How do you recover from a bad....

[Kenny B]

Many of the responses have been similar and are what I truly aspire to achieve.  It's one of the qualities I admire from players with a better skill set than I have.  Golf has been a challenge for me having taken up the game late in life and struggling for so many years.  I went though a period early while learning where I felt like @Big moose and @silver & black... I wasn't good enough to get mad at bad shots; I knew I would make them!!  However, when I could keep my ball in play, my attitude seemed to change.  I started to hit decent, good and sometimes great shots.  Then, I started feeling like I should be hitting these shots a lot more often, and when I didn't and it happened a lot, I would get upset.  It affected my game.  I was never a club thrower; maybe a club tosser, but I learned quickly to toss the club towards my bag... not away from it.  

An occasional mishit happens; I understood that.  However, when something like shanks or yips creep into my game, that's a totally different animal.  Someone that has these issues cannot step up to the next shot and confidently hit the ball without thinking about the last time that happened... at least I couldn't.  It's a scary feeling.  I got frustrated, and once while playing with my old buddies a few years ago, I walked off the course on hole #3.  I could not see why I should keep doing this for six more holes.  The only way I could continue to play was to fix my swing issue; not an easy fix for someone that didn't understand what was wrong because the bad swings felt the same to me as the good swings.  I would like to say that I got rid of those issues through lessons, but it can still creep into my game when I get tired.  I understand why it occurs now, so it's something I can fix.  Now... if I could only fix the occasional thin, top, fat, chunk, pull, push... I just laugh.

[Golf2Much]

After hitting a bad shot, I tend to give myself about 2 seconds to be disappointed and about 3 seconds to try and figure out what went wrong.  After that, all negative thoughts are flushed down the toilet and the focus is on what do I have to do next to get myself back into the hole.  It's funny that I have the same timing for when I hit a great shot (2 seconds to feel good about it, 3 seconds to try and figure out what went right and then forget about it and move on to the next shot).  With my handicap index between 11-13, I know I'm likely to hit several shots that I wish I could take back.  So, I don't get overly concerned when they happen.  

As far as approaching my tee shot on the first tee (or any other shot during the round), I have the same pre-shot routine:  I stand behind the ball, pick out where I want to hit it, find a spot about 1-2 feet in front of my ball on that line, address the ball, get my feet and body aligned parallel to the line between the ball and the spot, take one practice swing, clear my mind, step up to the ball and hit it.  The only modification I've made with that over the last 30 plus years is two years ago when I started using a Shot Scope H4 and need to incorporate the tagging of clubs.  

I attribute the fact that I don't get too high or too low depending on my shot results and my pre-shot routine approach to consistency in my golf score results.  I downloaded by last 15 years of my GHIN scores into a spreadsheet and did not basic analysis.  With the exception of the nine months when I broke my neck in a scooter accident (and had to relearn to walk, use my hands and swing a golf club) my average annual score was 85.1 minus 1.0/plus 0.7.  In the last seven years, my distribution had been even tighter with an average score of 85.2 minus 0.5/plus 0.5.  Imbedded in that time frame included getting older, retiring, a new left knee and several other operations.  A consistent approach yielded consistent results!

[Jim Shaw]

3 hours ago, cnosil said:

You have commented in the past that you want to improve your putting so that confuses me more .    You don’t pick a line or speed based on feel?   if you hit say 3 putts short or very long you don’t make any adjustments?   IF you go strictly based on feel,  does that mean you don’t need any kind of warmup because your feels are always dialed in?  Or do you need to calibrate those feels which is actually more on the mechanical side?  Which goes back to why no post putt assessment to ensue the feels are correct?     How is this any different than a full/partialswing?  Or are you mechanical on those?   

well, my current goal in life is to confuse you so I seem to be succeeding lol...

Putting is the difference, if you have a good putting day you score well, if you have a poor putting day you don't.

So I am always, always assessing and working on my putting. 

Since the Nationals in Red Deer I have been more focused on feel, from all distances as that week I putted great and felt the speed of the greens. 

So my process now is , I always go to the putting green and put down 2 alignment sticks 4 inched apart and push putt 3 balls from 18inches 24 inches and 36 inches just to make sure my putter head is square to the line.

Then I hit some L-R 15 to 20 footers and some R-L 15-20 footers to get the speed and feel of the greens.

After the round my putting "work" looks different but pre round that is what I do.

So, in summary I would say pre round more feel, post round mechanics and feel.

