Want to score better?

[Sluggo42 6,033]

Practice your putting.

 

Just by not missing 2 or 3 putts within 4', and making one or two putts from 5-10 feet, you will instantly pick up 3 or 4 strokes that game.

 

There are a million putting drills- try some

 

Already a great putter?

Then you probably are already a decent player...

 

Great players who are great putters, are the low single digit guys

[cnosil 14,685]

This is one perspective and while the basics are fundamentally true it isn't a complete picture. Yes, taking fewer putts will always make your score lower but if my proximity to the hole was 10 feet closer on average I might also lower my score with the same putting success rate.

 

Hitting more fairways, hitting more greens, better course management are all possible ways to lower scores. The book every stroke counts provides a statistical model that shows putting isn't where most strokes are lost.

 

The way to lower scores is to improve all aspects of your game. Look at the big picture of how you play to determine the areas to prioritize.

[scooducks 299]

I think GIR is an overlooked stats in golf. The low digit guys are hitting at least 7-10 greens-in-reg every round, which means strokes gained off the tee become really important. If I can hit the ball long and straight off the tee, I'm probably going to hit the green. Being a great putter will help, but if you are sinking 5-10 footers for bogey/double bogey, your scores really aren't going to improve all that much. 

[Sluggo42 6,033]

This is one perspective and while the basics are fundamentally true it isn't a complete picture. Yes, taking fewer putts will always make your score lower but if my proximity to the hole was 10 feet closer on average I might also lower my score with the same putting success rate.

Hitting more fairways, hitting more greens, better course management are all possible ways to lower scores. The book every stroke counts provides a statistical model that shows putting isn't where most strokes are lost.

The way to lower scores is to improve all aspects of your game. Look at the big picture of how you play to determine the areas to prioritize.

What you say is totally true, my point was to emphasize one distinct area that can be applied to the majority of players, as opposed to the overall picture

[Spur22 212]

Putting and chipping have always been the strongest part of my game. It's the getting to the green that seems to be the challenge...

 

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[DaveP043 4,005]

There's no question that improved putting leads to lower scores.  As a bonus, putting is one of the easiest skills to improve, in a relatively short time.  The mechanics of putting are pretty simple, compared to a full swing, and you can hit a LOT of putts in a pretty short session.

 

 But for a player who shoots 100, dropping 3 or 4 strokes is a small part of the problem.  The way for most players to get the biggest impact on scores is to improve ballstriking on full shots.  A lost ball counts as 2 strokes lost, keeping 2 more tee shots in play gets the same decrease in score as the putting changes.  

[Kenny B 23,281]

It's all important, and what's important to one player may not be what's important to another player.   If we are talking about someone who shoots 100, that could be someone who has good distance, but can't keep it in play.  It could also be someone who doesn't hit the ball very far, keeps it in play but has a terrible short game.  

 

The ball has to be kept in play; that's #1.  If it's not in play or in hazards, the shots add up quickly.  But if a player keeps it in play, many shots can be saved around the green.  This player is me.  It's how I can shoot low scores, or high scores if my short game is not working that day.  

 

Anyone can improve their short game with practice, and I practice quite a bit.  I can't swing like DJ, JD, or any pro but I am a firm believer that with practice, anyone can putt as well as a pro.  I'm not there yet, but it's possible.

[Rusty1885 1,332]

I don't remember the last time I miss any putts inside 8 feet.

 

 

 

 

 

Sure I probably missed a few, I just don't "remember" them.

[Kenny B 23,281]

I don't remember the last time I miss any putts inside 8 feet.

 

 

 

 

 

Sure I probably missed a few, I just don't "remember" them.

You sound like Jack Nicklaus

[Golfspy_CG2 25,119]

So what I get from this thread is: if I keep the ball in play off the tee, hit more greens and make a few more putts. My scores will improve. Ha

 

So yep. Its all important. Kenny did a good job describing the challenges of different type players.

 

I tend to be his type player as eel. I've gotten much shorter over the last 5 years but also much more accurate.

 

I consider myself a good putter. But with more practice I could become better than good. I believe.

 

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[Sluggo42 6,033]

I don't remember the last time I miss any putts inside 8 feet.

Sure I probably missed a few, I just don't "remember" them.

That contributes to your 2 cap as well

[Sluggo42 6,033]

Of course getting better at everything will lower your scores.

 

But, a 3 foot putt equals a 300 yard drive on the score card.

