That course between your ears

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

I've got such a mental block sometimes. Ugh ugh ugh. Triple that again.

I had 6 GIR's on Saturday. I had two near misses, ball ending up on the fringe, from having 8 GIR's on Saturday. Off the tee, I was pretty consistent, my only bad tee shot was at the par-3 6th where I chewed the turf behind the ball with a 4-iron. From the fairway and rough, my iron shots were pretty solid.

My putting fell completely apart. It started on the 7th hole, I had double bogied hole 6, after hitting a pitch shot onto the fringe, then needing three to get down. On the 7th, I hit a nice solid drive, a good solid shot with my hybird, then flew a gap wedge over top the flagstick towards the mid-back of the green, and getting to the top, finding the flag was in a front sucker position. So not bad, but just when I think I can make up that extra stroke over bogey picked up at the 6th hole, I 3-jack the green at 7, and miss making my first par of the day.

So onto hole 8, drive leaks a bit right, second shot comes up short of the green, pitch on, and 3-putt from 15 feet.

Hole 9, flag is in the back of the green, I don't quite hit my iron solid, but put it on the front area of the green. Now comes something I don't think has ever happened to me. 5 putts to get in the hole. 5! 5!

With decent putting, I could have had a 44 on the front.

Onto the back. Another 3-putt from 20 feet away on hole 10.

Another 3-putt on hole 13 after making pars at holes 11 and 12 with 2-putts. 3-putts at 15, this time starting from 10 feet!

18th hole, another 3 putt starting from around 15 feet.

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....

Okay, I guess we'll try the claw grip now. If that doesn't work, it'll be laying out the bucks for a long putter and trying that out.

[Rockford35]

Ya, it's gotta be the putter.

Wasn't it Bobby Jones that said the toughest course to play is the 5" one between your ears?

Take the money you were gonna blow (and I'm emphasizing blow here) on your new sure shot putter and spend it on driving range buckets. After hitting balls, get out to that putting green and practice your lag putting. From the sounds of your description you need to work on a) getting your approach closer to the hole for a better chance to make a putt b) your lag puts aren't getting close enough that they're "no brainers". By that I mean putts that you just sink without thinking.

This game is so mental. The worst thing a golfer can do is get mad at the equipment. The best thing you can do is mark your ball, walk it off and make that next putt. Hard to do, but it's key.

Once you get a better handle on your mental aspects, the rest of the game will fall into place.

R35

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Oh, I'm not going out to buy a new putter yet. I'm just trying to figure out a way to get my mental game cleared up with the putting. Saturday, after the 3-putt on 7, I began freaking, and yipping, yipping them long, or yipping them short.

I know it's not the putter's fault. A long putter, though, is something that can alter the mental setup enough to get the bad thoughts out.

But that's only going to be a desperation measure. I'm still going to work with the putter I have. It's a problem I've got, and it can be solved. And once I do solve it, I will be breaking 90.

[obagain]

It could be worse. I played with a guy last week that had 15 gir's and only 2 birdes, both on par 5's where he left hs eagle putt short.
He did not have a putt over 15 foot all day and had 3 bogies and a double!

[Matthew_22]

By the sounds of it you really aren't comfortable with your putter, but this takes time and practice.

When practicing, I recommende that try and recreate the same sort of pressure that you feel on the course. For example, set yourself a challenge, like make ten 2-putts in a row from the same place and you can learn to deal with the pressure of making an important shot.

[Davebud]

But try the face on side saddle thing it seems to be working for me. I have not done it during a game yet but I have been practicing it and I am happy with it so far.

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

My first course of action is going to be try to change to the claw grip, as I think that'll help separate me from the bad thoughts I have presently when addressing the putts in a traditional manner. I've been practicing it some already, and the claw at least has a different feel to it, and maybe that'll be enough to help me find a feel that will be more consistent and work.

I tallied it up from Saturday. If I had averaged a two-putt for the 18 holes Saturday, I shoot an 89. A decent day of putting, like say 32 strokes, and I have an 85.

My game from the tee is getting better. My iron striking has been improving. I'm getting better and more confident on shortgame shots, although I still need to improve on how close I get those to the hole, but at least I'm more frequently getting them on the green for putts.

I got to get this putting solved.

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

I found an interesting article about putting:

http://www.golfdigest.com/instructio...1quieteye.html

I could definitely identify myself in the described habits of poor putters. So I'll definitely need to take some time on a practice green and practice developing a good, solid routine.

At this point, it's not like I can get any worse, I can only improve.

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Originally Posted by Ravenous Bugblatter Beast

I found an interesting article about putting:

http://www.golfdigest.com/instructio...1quieteye.html

I could definitely identify myself in the described habits of poor putters. So I'll definitely need to take some time on a practice green and practice developing a good, solid routine.

Okay, after playing an evening round today, I very much recommend anyone who is having trouble with their putting to read that article about the quiet eye. I read through it a couple of times, made a plan to follow the findings and have myself take each putt in this manner. First line up the ball for an intended line, then take a couple practice strokes while looking at the hole, then move forward to address. Set the putter behind the ball, focus on the back of the ball. Look up, to the hole, if close enough to the hole, choose a blade of grass on the front of the cup, if farther away, choose the section of the hole I saw the ball going in if the intended line was correct, focus there. Look back at the ball, focus. Look at the point on the cup again, focus. Return to back of ball, focus, take my stroke, and keep my head down.