[cnosil]

45 minutes ago, Jim Shaw said:

well, my current goal in life is to confuse you so I seem to be succeeding lol...

Putting is the difference, if you have a good putting day you score well, if you have a poor putting day you don't.

So I am always, always assessing and working on my putting. 

Since the Nationals in Red Deer I have been more focused on feel, from all distances as that week I putted great and felt the speed of the greens. 

So my process now is , I always go to the putting green and put down 2 alignment sticks 4 inched apart and push putt 3 balls from 18inches 24 inches and 36 inches just to make sure my putter head is square to the line.

Then I hit some L-R 15 to 20 footers and some R-L 15-20 footers to get the speed and feel of the greens.

After the round my putting "work" looks different but pre round that is what I do.

So, in summary I would say pre round more feel, post round mechanics and feel.

I still question in round…. if you are pulling your irons do you make adjustments?  If you are pulling your putts do you make adjustments?   Or for both do you just live with it for the round and work on it later? 

[Jim Shaw]

1 minute ago, cnosil said:

I still question in round…. if you are pulling your irons do you make adjustments?  If you are pulling your putts do you make adjustments?   Or for both do you just live with it for the round and work on it later? 

you always make me ponder @cnosil

so pre round I warm up on the range, fortunately I haven't had an instance where I pull or push my irons drastically, on my "post shot critique" during the round, if I am missing my target left or right consistently I may just adjust my target line a little bit. 

The push drill, alignment sticks and feel drill pre round has been successful in not pulling or pushing my putts too much. The work I do post round and during my work sessions has eliminated that concern. 

my super power, which we haven't talked about, is my mental focus. Always has been, so for some reason I am surprised when my golfing buddies say things like, "I thought I had you on that hole but you scrambled to get a par" honestly I don't even think about that, it is always, one shot at a time and get the ball in the hole. 

So I really have to rely on my coach, who I trust, to mention areas of opportunity to me, oh and I am stubborn as well, so that helps lol... 

[cnosil]

8 minutes ago, Jim Shaw said:

you always make me ponder @cnosil

I am always pondering which is why I ask the questions I do.  

I guess I just do more in round post putt  assessment.  I want to understand all the feel factors t make sure I am doing things right.  For example if speed is getting to be off I try to determine if it is stroke or if the greens are changing.  For me it is not different than a post shot assessment.  

[chisag]

26 minutes ago, cnosil said:

 If you are pulling your putts do you make adjustments?

 

... This is one of the things I have never fully understood. Since every putt, even one that breaks 10 feet, is a straight stroke through the ball, every putting stroke should be exactly the same. Just a shorter or longer stroke. I certainly understand not reading the putt correctly but nobody should ever physically "pull" a putt. Putting at home on a hardwood floor or thick carpet, the stroke is exactly the same and no reason you can't make solid contact in the middle of the face and have your putting stroke take the same path every single time. It is the only element of golf you can do practically anywhere from a practice green to a hotel room. Again, you may come up short or long and you may have the wrong line but barring physical problems, there really is nothing easier in golf than a repeatable putting stroke. 

... That said, my partner pulls putts all the time and it is because he is much more focused on making his putt than making his stroke. So I understand the mental side can interfere with a putting stroke as well as the pressure of an eagle, birdie or trying to save your par but simply stroking the ball several feet should be eminently repeatable if you find what works for you and then just stick with it.  

[Jim Shaw]

21 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I am always pondering which is why I ask the questions I do.  

I guess I just do more in round post putt  assessment.  I want to understand all the feel factors t make sure I am doing things right.  For example if speed is getting to be off I try to determine if it is stroke or if the greens are changing.  For me it is not different than a post shot assessment.  

hmm, green consistency is important for sure. Do you play the same club most of the time? If so I am sure you know the nuances of the greens pretty well, our course posts the speed of the greens every day in the "on" season and what machines have been on the greens ie "rolled or cut or both" so that helps going into the round for me. 

[cnosil]

4 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... This is one of the things I have never fully understood. Since every putt, even one that breaks 10 feet, is a straight stroke through the ball, every putting stroke should be exactly the same. Just a shorter or longer stroke. I certainly understand not reading the putt correctly but nobody should ever physically "pull" a putt. Putting at home on a hardwood floor or thick carpet, the stroke is exactly the same and no reason you can't make solid contact in the middle of the face and have your putting stroke take the same path every single time. It is the only element of golf you can do practically anywhere from a practice green to a hotel room. Again, you may come up short or long and you may have the wrong line but barring physical problems, there really is nothing easier in golf than a repeatable putting stroke. 

