At What Length are you Trying to Hole A Putt?

[RickyBobby_PR]

22 minutes ago, Shankster said:

So, what if the practice green rolls waaay faster than on the course?  Seems counterintuitive to practice on something that is not the same as what you are going to play on?

 

Sure. The technique practice is invaluable, but warming up pre round?  I think that would cause me more issues than it would help.

Simple. You know how far a ball rolls if you take the putter back to inside of trail foot and have normal follow thru, same if you take it to mid foot or outside of foot. Now when you get on the course you adjust length based on speed of greens. 

[cnosil]

29 minutes ago, Shankster said:

So, what if the practice green rolls waaay faster than on the course?  Seems counterintuitive to practice on something that is not the same as what you are going to play on?

 

Sure. The technique practice is invaluable, but warming up pre round?  I think that would cause me more issues than it would help.

Same with varying green speeds while on the course.  Greens roll different speeds based on time of day and sun exposure.     Doesn't always work,  but you roll it on the practice green to hope you get your speed dialed in with what the course is playing; verifies the feels for the day.  

[Shankster]

That was just hypothetical.  I haven’t taken a single warm up shot/putt and only like 3 practice swings since May.

Ive never been much for warm up putts.  Never enjoyed that part of the game, but as the pieces come together, I need to figure out how to maximize my efforts on the green.

Have been putting in a little practice, but not in the areas I need to focus on.  30 minutes from the range, and completely our of the way makes it difficult to set aside the time.

That’s why I am looking forward to that simulator.  Practice every day on full shots. I could hit up to a full 58° without losing a ball out in the yard.

[GregB135]

On 7/28/2021 at 5:59 PM, Shankster said:

I’d first like to thank @cnosil for showing me the Manalo golf Instagram account.  I got about 2 hours worth of laughs in, some of his stuff is a little over the top, but over all has some pretty good basic information, and some ok entertainment.  Haha.

One of his tips was to make a 3’ hole around the stick to aim your longer putts.  I used to to this, but have since moved to trying to hole this long putts.  I usually overshoot them and have a long comebacker…

 

Last round, anything over 15’ I used that method again, and it seemed to leave me in a lot better spot. At what point do you aim to hole the putt?  Obviously, we would all like to do this every time. 
 

Do you have a distance where you really lock in?

Although I read and line up every putt like I intend for it to go in, I'm not REALLY trying to hole a putt until I get inside of 10'. Through my practice routine I feel like my confident make distance is 6'. That's where my make rate is above 50% in practice.

[juspoole]

This is interesting.  I feel like putting is so mental already and I can certainly attest to trying the smallest mental changes and seeing real differences.  

I am a good, but not great putter.  I feel as though, my green reading is fair and my distance control is usually pretty good.  However, I definitely don't feel I make as many putts as I should.  Lately, I've probably been focused too much on line rather than let's make this. 

It's probably 20' and in for me that I think I have a chance to make it if I put a good stroke and read to it.

9 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Simple. You know how far a ball rolls if you take the putter back to inside of trail foot and have normal follow thru, same if you take it to mid foot or outside of foot. Now when you get on the course you adjust length based on speed of greens. 

This is the method I use for speed control as well and it's been huge for my distance the past few years.  Once I get past around 50', it's a bit tougher to distinguish, but agree this is a good and reliable method to use if you can get your tempo on track.

[Shapotomous]

There's a lot of "it depends" with this answer. 

If I am putting with the normal amount of 'feel' that day & there isn't a crazy amount of break then 15' is about where I am disappointed if it doesn't go in and not surprised if it does go in.  

If I am having a bad day figuring out the speed or my stroke is off or trouble reading grain and break that distance will come down to 5'.

Even on a good putting day when the cup looks like a basketball hoop 15' would be the max.

I have straight putt marks on my putting green marked at 5', 10', 15' & 20' and I regularly hit putts from each spot.  When really concentrating I can stay above 50% up to the 15' mark but drop off to about 20% at the 20' mark.

