Putting

[trumb1mj]

I played 18 yesterday at cog hill in the greater chicago area. I shot an 44-40(84) with two 8s (yuck).

The one area I am struggling with right now is on the green. I made a couple nice putts but I am struggling with my lag putts. The ball seems to be jumping off my club face rather than rolling with top spin. I have always had a decent putting stroke (use an over hand grip - left hand high grip) but I just can seem to get the ball to roll right now.

Anyone have a drill/advice to remedy my putting?

 

[DouginGA]

I miss Cog hill, played dubs dread once and the other three a few times also.

My son has moved down here with me and starting to play golf. my main advice on putting is "dont worry too much about line, get the distance right".

just a guess but you left them more short or long, not left and right?

lag for a two putt and you will never be sorry.

 

[eclark53520]

Maybe you need some forward press before you make your stroke? Sounds like your clubface is coming through with an angle to get the ball to "jump" in stead of roll...

I dont know if that jump is the only thing throwing you off, but i have adopted the attitude this year of two putt "everything". meaning if i am on the green i am looking to two putt. Given this is only when i am out of my 'comfort zone' where i have a viable chacne to make the putt. If i am outside that zone i try to leave myself as close to the hole as possible, but leave an UPHILL putt. I figured out last year that when i missed big putts i was leaving myself downhill or really tricky putts to come back with andmissing those too...so leave myself an easier second putt, and i have been doing worlds better this year on the green.

 

[twofast2s]

i video taped my putting, spent hours in putting green, and i still can't figure this out.
one thing i noticed though, on longer lag putts i was hitting the ball w/ a jerk/yip twitches. try to widen your stroke and stroke easy/smooth. that help a ton w/ rolling truer putts.

just to let you know how bad of a putter i am, i had 13 GIR (two par 5's were on two) and still manage to score 87.

i tried everything, i have 4 putters, spend hours a week around the green. i just accepted the fact that i can't putt worth $hit and decided to practice my chipping so i don't have to lag putt

some people had success having a chipping stance and putt like they were chipping.

 

[eclark53520]

Oddest putting stroke i ever saw was a guy that would hit all of his clubs right handed...but putted left handed...

threw me off on the first green when he lined up left handed and i was like...wait a min...everyone teed off right handed...

So i asked him about it and he said he got a really bad case of the yips and the only thing that cured them is to learn how to putt left handed...he said he putted so well left handed he never went back.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

some people had success having a chipping stance and putt like they were chipping.

While it is normal for a ball to go slightly airborne on contact to get it on top of the putting surface, and the reason the putter has a slight amount of loft. The only time I ever usually really notice the ball jump is on lag putts. Which would make sense, the longer the putt (or the harder the ball is hit) the longer the jump with the loft. On lag putts I do use a chip putt, but put the ball forward in my stance instead of back. If you put it back you will hit the ball into the ground and it will jump even more. Which this also in turn will do what another person mentions by giving you more of a forward press, there bye delofting the putter. Basically a chip putt allows you to hit the ball normally on lag putts and not get to wristy, which is probably a big cause of big hops. Where you are likely decelerating through the ball and adding loft to the putter.

I also can't help but think that with an left hand low grip, on longer putts you may be pulling the club through with the left hand too much, and adding loft to the putter. Which the intent of the grips is to force you to use your shoulders and not your wrists. May be great for short putts or fast running greens, but you may need to find a range where this "Hop" starts to happen and switch to normal grip as at least to me it is hard to generate any power when I toyed around with that grip without really dropping my left shoulder and taking what felt like a pitching swing. Which gave me a very noticeably poor tempo and likely the reason even though that was the grip my initial instructor recommended, I very quickly abandoned it for a more conventional grip.

 

[twofast2s]

another thing that helped me tremendously for my "slight" case of yip was two things: light grip and think of my wrist, hand, and the putter as one thing and move them as unison. still working on it though.

lately, i've been lifting my head up while i'm hitting the ball. man.. i'm such a bad putter.. oh well.. more time on putting greens.

