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How I shaved 8 strokes in a month without leaving my house


longdrivenate

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TL;DR: Nothing novel here. Practice your putting if you want to score better. It's the fastest, easiest, and most affordable way to cut strokes off your handicap. My experience below, as well as some learnings and a product recommendation.
 
I am a golf addict. Pre-COVID, I would play about 1-2 full rounds a week and go to the driving range at least 2-3 times a week. My practice routine at the range would generally consist of hitting 80-150 balls (not just mindlessly bashing balls, but usually doing drills and playing simulated holes/courses in my head), and then putting for about 10-15 minutes on the practice green before going home. I know people say you should practice putting more than anything, but I just didn't because the practice green at my range is awful and I genuinely believe practicing on it makes me worse since it's in such bad condition that it's not representative of what greens on real courses are like. Anyways, with that routine, I became a good driver of the ball, and a decent but not great iron player (you'd think I'd be better with my irons and wedges from consistently hitting that many balls, but hitting off mats really doesn't translate that well to the course I find). That said, my putting was atrocious. I track all my shots with golf apps and in my last 6 rounds before COVID, I averaged 40.4 putts per round...in other words, 2.25 putts per hole. Yikes.
 
Then COVID happened. I live in San Francisco, where shelter in place went into effect in mid-March, and golf was no longer an option. I was bummed that I wouldn't be able to play for awhile, or even go to the driving range to practice. And on top of that, because I live in a San Francisco condo, we don't really have much outdoor space so I couldn't set up a nice backyard practice area or anything like that. But I was determined to practice somehow, so I bought a Putt-Out putting trainer and matching 6 foot putting mat. I set them up the first week of quarantine and started rolling at least 100 putts each day at varying distances from 1 - 6 feet. I would usually do this in sets of 20 while counting how many of the 20 I made. But I also did a fair bit of just playing around and trying different grips, different stances, etc. Over time, I settled into a grip and stance that works well for me and I started grooving that. As one would expect, over a month of this, I became quite good at these short putts on the putting mat. Now I can routinely make about 19/20 from 4 feet or closer and I'd say I'm about 16/20 from 6 feet on average. Now these aren't challenging putts considering they're short and on a perfectly flat surface, but still, doing weeks of that practice gave me loads of confidence that when I line up a short putt, I know it will at least come off the putter face straight and on line with where i want to hit it. And it's become my expectation that if I'm within 6-foot range, I'm going to make it. That mindset is completely different from where I was before COVID when I would stand over a 5 or 6-foot putt and feel like it was a coin flip (at best) whether or not I would sink it.
 
So, when golf courses reopened a couple weeks ago, I was excited to get out there and try out my new putting stroke. Delightfully, everything I had practiced translated to the course. In my first round back, I only took 30 putts! That's 1.67 putts per hole and probably the best I've ever putted in my life. Beyond that, it's continued. I've played another 5 rounds since then and in these first 6 rounds since COVID, I've averaged 32.7 putts per round. To remind you, in my last 6 rounds before COVID, I averaged 40.4 putts per round. So I've been 7.7 putts per round better since COVID happened.
I'm ecstatic about this, but honestly, the best part isn't even the scoring, it's been the shift in mindset. The confidence I've developed in my living room has stuck with me on the course. Before, when I would walk up to see I have a 5-foot putt left to save par, I would get anxious and start hoping that I would make it. Now, when I walk up to a 5-footer, I'm practically thinking "piece of cake, that's a gimme". And 3-footers are effectively automatic, at least in my mind. That shift has given me loads of confidence on the course. Now I'm telling myself, just get on the green in regulation and you've got a decent shot at birdie, and almost assuredly walking off with a par. Whereas before, there was the challenge of getting the GIR but then also the challenge of converting the two-putt just to get a par. So much less stress now.
 
I know that was long, and all to basically say something everyone already knows - practice your putting if you want to score better - but I wanted to share because 1) I'm stoked lol, and 2) I had a handful of learnings from this that might be novel/helpful to others:
 