[PJVicary]

Realistically anything inside of 15 feet I am trying to drain. At 50 feet I try to put it within a 3 foot circle. Tends to relax forearms and promote a better stroke.

[RickyBobby_PR]

48 minutes ago, juspoole said:

This is interesting.  I feel like putting is so mental already and I can certainly attest to trying the smallest mental changes and seeing real differences.  

I am a good, but not great putter.  I feel as though, my green reading is fair and my distance control is usually pretty good.  However, I definitely don't feel I make as many putts as I should.  Lately, I've probably been focused too much on line rather than let's make this. 

It's probably 20' and in for me that I think I have a chance to make it if I put a good stroke and read to it.

This is the method I use for speed control as well and it's been huge for my distance the past few years.  Once I get past around 50', it's a bit tougher to distinguish, but agree this is a good and reliable method to use if you can get your tempo on track.

You have to practice making putts as much as you do practice speed and line. When I had dedicated time to short game back in 2015/16 the instructor I went two had me doing two drills with a goal for each drill.

For distance and speed it was set a 3’ putting circle around a hole and place 5 balls in line starting at 8’ then go out 4’ for each ball and use 4 locations are kind the hole so 8,12,16,20, 24’ at 12,3,6,9 oclock, goal was to have 10 balls inside the circle. The other was 2 balls in same clock positions with one ball at 4’ and the other at 5w’. Goal was to make 6 of 8 putts 

[PJVicary]

Just now, PJVicary said:

Realistically anything inside of 15 feet I am trying to drain. At 50 feet I try to put it within a 3 foot circle. Tends to relax forearms and promote a better stroke. Good putting comes with confidence and confidence through practice. 

[DiscipleofPenick]

11 hours ago, Shankster said:

So, what if the practice green rolls waaay faster than on the course?  Seems counterintuitive to practice on something that is not the same as what you are going to play on?

 

Sure. The technique practice is invaluable, but warming up pre round?  I think that would cause me more issues than it would help.

Lol you got that right. I don't know how many times I've gone to practice putt and the practice green is wildly different speed then the course.

However, I find that's it's easier to have to hit putts harder once I get on the course. So I have a BirdieBall mat that's supposed to be between 9-11 stimp. My course is probably 6 or 7, and like 4 if there's dew. 

[DiscipleofPenick]

1 hour ago, juspoole said:

This is interesting.  I feel like putting is so mental already and I can certainly attest to trying the smallest mental changes and seeing real differences.  

I am a good, but not great putter.  I feel as though, my green reading is fair and my distance control is usually pretty good.  However, I definitely don't feel I make as many putts as I should.  Lately, I've probably been focused too much on line rather than let's make this. 

It's probably 20' and in for me that I think I have a chance to make it if I put a good stroke and read to it.

This is the method I use for speed control as well and it's been huge for my distance the past few years.  Once I get past around 50', it's a bit tougher to distinguish, but agree this is a good and reliable method to use if you can get your tempo on track.

How much Sunday PGA coverage are you watching that'll just make you feel bad.

Remember, it's supposed to take 36 putts to get around in regulation. I'm a 4 and I average 31 putts. If there's a day I'm down around 27 or less putts it means I missed a ton of greens. I said it earlier in this thread, but the break even point for PGA is 8 feet. So what we can reasonably expect to make, without serious practice, is anything within 4 or 5 feet.

[DaveP043]

11 hours ago, Shankster said:

So, what if the practice green rolls waaay faster than on the course?  Seems counterintuitive to practice on something that is not the same as what you are going to play on?

Sure. The technique practice is invaluable, but warming up pre round?  I think that would cause me more issues than it would help.

Although I've seen occasions where the practice green is different from the greens on the course, is there an alternative to using the practice green?  I don't know about anyone else, but I don't have access to the course's greens before a round of golf, the practice green is unavoidable.  And in a stroke play competition, you're not allowed to practice on the course prior to your round, two practice putts result in a DQ penalty.   I warm up on the practice green, hit longer putts to understand the speed there, and try to adjust if I find the greens on the course are different.  I look at the green surface, I feel for firmer or softer turf, and take that into account through my round.  