While it is normal for a ball to go slightly airborne on contact to get it on top of the putting surface, and the reason the putter has a slight amount of loft. The only time I ever usually really notice the ball jump is on lag putts. Which would make sense, the longer the putt (or the harder the ball is hit) the longer the jump with the loft. On lag putts I do use a chip putt, but put the ball forward in my stance instead of back. If you put it back you will hit the ball into the ground and it will jump even more. Which this also in turn will do what another person mentions by giving you more of a forward press, there bye delofting the putter. Basically a chip putt allows you to hit the ball normally on lag putts and not get to wristy, which is probably a big cause of big hops. Where you are likely decelerating through the ball and adding loft to the putter.

I also can't help but think that with an left hand low grip, on longer putts you may be pulling the club through with the left hand too much, and adding loft to the putter. Which the intent of the grips is to force you to use your shoulders and not your wrists. May be great for short putts or fast running greens, but you may need to find a range where this "Hop" starts to happen and switch to normal grip as at least to me it is hard to generate any power when I toyed around with that grip without really dropping my left shoulder and taking what felt like a pitching swing. Which gave me a very noticeably poor tempo and likely the reason even though that was the grip my initial instructor recommended, I very quickly abandoned it for a more conventional grip.

 

[JasonMacIsaac]

Oddest putting stroke i ever saw was a guy that would hit all of his clubs right handed...but putted left handed...

threw me off on the first green when he lined up left handed and i was like...wait a min...everyone teed off right handed...

So i asked him about it and he said he got a really bad case of the yips and the only thing that cured them is to learn how to putt left handed...he said he putted so well left handed he never went back.

Its not odd at all. I can't for the life of me putt right handed and left handed I hit every line I look at. I am right handed in every other sport, every other task. I have been building up the guts to buy a good putter left handed and giving it a try. Confidence is a huge thing.

 

[zaphod]

If the ball is jumping -hopping- off the face you may me hitting the ball with an ascending or severe descending blow. Try some forward press and hold the forward press through the ball to get the ball rolling.

A good drill is to place ball 2-3 feet from cup. Now put putter face on stationary ball. Simply roll the ball in hole maintaining contact as long as possible. All you are doing here is exaggerating the roll "feeling".

Good luck

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

Its not odd at all. I can't for the life of me putt right handed and left handed I hit every line I look at. I am right handed in every other sport, every other task. I have been building up the guts to buy a good putter left handed and giving it a try. Confidence is a huge thing.

There is another very important factor that would give credence to being able to better "See the line" as a left handed putter. The majority of people are Right eye dominant. It is pretty commonly accepted that you have a real advantage over having your dominant eye towards the target, as it allows you to better perceive or see the line as you mention at setup. Not sure how this applies to you as far as eye dominance though.

I probably would at least give a little merit to the fact that I have never really had issues with my putting and pride myself in being a good putter, in that I am left eye dominant and putt right handed. In the same sense I also shot firearms competitively during my life, and did so left handed and can't help but think that my choice to do so when I was young (because I just did so better that way) helped me become an expert marksman at one time. Maybe also had to do with the fact that I was also less distracted because I always got stuck at the far right side of the range so I didn't kick people in the process.

 

[MGP]

just to let you know how bad of a putter i am, i had 13 GIR (two par 5's were on two) and still manage to score 87.

Can I have you play my ball from tee to green?

The one thing I can do is putt, I will sometimes go two rounds without a 3-putt when I am putting well. That and chipping are the only things that keep my scores in the respectable mid to upper 80's range. If I have more than one 3-putt during the round it was a bad day. I can't even remember the last 4-putt I had.

If we could combine our two games we would be able to totally demoralize Ez. :laugh:

 

[twofast2s]

actually, i usually have 1 or 2 3putts per round.
i avg around 34putts/round. i need to get my putt stats down lower to around 30 to be in 70's consistantly.

 

[DaGris]

damn,..if I could put, I'd shoot in the 70's every round.....thats why the pro's are pro's and we are hackers. this past weekend I had sooooo many lip out r stop 1 inch short....any drills?...........I guess just dont miss, thats all I can say.