So almost every golfer could putt better with just a little more disciplined practice.

 

How many putts do you miss every round that makes you mad? A few probably, right ?

 

How many 5-10 footers do you "almost make"? What if one or two of them fall in?

 

So if you've been playing for 30 years, but still shoot 90's, the odds are you've spent countless hours hitting full practice shots, right?

 

Watch the pros on the practice greens- what I see is that they spend a lot of time on very specific shorter putts, and that's why they rarely miss second putts, and the ones that run out to the leads are usually making some of their longer putts too.

 

I'm not saying improved putting will make you better at roping your drives down the middle, or better at GIR. Obviously those skills help you score.

 

I'm saying that you can shave a few strokes by becoming a more serious and more disciplined putter, and that's something we all can improve

[cnosil 14,685]

If we are specifically taking putting there are some basic skills that should be mastered that will likely have benefits for all golfers

 

1. Start the ball on intended line. This is the first skill to master. If you can't accomplish this the other skills are difficult to achieve. This is a core fundamental that can be practiced anywhere.

 

2. Need to be able to control speed/distance. Leaving a putt 6 feet short or blowing it 6 feet past the hole put a lot of pressure on you putting game.

 

3. Green reading. Not every putt is straight so you need to be able to determine where the ball will go. This skill is tied to the other 2 skills. If you can't start the ball on line at the right speed you cannot build the knowledge to accurately evaluate a putt.

[Golfspy_CG2 25,119]

Watched one of the pros on the putting green at the Seniors Players the other night on the putting green.  He was practcing 5 footers, with only his left (lead) hand.  Just one after another after another.  And he rarely missed one.  I'm sure for him it's a simple drill, but it was impressive to watch.  

[StrokerAce 10,485]

I find it hard to make a birdie unless you can either stuff it close with a wedge or hit a 15-20 foot putt...  I've given myself many birdie chances over my last 3 rounds but can't make a putt over 15 feet to save my life.

 

Thankfully...if I do 3 putt...it is only 1x per round so I can lag it fairly close (3-5 feet)...

 

Sadly - the range I go to is only for hitting full shots and does not have a practice green... I need to bite the bullet and find one that has a putting green...

[DaveP043 4,005]

I find it hard to make a birdie unless you can either stuff it close with a wedge or hit a 15-20 foot putt...

It looks to me like the pros make about 1 in 15 or less from 15 to 20 feet.  The way to make birdies, hit it closer.  Hit it longer off the tee, in play, for a shorter second shot, get that one closer.  

[scooducks 299]

Completely speaking anecdotaly, my best scores come in the rounds I hit the most greens. I can 1-2 putt 16-17 times a round on average, so if I'm on the green in regulation, I'm looking at some decent scores. If I'm off in the trees off the tee, hitting 7-4 irons into greens, or missing wide left or right with short irons/wedges I don't care how well I"m putting, I'm not putting up a good number. Good putting could keep me away from a really nasty number, but definitely not something I'll be happy with at the end of the day. 

[Reesedw 2,463]

As I read this I come to 1 conclusion. If we all have better ball striking, Hit it longer and in the fairway, stick our approach shots close and 1 putt all the hole we'll have lower scores... Hmmm 

 

And If i did that consistently I would not be working for a living, I'd be playing golf for a living.. 

 

That's excactly why we are here, cause we all do not play that game we all have our struggles. and each of us have differnet areas to be worked on.. 

[STUDque 11,859]

As I read this I come to 1 conclusion. If we all have better ball striking, Hit it longer and in the fairway, stick our approach shots close and 1 putt all the hole we'll have lower scores... Hmmm

 

And If i did that consistently I would not be working for a living, I'd be playing golf for a living..

 

That's excactly why we are here, cause we all do not play that game we all have our struggles. and each of us have differnet areas to be worked on..

 

I think OP's main point was that putting better takes pressure off the rest of your game.

 

Everyone else's point is that if you have at least one area of expertise, you can compensate for other shortcomings.

 

What we have here is a classic case of the chicken and the egg.

 

 

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[Rusty1885 1,332]

I think OP's main point was that putting better takes pressure off the rest of your game.

Everyone else's point is that if you have at least one area of expertise, you can compensate for other shortcomings.

What we have here is a classic case of the chicken and the egg.

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Yep, I said it many times here. I've seen significant improvement in my game and scores just by doing 2-6 footer putting practice. It takes pressure off my lag putts, my short game, may approach as well as my driving.