[GregB135]

47 minutes ago, Shapotomous said:

I have straight putt marks on my putting green marked at 5', 10', 15' & 20' and I regularly hit putts from each spot.  When really concentrating I can stay above 50% up to the 15' mark but drop off to about 20% at the 20' mark.

Wow! That's Tour level putting at 15'. Share some of your practice drills... please... 

[Shankster]

4 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

Although I've seen occasions where the practice green is different from the greens on the course, is there an alternative to using the practice green?  I don't know about anyone else, but I don't have access to the course's greens before a round of golf, the practice green is unavoidable.  And in a stroke play competition, you're not allowed to practice on the course prior to your round, two practice putts result in a DQ penalty.   I warm up on the practice green, hit longer putts to understand the speed there, and try to adjust if I find the greens on the course are different.  I look at the green surface, I feel for firmer or softer turf, and take that into account through my round.  

There is a little chipping green that is probably closer to what the on course conditions are like.  And the style.  The practice green looks like something off the putt putt course, hills, mountains… nothing compared to what the course has.  Don’t get it.

 

Maybe I’ll roll some on the chipping green next time.  I need to look at a different style of putting.  Too much practice gives me a back ache, and by too much I mean like 5-10 minutes.

[DaveP043]

1 minute ago, Shankster said:

Too much practice gives me a back ache, and by too much I mean like 5-10 minutes.

I'm the same way, I keep my putting practice pretty limited.  A bit of short-range practice to work on hitting my line, and a bit of longer practice to work on speed, and I'm done.  That's two of the three components of putting, and I use Aimpoint for green-reading.  

[DiscipleofPenick]

19 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

Although I've seen occasions where the practice green is different from the greens on the course, is there an alternative to using the practice green?  I don't know about anyone else, but I don't have access to the course's greens before a round of golf, the practice green is unavoidable.  And in a stroke play competition, you're not allowed to practice on the course prior to your round, two practice putts result in a DQ penalty.   I warm up on the practice green, hit longer putts to understand the speed there, and try to adjust if I find the greens on the course are different.  I look at the green surface, I feel for firmer or softer turf, and take that into account through my round.  

When I play in comps I really focus on those 4-6 footers in warm up. Avoid those 3 putts and build some confidence by making a lot of putts prior to tee off.

[GregB135]

Spending time on the putting green for practice feels a lot more tedious, and feels less glamorous, than swinging full on the range. But, as mentioned earlier in the thread, designed par accounts for 36 putts out of 72 strokes. So for those who minimize time on the practice green, that is neglecting 50% of the game.

Back to the OP question.. What length are you trying to make a putt? I prefer to think more along the lines of 'what distance to I expect to make a putt?' That's where putting in the practice time comes in. I mentioned my confident make range is about 6'. Until I'm inside that distance, I try not to be frustrated if it doesn't drop. Even though beyond that, I hit every putt with the intent of giving it a chance to go in.

I changed my mentality a lot after reading 'The Little Book of Breaking 80'. It's main idea is similar to those who say, "play from the hole backwards". Basically, until you've missed a putt inside your confident make range, you haven't added an extra stroke to  your score. Every stroke you take to prior to that putt is simply trying to position the ball there.

[juspoole]

30 minutes ago, DiscipleofPenick said:

How much Sunday PGA coverage are you watching that'll just make you feel bad.

Remember, it's supposed to take 36 putts to get around in regulation. I'm a 4 and I average 31 putts. If there's a day I'm down around 27 or less putts it means I missed a ton of greens. I said it earlier in this thread, but the break even point for PGA is 8 feet. So what we can reasonably expect to make, without serious practice, is anything within 4 or 5 feet.

