buddies.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

What are your thoughts and strategies? What grip do you use? Do you have a bias for your stroke (push versus pull)? What do you do to develop feel? Do you have feel? Do you know how to read a green? Putting is pretty much line and feel, so you need figure out both to eliminate those three putts and get you to a respectable 33-36 putts around (double digit handicapper).

All things I'm trying to figure out I guess.
My grip is just where my hands feel right but haven't worked on it. Bias is leaving it short or missing low side on breaking putts (not seeing the break enough).
Don't really push or pull it too much, probably more an issue with my reading and lag.
Need to take a couple lessons.
I'm getting 40-41 putts a round so getting to 33-36ish would be a game changer.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

The thing about putting is that there isn't really a "correct" way to do it, which from what instructors have told me, makes it harder to give lessons. Obviously a good pro will see why you're missing the way you're missing and be able to help you adjust your current method, but it's not like fixing someone's swing where there are obvious problems that they see all the time like a weak grip or a steep swing plane. What they could do for you would be to suggest a bunch of different things to try (different grips, alignment methods, strokes) and you give them a shot and see if something clicks.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

The thing about putting is that there isn't really a "correct" way to do it, which from what instructors have told me, makes it harder to give lessons.

Said no instructor ever. The mechanics of putting is the easiest thing to teach but it is the hardest skill for students to grasp because it requires imagination and touch, which most players do not develop without playing a lot. Putting is difficult because you have to trust your stroke to hit points on an invisible curve which is extremely hard for players to do.

Originally Posted by bigrangy

For me, I try to simplify putting as much as possible.

Read the putt, line up your ball to a point matching the read, hit the ball as straight as possible. Trust the read above everything else.

I find whenever I’m still thinking about the line while putting I start to miss a lot more. Lock that in then the only thing that matters is a smooth stroke (which should be easy) and pace (much harder).

This also lets you know more obviously if your choice of line was wrong, so you can learn from that over time.

This is a wonderful approach to putting. This is ignoring many of the mechanical issues that players run into but addresses the easiest philosophy to becoming a decent putter quickly. Make the read, feel the distance in your hands, then roll the putt, thinking only of rolling the putt over your intermediary mark - the imaginary point on the curve.

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

All things I'm trying to figure out I guess.
My grip is just where my hands feel right but haven't worked on it. Bias is leaving it short or missing low side on breaking putts (not seeing the break enough).
Don't really push or pull it too much, probably more an issue with my reading and lag.
Need to take a couple lessons.
I'm getting 40-41 putts a round so getting to 33-36ish would be a game changer.

I'm happy to see bigrangy get to what I was going to outline and then you touch on some of the concepts as well. Get the line then focus on the roll.
You're on the right track IMO, so continue to work on it.

When it comes to reading a putt my advice is to imagine you're standing in a downpour and the water is running across the green. Where is the water going to run to pool on or exist the putting surface. This is where the breaks on the green are going to go. This is going to address 85% of the break.

Another 10% of the break is going to be in the grass you're playing on and the grain evident on the surface. Bent and Bermuda are very grainy and will keep a ball straight, make it break more, or make it quicker or slower, depending on lay of the blades. There are two easy ways to see which way the grain is going and understand the impact. First, is look at the grass from opposite directions. You should see one direction looking lighter and the other slightly darker. The darker is the direction the grass is laying, meaning it will be faster and allow more break. The second is to look inside the hole and look for the ragged edge of the cut cup. One side will be clean, but the other will have a ragged look. This is the direction the grain is going. Once you have this figured out you should be able to gauge your speed.

Another 5% of the putt is going to be the atmosphere you're playing in. Is it windy? That will impact the roll. Is it humid out and the grass is standing up? That will impact the roll. You don't normally have to be concerned with these issues on most of your putts, but they are things you need to be aware of as you get better with the Texas wedge.

Once you have your read I always recommend that you find a spot on the green that is the apex of the break and then mark your line to that point. Almost all balls have an alignment aid stamped on them now, so use this to your advantage. Get behind your ball and make the line on the ball to the apex of your break. This line will allow you to make a square stroke and stay on line as you focus on making a good confident roll. The goal of the putt is not longer hitting it the hole, it is hitting it to the intermediary mark and letting gravity do the rest. In your mind the putt becomes shorter and is easier to stay on line and give you a better chance to make the lag.

The next most important thing you need to do is develop feel for your stroke. This is accomplished through developing a touch on the putting green and then feeling it in your feet when you're on the course.