Learnings:
  1. Lag putting is great and important to practice but even just getting really good and confident at short, simple putts is tremendously helpful. As described above, I resisted practicing my putting for a long time because the practice green at my driving range is terrible. But beyond that, when I did practice, I would mostly practice lag putting since I figured if I could get myself closer on second putts, then I would have fewer three-putts. Well obviously with my 6 foot putting mat, lag putting hasn't been an option for me. But just practicing these short ones has helped me learn how to make sure the ball is coming off the putter straight, and there is just something about seeing the ball go in the hole over and over that builds tremendous confidence. Not giving away strokes from within 1 - 6 feet has been a really empowering feeling on the course. So get comfortable and confident with those short ones and actually getting the ball in the hole!
  2. Don't be afraid to give it some speed. Before COVID, since I had so little confidence in my putting, I was always afraid that if I hit a 6 footer too hard, I might send it 3 feet past the hole and have another short one to fret over. So I would try to get the speed just right and more often than not, end up either leaving it a little short, or the ball would get to the cup moving so slowly that any break in the green would get amplified and the ball would turn too far left or right and miss on the side. By developing confidence within the 3-5 foot range over the last month, now I'm not afraid of sending the ball a few feet past the hole since I know (or at least think) I will make that putt coming back. So I started hitting them with a bit more speed and that makes sure the ball gets to the hole with a chance to go in and also takes more break out of the green. Those things combined result in many more putts going in. So get confident from close and then hit the damn ball.
  3. "Swing your swing" even applies to putting. In other words, I don't believe there is a "correct" grip or stance. For years, I've tried to use what many people would probably describe as a proper or traditional grip and stance with the putter. At the end of the day, I was not a good putter though. By having lots of time to do nothing but putt this last month, I experimented with everything. I tried narrowing my feet, widening them, opening my stance, closing it, interlocking my fingers, separating my hands, etc. and just played around with what felt good and what let me hit the ball straight as often as possible. After a week or two of that, I settled on a grip and stance that is nothing like what I had been doing before COVID, but you know what, I'm confident with it and at the end of the day it is working for me! So don't be afraid to experiment and find what works well for you.
  4. I highly recommend the Putt Out trainer. It is exceptionally good for developing the speed I talked about above. For anyone who's not familiar with it, it's a cup-sized target that rolls the ball back towards you the same distance that it would have gone past the hole if you missed. So if I putt it up that thing and it rolls back 1-2 feet, then I know that speed would have sent the ball 1-2 feet past the hole if I had missed. This helps me understand how hard I can hit a putt without having fear of it going too far past the hole. Great for developing speed control and confidence IMO!
  5. Putting is the most convenient, affordable, and efficient way to improve. While it can be challenging to find the time (or money) to go to the driving range or play rounds of golf, putting can be practiced from home with minimal time and money. That putt-out trainer can be bought for $25 and you can get cheap putting mats anywhere (the one I bought and linked to above goes well with the putt out trainer, but it's more expensive than what you need). Then just roll some putts whenever you have the time. It is so quick. I can usually sink 50 four-footers while my morning coffee is brewing...do that alone for a month and you'll be a better putter than you are today, I guarantee it like George Zimmer.
 
That's all I got. Hope this helps make someone happier with their golfing, like it has for me 🙂

WITB:

Driver: Callaway Mavrik SubZero

Irons: Taylormade P770 4i - AW

Wedges: Taylormade MG3 at 55 and 60 degrees

Taylormade Stealth Plus 3Hy

Taylormade Stealth Plus 3W

Putter: Odyssey Stroke Lab Double Wide Arm Lock

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Congrats on you new found success. I wish putting was my path to improvement; short game has been my nemesis but I seem to be making progress since I can hit pitches and chips in my backyard now that I work from home.

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

Testing:   SPGC_logo.jpg

Backups:  :odyssey-small: Milled Collection RSX 2, :seemore-small: mFGP2, :cameron-small: Futura 5W

Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

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4 hours ago, cnosil said:

Congrats on you new found success. I wish putting was my path to improvement; short game has been my nemesis but I seem to be making progress since I can hit pitches and chips in my backyard now that I work from home.

Nice. Keep at it. I don't know if putting is much different from other parts of the game. The takeaway for me was that if you just put in the time to work on something diligently and consistently, you'll improve. I think with golf though, it's easy to continue practicing the parts that we enjoy vs spending time on the areas we really need to improve on. Good luck! 

WITB:

Driver: Callaway Mavrik SubZero

Irons: Taylormade P770 4i - AW

Wedges: Taylormade MG3 at 55 and 60 degrees

Taylormade Stealth Plus 3Hy

Taylormade Stealth Plus 3W

Putter: Odyssey Stroke Lab Double Wide Arm Lock

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So what grip did you decide to go with; claw, left hand low, pencil etc?

   Driver:  :callaway-small: Epic Flash Sub Zero Hzdrs Smoke x flex 70g

3 Wood:  :titelist-small: 917 w/ Diamana Whiteboard stiff

5 Wood : :callaway-small: Epic Flash 18* Hzdrs Smoke stiff

4 Hybrid: image.png.cf6ab25979c6727ff31e6cc6f719636c.png TSi3 Hzdrs Smoke X flex

     Irons:  :callaway-small: 5-7  Apex forged 19 w/ Modus 120 X

                         9-A Apex Pro 19 w/ Modus 120 X

Wedges:  :callaway-small: MD5 52&56 Jaws Dynamic Gold wedge flex

    Putter: :titelist-small: Scotty Cameron Phantom 5.5 34"

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Massive improvements can come from finding a mobility and stability training routine. TPI is great, but doing yoga is also wonderful. So many people can’t get their body into swing places because of mobility issues and also they get fatigued as the round progresses. 