Good Point - I guess i meant that I should have a pretty good run at it since I'll be able to judge speed pretty well.  I know the percentages are low even at 10 feet for me to be honest.  I average around 33/34 putts around, but I do tend to hit a good amount of greens in regulation.  

[Shankster]

For the people they have had a proper putter fitting.  How much do you think it had an impact on your putting?  
 

I know @GolfSpy MPR recently did his Edel fitting and it seems like it really did the trick.

Yeah. Yeah. Everyone should get fit, but what were/are your returns on your game after being fitted?

[DiscipleofPenick]

28 minutes ago, juspoole said:

Good Point - I guess i meant that I should have a pretty good run at it since I'll be able to judge speed pretty well.  I know the percentages are low even at 10 feet for me to be honest.  I average around 33/34 putts around, but I do tend to hit a good amount of greens in regulation.  

I am in a similar situation. Though I am actually just thinking of going simple and just tracking long game strokes and short game strokes. I'd call short have anything inside 40 yards. Just to get a feel for where I am dropping shots.

[Shapotomous]

1 hour ago, GregB135 said:

Wow! That's Tour level putting at 15'. Share some of your practice drills... please... 

Not really tour level, these are straight, flat, practice green putts .... no doubt that tour guys would make a much higher % of those.  Think about the break and uphill / downhill angles they deal with on their 15'ers.

For my stroke its all about controlling the face angle.  I practice with one hand (each hand) and I really have to work at keeping the face square at impact one handed.  When I go back to two hands on the putter it's much easier to stay on line and it has really helped me to hit the line i read.  The reason I marked the green for straight putts is to take a misread out of the practice stroke results.

Testing the Ping Heppler last year had me really studying my grip, set up and stroke and I adjusted that based on drill results and video.  Those changes as well as the new putter have really improved my putting game this year.

I do need a lot of improvement on reading putts.  I practice way more than I play and I think for me to read greens better i need to be on a real one and not my mostly flat, artificial turf backyard green.

[RickyBobby_PR]

35 minutes ago, Shankster said:

For the people they have had a proper putter fitting.  How much do you think it had an impact on your putting?  
 

I know @GolfSpy MPR recently did his Edel fitting and it seems like it really did the trick.

Yeah. Yeah. Everyone should get fit, but what were/are your returns on your game after being fitted?

Like a club fitting they are designed to reduce the mistake and give the golfer a told that works for them.

The golfer still has to execute the shot and with putting that’s line and speed. You can have a properly fitted putter but if you don’t get those two things right the ball isn’t going into the hole. 

[CarlH]

2 hours ago, Shankster said:

 Too much practice gives me a back ache, and by too much I mean like 5-10 minutes.

Yep.  As I've aged, I've found this to be more and more of an issue.  It's difficult for me to practice chipping and putting for extended periods unless I'm actively taking time between shots.  This has actually aided my practice routine as I'm less likely to keep hitting a bunch of balls from the same spot to the same hole.  I've gone to a better method for, not only my back, but my effectiveness of the practice, as well.  When practicing putting, I now only have one ball to work with, which forces me to move more often between shots.  When practicing chipping, I quit putting 25 balls in a heap and chipping ball after ball and have gone to tossing the balls in various locations around the practice green, again helping with the effectiveness of my practice.  Even doing this improved method, my back will still begin to act up on me and I'll have to shorten my desired time of practice.  

[heavygolffeels]

Unless there is some crazy break Im trying to hole everything inside 15. 15-30, I try to only allow the miss to be high and long. 

[BMart519]

5 hours ago, Shankster said:

For the people they have had a proper putter fitting.  How much do you think it had an impact on your putting?  
 

I know @GolfSpy MPR recently did his Edel fitting and it seems like it really did the trick.

Yeah. Yeah. Everyone should get fit, but what were/are your returns on your game after being fitted?

It cut my 3 putting in half. At the start of year with the new stick I was 1.5-2 putts lower per round, but that difference has all but evaporated now.