50 IN A ROW....TOOK ME OVER 100 TRIES

[hogannut]

So I took my last lesson for the season last week and asked my instructor for some putting tips. He said you should focus on 3 footers and 20 footers as they are the most common length putts you can have. For the 3 footers he said to get 3 balls and work around the hole clockwise and then counter clockwise until you make 50 in a row. I tried it yesterday and it is hard. Once I got to 38 and missed and the other times it was around 20. I finally did it, but those last dozen putts are hard as you don't want to start over.

After that I worked on the 20 foot range for a while. On the longer putts I force myself to putt out, and yes many of the second putts on the longer distances are 3 feet.

Give this a try, it will really help!;) :)

[3whack]

What's the goal on the 20 footers?

50 putts without a 3-putt?

[The Troll]

those last dozen putts are hard as you don't want to start over.


Having played with HN he is a really, really good putter as it is....so this must be hard.

I power lip out too many short putts to frustrate myself. :cool:

[hogannut]

Having played with HN he is a really, really good putter as it is....so this must be hard.

I power lip out too many short putts to frustrate myself. :cool:

You're making blush!:$

WHen I was a kid I was a good natural putter, and then as I got older I became somewhat obsessed with ball striking and hit thousands of balls which meant I was not practicing my putting. About 3 years ago I was looking at some score cards at the end of the year and started noticing I was NEVER under 30 putts per round. I knew the only way to get from like a 5 to scratch would be to improve that stat. So I started practicing my putting more and more.

This year I went through some major swing changes from my lessons and haven't had as much time to putt. I am hoping to get some more practice time in now before the end of the year.

When we were kids we would sneak down to the DOnalda club about a half hour before dark and putt until we couldn't see anymore. Sometimes we would walk over to the holes along the DVP and I'm telling you if there was a full bright moon along with the street lights you could hit 100 yard shots and see them the whole way.

The difference between Great Lakes and Canadian Tour is putting. The difference between the Canadian Tour and Nationwide is putting. The difference between Nationwide and PGA is putting. All these guys can hit it 300 yards straight usually, so it becomes who is the better player from 100 yards in, and who can have the least amount of putts.

[WILL]

I get a sore back from hitting lots of short putts because the next putt is so close together, time wise. Maybe my address position needs work. :(

[The Troll]

You're making blush!:$

You struggled early with your swing at CW but you grinded out a number of good putts inside 15 feet to keep your score from getting away.

Bob Rotella makes an observation about putting and the preception that pros have over how they lose. He noted that during Monday qualifying for the Seniors Tour many pros felt that they got beat out by guys who putted better....in fact, those that putted better just had shorter first putts as they hit their 100 yard and in shots better.

GIR's mean everything to amateurs but length of the first putt means more at the pro level imo.

[trunckslammer1]

GIR's mean everything to amateurs but length of the first putt means more at the pro level imo.

You have to get your GIR to a more decent number BEFORE you can start thinking about the green light special.

[WILL]

You have to get your GIR to a more decent number BEFORE you can start thinking about the green light special.


Maybe .... but you certainly need to indentify which shots ARE the "green light special" before firing at every flag.

I think far too many people just aim where the hole is without assessing whats in front of them. Par is often a really good score.

[hogannut]

You struggled early with your swing at CW but you grinded out a number of good putts inside 15 feet to keep your score from getting away.

Bob Rotella makes an observation about putting and the preception that pros have over how they lose. He noted that during Monday qualifying for the Seniors Tour many pros felt that they got beat out by guys who putted better....in fact, those that putted better just had shorter first putts as they hit their 100 yard and in shots better.

GIR's mean everything to amateurs but length of the first putt means more at the pro level imo.

Ya...it was funny because right after CW something just clicked and I finished the year strong, making the city final for the Trawna muni courses and then posted a 76 at the finals that held up for about 4 groups. I'm hoping to put a decent number at Royal Ashburn just to save my so called reputation!:rolleyes:

Nothing can change the momentum of a round more so than a 3 foot putt. You make it and that snap hook off the tee is easier to swallow, you miss it and you just wasted a 300 yard drive in the fairway.

I agree with Will too. To many amatuers aim at the flag every single approach shot. Compared to a PGA player who ONLY aims at the flag if it's accesible or they must make a birdie. Pro's are not as scared to hit the 20 -30 foot putt because most of them are profecient within 3 feet, and they are also good enough that they have a good chance of making the 20 footer. You will see a more upset reaction from a pro leaving a putt short. THe majority of amatuers will leave the putt short as opposed to long, that is not good. Putts that don't make it to the hole are the toughest to make!