The first part is pretty simple. You need to get a feel for rolling the ball on the green. Find the flattest part on the putting green and roll putts from 3 feet, 6 feet, 9 feet, 12 feet, and 15 feet, from all four primary ordinals on the compass. This will help you develop feel quickly. After a while you only need to find your 15 foot and 3 foot speed because you've trained yourself on the other steps. This practice is where you will make up tons of strokes out on the course. Spend less time blasting drivers and spend more time rolling putts.

The second part of developing feel may sound funny, but if you can't feel it in your feet you're not likely going to feel it in your hands. This is why a lot of players are now straddling their line on several spots on the way to the hole. They want to be able to feel the gravity the green and how it translates to their hands. Once you have this feel in your feet you'll be that much more comfortable rolling the ball. Happy feet = happy stroke.

One last bit of advice is to try and take your hands out of your putt as much as possible. A very popular method right now is to used a longer grip and lock out the putter grip against your leading wrist or forearm. I'm not a fan of this as I think this is against the rules, but it is deemed acceptable by the tour. I tend to extend my index fingers and lock the high finger in the grip of the lower hand. This firms up the wrists and makes it really hard to activate them and take your stroke off line. At this point you are really just trying to make a square stroke and roll the ball over the intermediary mark. It is a simple easy philosophy and will work for most players out there. They key to making it work is practice, like anything else, but the time commitment is minimal.

My routine when I arrive to the course (usually 20-25 minutes before tee time) is to have an 8-12 ball warm up (4 x 8 iron, 4 x driver, 4 x sand wedge) then head right to the practice green and spend the majority of my time on the putting green. The green is where you spend most of your shots, so get that aspect down the best you can before heading to the course. Getting loose is important, but getting the speed of the greens is where you save your round.

Hope this was helpful.

[DoubleK]

Crowsnest is an absolute gem. Definite must play if you are in the Calgary area.

Course is a bit short, reminded me a lot of Chateau Whistler in terms of the difficulty and the scenery.

Just finished up at Inglewood. Course is immaculate right now. I don't think there are better fairways in Calgary.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

probably more an issue with my reading and lag.
Need to take a couple lessons.
I'm getting 40-41 putts a round so getting to 33-36ish would be a game changer.

I'm pretty much set on going the aimpont route when I get to Seattle.

Have you given that any thought?

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

I'm pretty much set on going the aimpont route when I get to Seattle.

Have you given that any thought?

Have not, but looks interesting.
I like that it puts technicality and methodology into the equation instead of just "feel".

I'm in the process of joining a club so I think step 1 for me will be getting lessons with the club pros. Good way to improve and also get to know the club staff.
This will also give me unlimited access to a really nice short game practice area, so will prioritize getting out there.

[8sPOT]

Had our Club Championship this weekend. I'm an 11 handicap so I played in the 10+ Mens category. After the 1st round I was in 1st place with an 80, then day 2 the wind picked up, everyone struggled a bit. I needed a birdie on the final hole to break 90, managed an eagle for an 88.

I was 1 stroke off the lead at the end, finished 2nd. But man that was fun!

It was my son's first tourney too, they had to hit from the Whites. He shot 120 day 1 and was last place and pretty embarrassed but stuck with it and shot 107 day 2, beating a handful of kids. Gotta love it!

[Derek Sutton]

^Great job by you and your son.

Since we are hitting club championship season, I’m debating on entering or not. My issue is that I will have to play from the back tees and as a 17 there is no way that should be hitting from there. I can’t figure out why they make all players under 55 play from the back tees. It’s not like it adds much yardage but there are 4 holes that really bring the trees into play on both sides lining the tee box from the back tees, I’m 50/50 on entering because of this. If my flight could hit from the regular tees, I would for sure play in the club championships.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Derek Sutton

^Great job by you and your son.

Since we are hitting club championship season, I’m debating on entering or not. My issue is that I will have to play from the back tees and as a 17 there is no way that should be hitting from there. I can’t figure out why they make all players under 55 play from the back tees. It’s not like it adds much yardage but there are 4 holes that really bring the trees into play on both sides lining the tee box from the back tees, I’m 50/50 on entering because of this. If my flight could hit from the regular tees, I would for sure play in the club championships.

What's the distance from the back? I sometimes play the second longest and it's kind of nice because while it adds distance it also takes some trouble out of the equation. Plus...I get another few strokes!