M5 Taylormade w/Hazrds Yellow (small batch)

Ping G410 Hybrid w/Evenflow protoype

Taylormade 4-PW P-750 w/C-Taper Lite 

Taylormade HiToe 50, 54, 60 w/project-x 

Scotty Squareback or Spyder X 

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Totally agree if that if your driver and irons are in play, that short game is the area that you will make up the most strokes.  Feeling confident over short putts is hugely important, and getting the reps on even a mat or carpet is huge for that.  At this point my practice time on the course is probably 50% chipping, 40% putting, and maybe 5-10% on the range. Additionally I hit a couple hundred putts daily in the office, and have tried a variety of grips to find the most consistent stroke.

While you do need to make sure you get the putts to the hole, you don't want them running 10 ft past.  for a 10 footer, you should get 9 of 10 past the hole and maybe leave 1 short due to variance. The hole shrinks quickly the faster the ball is moving.  Also, Padraig Harrington had a great lag putting tip on Twitter to play twice the break you think it needs.  

 

:honma: 💣Driver: Honma TR20 440 8.5° w/ Vizard FP-7X SHAFT - REVIEW POSTED 💣

:adams-small:3 Wood:  Adams TightLies Titanium 3+  - Shaft Bassara E55 x5ct

:taylormade-small:Hybrid: Taylormade RBZ 2.  16.5°-  Stock Shaft- Stiff

image.png.5094bf65d200d3ff7ef5ed059993dfb4.png Irons: SUB70 639 CB 4-PW w/ Nippon Modus 120 X-STIFF

:mizuno-small::cleveland-small:Wedges: GW: SUB70 Raw 48° Mizuno Mp series 52 SW: Cleveland RTX 2.0  56° LW: Mizuno JPX 900 60°

:odyssey-small:Putter: Odyssey White Ice Sabertooth- Superstroke Slim 3.0 grip

:taylormade-small:Bag: Taylormade FlexTech Lifestyle Carry bag- Houndstooth

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Well done, and sound advice!  I have played 36 holes in the last 3 or so weeks and I have made SEVEN 3-putts (shooting 77 and 83)....so I will take your wisdom and apply it!!  

Best wishes, and stay healthy.

 

Driver:  :callaway-small: XR16 10.5* (set to 9.5*), MRC KuroKage TiNi Black, S-flex

3 wood:  :ping-small: G410, Alta 65 S-flex

Hybrids:  :ping-small: G400 19* & 22*, Alta CB 70 S-flex

Irons:  :mizuno-small: JPX-900 5-GW, Proj X LZ 6.0

Wedges:  :titelist-small: SM7, 54*/S; :callaway-small: MD4, 58*/S

Putter:  :odyssey-small: White Hot Pro Black 2.0 #1

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16 hours ago, ballplayer002003 said:

So what grip did you decide to go with; claw, left hand low, pencil etc?

I don't know if there's any name for it, it's just what ended up feeling comfortable for me and what I seem to strike the ball most consistently with. If I were to describe it, I've got my hands slightly separated with my left hand at the top of the grip and my right hand at the bottom so that my right index finger is actually placed along the shaft below the bottom of the grip. I settled on that after working on putting with just my right hand for awhile and feeling like to control the putter well with one hand I needed to place it down towards the bottom of the grip like that. Then after I got good at putting with just my right hand like that, I eventually added the left hand back to the top of the grip to provide a little more stability. Anyways, here's a picture if that helps explain better.  

IMG_4323.thumb.PNG.13897ef65e8aec4ca10c071f827be61f.PNG

WITB:

Driver: Callaway Mavrik SubZero

Irons: Taylormade P770 4i - AW

Wedges: Taylormade MG3 at 55 and 60 degrees

Taylormade Stealth Plus 3Hy

Taylormade Stealth Plus 3W

Putter: Odyssey Stroke Lab Double Wide Arm Lock

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Thanks for the advice and the Padraig tip @golfingbrock

WITB:

Driver: Callaway Mavrik SubZero

Irons: Taylormade P770 4i - AW

Wedges: Taylormade MG3 at 55 and 60 degrees

Taylormade Stealth Plus 3Hy

Taylormade Stealth Plus 3W

Putter: Odyssey Stroke Lab Double Wide Arm Lock

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3 hours ago, AceBino said:

Well done, and sound advice!  I have played 36 holes in the last 3 or so weeks and I have made SEVEN 3-putts (shooting 77 and 83)....so I will take your wisdom and apply it!!  

Best wishes, and stay healthy.

 

Thanks and good luck! If you're shooting 77s with seven 3-putts, sounds like you'll be killing it after a little putting improvement 🙂

WITB:

Driver: Callaway Mavrik SubZero

Irons: Taylormade P770 4i - AW

Wedges: Taylormade MG3 at 55 and 60 degrees

Taylormade Stealth Plus 3Hy

Taylormade Stealth Plus 3W

Putter: Odyssey Stroke Lab Double Wide Arm Lock

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