Are you coming to RA?

[WILL]

I wish I was coming to RA. The new course had me excited but the date still doesn't work for me.
I've been wanting to play the course because they host the Cdn tour qualifier as well as a GLT event that I've yet to play.

Myself and a close friend are still looking for a game this weekend though..... if you've got room. :D

[hogannut]

I'm just playing locally this weekend, maybe a walk on at Don Valley or Westview.

[trunckslammer1]

THe majority of amatuers will leave the putt short as opposed to long, that is not good. Putts that don't make it to the hole are the toughest to make!



Like Trevino said. "Never in the history of golf has the hole moved towards the ball":rofl:

[The Troll]

Are you coming to RA?

Prolly not....

[Hombre Lefty]

I finally did it, but those last dozen putts are hard as you don't want to start over.

exactly, the only point of making 50 is the last 20. By that i mean, the drill is meant to simulate the intense pressure of a tight match, where you JUST HAVE TO make the next putt. Works too. That's an old David Leadbetter drill he has all his pro clients work on...

[landlord]

...the only point of making 50 is the last 20.
The point to me would be making 30. :rolleyes:

Another tip from the creative-avoidance list is to miss the first one instead of the 49th one and call it done.

[Queen of the Beach]

I would start with making 20 in a row first. If I could do that I think it's an improvement already! Nice tip though. Practise makes perfect.

[leftintherough]

I need help big time! Second consecutive round with 40+ putts !! Yech !

At least my reads were very good!

[The Troll]

At least my reads were very good!

It's the holes that got small....:rofl:

[hogannut]

It's the holes that got small....:rofl:

That's because the holes shrink when it gets cooler!:p

[ZacR]

I tried it today, i got to the practice green a little late so i ran out of time before i could get it, good idea though.

[tourdeep]

What's the goal on the 20 footers?

50 putts without a 3-putt?
Too teach, how to lagg a putt. All putts should land in a three foot circle, in perfect world. Three footers and twenty footers are something that player of all levels should work on.

[hogannut]

Too teach, how to lagg a putt. All putts should land in a three foot circle, in perfect world. Three footers and twenty footers are something that player of all levels should work on.

IMO....lag putting is wrong. Of course you don't want to go 5 feet past, but I always try and think 1-3 feet PAST the hole, not short of the hole. Most PGA players say when they play in the pro am's the biggest error of amatuers putting is not getting the ball to the hole. As well, when you are putting on greens that are routinely 10-12 on the stimp meter, lag putts make much more sense. For us regular hacks we are putting on 8-10 and should be tryint to roll it past the hole.

The hardest putt to make is the one that doesn't make it to the hole!:rofl:

[Quest]

Pro's are not as scared to hit the 20 -30 foot putt because most of them are profecient within 3 feet, and they are also good enough that they have a good chance of making the 20 footer.

I have to disagree with the above statement. The pros actually do not have a good chance of making 20 foot putts, in fact they only make approximately 1 out of 10 that are over 15 feet.

When you look at a graph of putts that are holed....the line goes almost vertical for putts outside of 8 feet. In other words, the percentage of pro putts made from 20 feet, is not much better than pro putts of 50 feet.

So statistically speaking, you are better off practicing the majority of your putts from 8 feet and in.

[TourIQ]

What's the goal on the 20 footers?
50 putts without a 3-putt?The best I have seen from 20 feet is 9 drained out of 30 balls [which equates to 30% one-putt], and the remaining 21 balls all within a 3-foot radius semi-circle behind the cup. Not 1 ball was short of the distance.
I've also seen a modified 3 ball 4 and 5 foot drill from 1 location not going around the hole. 211 consecutive
4-footers and 157 consecutive 5-footers sank. What was ironic, he was using a putter [2-Ball] he never liked [hates face balanced] since it never released properly. It has since been replaced with a modified Callie.

[swingpure]

I need help big time! Second consecutive round with 40+ putts !! Yech !

At least my reads were very good!

I putted well for most of the year but with a month left in the season I started to lip out a lot of putts and then I lost my putting confidence. I practiced my putting a lot and became very technical and even bought a new putter. (a Nike Techno Unitized Putter, which i really like http://www.edwinwattsgolf.com/golf-equipment_nike_nike-unitized-techno-putters_10001_10001_91958_-1_1108.htm, but I digress)

Last Wednesday, I happen to get matched up with one of the best golf instructors in the Edmonton area and he helped me out three ways. Two from things he said and one from example.