I didn't have a 3-putt on any of the 15 holes I finished tonight. My lagging was closer than it's ever been, although there were a couple of dicier lags. But in some ways, the best putt was at hole 10. I had struck an 8-iron to the par-3, and left it around 25 feet left of the hole. The first putt was uphill, with lots of break to the right, and I put a good stroke on it. Except for how it got to about a foot and a half short of the hole, then began trickling down the slope. Down, down, down, til I had 9 feet left. But I focused on the routine, settled into it, and put a good solid stroke on the ball and it dropped in for a nice par.

I still to need to put practice in, but this has given me confidence that I'm on the right track now, and I can develop a reliable stroke.

[DouginGA]

Nicely done

Always satisfying when you put in the effort and get a part of your game back under control.

[DouginGA]

Originally Posted by Ravenous Bugblatter Beast

I found an interesting article about putting:

http://www.golfdigest.com/instructio...1quieteye.html

Excellent article RBB. I think I can get a lot out of it, and it seems that is what I am doing when I am making good putts.

It would also seem to me to apply to Iron and driver shots as well dont you think? I mean the article was basically proof that "see where you want the ball to go, keep your eye on the ball, watch the contact, and dont look up" is the way to go. should apply to all shots.

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Originally Posted by DouginGA

Excellent article RBB. I think I can get a lot out of it, and it seems that is what I am doing when I am making good putts.

It would also seem to me to apply to Iron and driver shots as well dont you think? I mean the article was basically proof that "see where you want the ball to go, keep your eye on the ball, watch the contact, and dont look up" is the way to go. should apply to all shots.

I think it probably has some application on other shots as well. I tried doing that too, yesterday, and was striking fairly well on full shots, just often choosing the wrong club for the distance, the course was so unfamiliar with some definite slope issues that made judgment more difficult.

I read the article again last night, and see that in time I'll likely work on moving a bit faster between glancing at a particular point on the hole, and the back of the ball. But using what I did yesterday certainly got me out of the poor habits I had, and really worked on the focus idea, which was important for me, I think. I don't know if I had ever really done that before when putting, and that probably explains my generally poor stats, along with the sometimes lucky day that would make me think it would work itself out.

But it wasn't, and the article is a great one to look at, and examine your own habits while putting.

It'll definitely help, a lot, I think if I make genuine progress on putting. Last Saturday just really hammered it home at how much it could screw me, knowing that if I had only averaged a two-putt at each hole I would have broken 90.

It'll also serve to take some pressure off the short game shots, as it will help to expand the area that I will feel like I have a chance at making the putt.

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Originally Posted by DouginGA

Excellent article RBB. I think I can get a lot out of it, and it seems that is what I am doing when I am making good putts.

It would also seem to me to apply to Iron and driver shots as well dont you think? I mean the article was basically proof that "see where you want the ball to go, keep your eye on the ball, watch the contact, and dont look up" is the way to go. should apply to all shots.

Doug,

I've spent some time this evening practicing pitch shots in an open grassy area, with the purpose of trying to apply the Quiet Eye method to those kind of shots. I think it would be well worth your time to try that, as I experienced overall better ball strikes, and better distance control than I'm previously accustomed to in my short game.

At one point, I saw a dandelion poking out around 15 yards away from me. I went into a routine using the ideas of the Quiet Eye, and damn if I didn't land that ball about 4 inches away from hitting the dandelion.

The big test of course will be out on the course though. Will I be able to do it under the pressure of actual shots counting towards a score? The best thing I can do though is practice it diligently, so when I get on the course it'll be as automatic as breathing.

[DouginGA]

Originally Posted by Ravenous Bugblatter Beast

The big test of course will be out on the course though. Will I be able to do it under the pressure of actual shots counting towards a score? The best thing I can do though is practice it diligently, so when I get on the course it'll be as automatic as breathing.

I am right there with you RBB. I have a sign on the inside of my front door so i see it each time i go out of the house. Says "FOCUS".. One aspect of the quiet eye stuff is that you merely look at where you want the ball to go and then look at the contact point. What isnt said is that after that you just trust your mind and muscles to do what you desire. no thoughts about swing form or technique, just trust and focus on the goal.

I have even gone to the point of writing stuff on the ball to keep my mind on target. one time wrote STS on the balls to remind me to "See The Shot" in an effort to keep on envisioning what I was trying to accomplish.

Might use the sharpie to label the ball QE to keep that concept at the forefront of my thoughts next round. maybe mark it small and position the ball for each putt with the mark at the contact point. I do realize that I pretty much have followed the qe strategy in general but have lacked a really concentrated "point on ball" focus.

[lwc]

I started using the "Quiet Eye" method when it was first published and it has proven to be very good for me. Just needs to be practiced a lot, won't take long and it will become a very natural thing to do.