Plumb Bobbing

[Mule56]

An article I promised Ems. http://www.puttingzone.com/MyTips/plumb.html
You can get more of Geoff's tips at. http://www.puttingzone.com/tips.html
Mule

[Ems]

thanks mule56, but honestly, i still don't get it.

you let your putter hang vertically to gravity yet still point it to the hole from the ball?? I'm just trying to picture this. where do you hold the putter from? how can it be hanging vertical and still pointing from the ball to the hole?

[Mule56]

thanks mule56, but honestly, i still don't get it.

you let your putter hang vertically to gravity yet still point it to the hole from the ball?? I'm just trying to picture this. where do you hold the putter from? how can it be hanging vertical and still pointing from the ball to the hole?Ems,
Based on your questions I think you understand the author’s point. Hold the putter near the end of the grip. Let it hang straight. Line the bottom of the shaft with your ball and the top with the hole. What plumb bobbing proponents will tell you is you can now see the difference in the slope of the green from one side of the shaft to the other.
After having the pro I see tell show me other methods to read breaks on the green, I gave up plumb bobbing. Today I smile every time I see someone do it. I have even asked people what they see when the do it. Some of the answers prove the author's point.
Mule

[haribo]

I like to do it as a quick confirmation. Works for me.

Anyway, how do you go about reading the break? May I ask what your Pro suggested you doing to read break properly?

Thanks, harald

[Ems]

Thanks Mule56. I get it now, in fact I saw someone do it during the Bayhill Invitational :) :lightbulb

[Mule56]

Anyway, how do you go about reading the break? May I ask what your Pro suggested you doing to read break properly?
Thanks, haraldThe pro had me read the putt from four sides. Called it circle the green. All green are built so that excess water runs off. Find the run offs and you can read the break.
By looking at the putt from all four sides, I can then walk back behind the the ball and see the actual line the ball will follow. Reading the green has never been an issue for me since then. Getting the distance right causes most of my two putts. Less then five 3 putts all of last year.
Mule

[haribo]

The pro had me read the putt from four sides. Called it circle the green. All green are built so that excess water runs off. Find the run offs and you can read the break.
By looking at the putt from all four sides, I can then walk back behind the the ball and see the actual line the ball will follow. Reading the green has never been an issue for me since then. Getting the distance right causes most of my two putts. Less then five 3 putts all of last year.
Mule
Yes, I'm familiar with that technique. I am not employing it though for one simple reason. Don't like to encourage others to slow down play even more on the greens. Might be a silly reason but my experience is if one starts doing it the rest of the foursome follows soon. Plumb bobbing works for me as well, only quicker.

But I do will look for those excess water run offs from now on. That's a good tip. Thanks.

haribo

[Mule56]

Yes, I'm familiar with that technique. I am not employing it though for one simple reason. Don't like to encourage others to slow down play even more on the greens. Might be a silly reason but my experience is if one starts doing it the rest of the foursome follows soon. Plumb bobbing works for me as well, only quicker.
But I do will look for those excess water run offs from now on. That's a good tip. Thanks.
hariboHaribo,
I do it will others are looking over their putts or putting. I just do it out of their sight line so as not to be bother.
I played 15 holes with a guy last year who finally said to me, "how can you putt so well when you don't spend much time looking at your breaks". I gave him a quick explaination and moved on. On the next green he spent more time watching me then he did his own putt. When we finished 18, I gave him a quick run down on the practise green. He was suprise to find out that I had really spent more time then him reading the greens.
Mule

[haribo]

Haribo,
I do it will others are looking over their putts or putting. I just do it out of their sight line so as not to be bother.
I played 15 holes with a guy last year who finally said to me, "how can you putt so well when you don't spend much time looking at your breaks". I gave him a quick explaination and moved on. On the next green he spent more time watching me then he did his own putt. When we finished 18, I gave him a quick run down on the practise green. He was suprise to find out that I had really spent more time then him reading the greens.
Mule
I hear ya. I start reading the green already when I'm walking up to it. Like with every shot I do my preparation while somebody else is playing his/her shot.

haribo