1 - He told me that we have a creative concious and essentially if we tell people that we are a bad putter (and tell our selves) then we will be a bad putter. He said that I should tell people that I am a great putter.

2 - I told him that sometimes when I practice putting I really focus on a very small target. (I call it laser vision) He reaffirm that this was a positive thing and that studies show that bad putters look all over the place when looking at the hole, the path and even when looking at the ball. He suggested to not only really focus on a spot but to trace the finite path the ball was going to transverse. I tried this and it worked very well. I especially found that after tracing the path sometimes up and back, the last thing I would do is really focus on the dime size spot I wanted to putt to and then I would put my head down and immediately putt to that dime size spot. This is especially helpful with the knee knocker putts.

3 - He would generally land on the green in regulation but rarely tight to the flag, but he would always lag putt to the whole with the intention of leaving it close. If it when in great, but if not he would have a tap in lag putt. I had been trying to make every putt with always a firm pace. I was 3 putting way too much. In the future round after that game, I just tried to lag it close so that I would only have a tap in. That did two things for me. One, it got me back to putting with feel instead of a technical stroke. I'm a feel putter and I started putting better almost right away. Two, I stopped having the dreaded three putt.

Did I tell you that I am a great putter! LOL

[hogannut]

I have to disagree with the above statement. The pros actually do not have a good chance of making 20 foot putts, in fact they only make approximately 1 out of 10 that are over 15 feet.

When you look at a graph of putts that are holed....the line goes almost vertical for putts outside of 8 feet. In other words, the percentage of pro putts made from 20 feet, is not much better than pro putts of 50 feet.

So statistically speaking, you are better off practicing the majority of your putts from 8 feet and in.

Please indicate where I said the pro's would MAKE the putt?:confused: What I said is that the pro's are so much more effecient with the 3 footers that they are not as timid when standing over a 20 footer.

[Quest]

Please indicate where I said the pro's would MAKE the putt?:confused: What I said is that the pro's are so much more effecient with the 3 footers that they are not as timid when standing over a 20 footer.

What you said was, "Pro's are not as scared to hit the 20 -30 foot putt because most of them are profecient within 3 feet, and they are also good enough that they have a good chance of making the 20 footer."

I just stated that statistically they do not have a good chance of making the 20 footer.

[hogannut]

THe point I was trying to make.....which is why I started the thread is that when you have confidence in your 3 footers you can go ahead and roll the ball to the hole, and if you have that confidence then you have a better chance of making a 20 footer. ALso, although the stats are against the pro (and therefore amatuer) you have better chance of making the longer putts if you aren't scared of 3 footers.

My instructor who is a former Canadian Tour player and is currently at PGA Q school said this is the pro's mentality that they THINK they should be able to make more putts than they miss from 20 feet in. Obviously they are not going to make all 20 footers, and it appears they will only make 10% of the 20 footers.

THe point is....practice your 3 footers and you will build up your confidence with the longer putts.

Also....if you do not have a putting "routine" in your repetoire you should. For example most people have some type of pattern they do when hitting a bucket before a round. THen they appear to go to the putting green and aimlessly putt, and usually putt distances beyond 20 feet, which they aren't going to make anyway. I have just started to incorporate a putting routine in my warm up, and it makes a difference, mentally anyway.

I will start with 50 3 footers. I don't start over if I miss, I just hit 50 3 footers going in a circle around the hole. THen I will take another 10 minutes or so for distance putting, and I try to change up my lengths from anywhere between 6 feet to 40 - 50 feet.

THat big practice green at Royal Ashburn was awesome...I could spend a week there!!

[Quest]

I agree....confidence is a huge part of this game. Way to many amateurs have such negative thoughts prior to hitting their shot and most times end up hitting the shot they were afraid they were going to hit.

A very good book on this subject is Fearless Golf written by Dr. Gio Valiante.

[the_GREEN_Hornet]

Once I got to 38 and missed and the other times it was around 20. I finally did it, but those last dozen putts are hard as you don't want to start over.

I've been looking to improve on my putting and after reading this I tried this excercise...38....?!!.....After 45 minutes, I couldn't get past 5 from 3 feet!!!:$

So I commend you on getting the 50 in a row hogannut! :clap: I will continue working on this exercise!

[hogannut]

Just keep working. I would say the first time I was able to do it it took well over a hundred putts. I went last night after work and did on my 3rd try. THen I work on distance putting between 10-40 feet and then do some more 3 footers at the end.