... That said, my partner pulls putts all the time and it is because he is much more focused on making his putt than making his stroke. So I understand the mental side can interfere with a putting stroke as well as the pressure of an eagle, birdie or trying to save your par but simply stroking the ball several feet should be eminently repeatable if you find what works for you and then just stick with it.  

You are 100% that it should be, just like every full swing should be the same.   But in reality it isnt.   I’d say that Tiger Woods is a pretty good putter but even he isnt 100% consistent putt to putt

https://golf.com/instruction/putting/tiger-woods-putting-stroke-sam-puttlab-data/

With putting you are talking about less than a degree; even less that 1/2 of a degree of accuracy to be as consistent as you say a player should be.  

[cnosil]

1 minute ago, Jim Shaw said:

hmm, green consistency is important for sure. Do you play the same club most of the time? If so I am sure you know the nuances of the greens pretty well, our course posts the speed of the greens every day in the "on" season and what machines have been on the greens ie "rolled or cut or both" so that helps going into the round for me. 

I play different places but I do know the greens fairly well.   None of our courses post green speed but f you start in the morning. They will speed up by noon and later especially with wide temperature fluctuations and greens that are more in the sun or shade.  

[Jim Shaw]

24 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... This is one of the things I have never fully understood. Since every putt, even one that breaks 10 feet, is a straight stroke through the ball, every putting stroke should be exactly the same. Just a shorter or longer stroke. I certainly understand not reading the putt correctly but nobody should ever physically "pull" a putt. Putting at home on a hardwood floor or thick carpet, the stroke is exactly the same and no reason you can't make solid contact in the middle of the face and have your putting stroke take the same path every single time. It is the only element of golf you can do practically anywhere from a practice green to a hotel room. Again, you may come up short or long and you may have the wrong line but barring physical problems, there really is nothing easier in golf than a repeatable putting stroke. 

... That said, my partner pulls putts all the time and it is because he is much more focused on making his putt than making his stroke. So I understand the mental side can interfere with a putting stroke as well as the pressure of an eagle, birdie or trying to save your par but simply stroking the ball several feet should be eminently repeatable if you find what works for you and then just stick with it.  

i love that example, probably why I couldn't really understand the concept. Over the 50 years I have played have I said to myself "you pulled that putt" yeah probably but not very often at all, sometimes I think "you whipped that putt" or came across that but only if I am not "present" during my stroke. 

[Jim Shaw]

3 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I play different places but I do know the greens fairly well.   None of our courses post green speed but f you start in the morning. They will speed up by noon and later especially with wide temperature fluctuations and greens that are more in the sun or shade.  

yes, afternoon putting is different for sure, especially on Poaannu. Sun/shade I take that into consideration, grain (not so much on poa but you can see dark/light on the green) muscle memory helps in theses instances... 

[cnosil]

33 minutes ago, chisag said:

, is a straight stroke through the ball, every putting stroke should be exactly the same. 

BTW, That is a very mechanical thought .   You sound like putting instructor Geoff Mangum in your response 

[chisag]

28 minutes ago, cnosil said:

You are 100% that it should be, just like every full swing should be the same.   But in reality it isnt.   I’d say that Tiger Woods is a pretty good putter but even he isnt 100% consistent putt to putt

https://golf.com/instruction/putting/tiger-woods-putting-stroke-sam-puttlab-data/

With putting you are talking about less than a degree; even less that 1/2 of a degree of accuracy to be as consistent as you say a player should be.  

 

... The putting stoke is infinitely more simple than a full stroke with so many moving parts and easy for one to over power another moving at 85-115 mph. Not so with a good putting stroke moving at just a few mph, that can be accomplished a myriad of ways as long as it is repeatable. You can rock your shoulders or just use your hands and anything in-between. Of course I have my putter face open or closed on occasion and those are the putts I lip out or just miss. But I don't come across the ball and pull my putt or change my path through the ball so it is left or right of my target. Additionally if my putter face is closed .5* and I miss left, I don't feel like I pulled my putt. I just feel like I missed it because .5* is way too small to feel.

... I will admit my putting stroke (unlike my full swing ) is something I have never consciously changed from the first time I played a course. I also truly believe I will make every putt I have and I think that positive attitude goes a long way to making it come true. I absolutely never have a negative thought on the green. If my ball comes to rest at the top of a ridge and the hole is too close to the bottom so I have to putt literally away from the hole for the first 2 feet, then it takes the slope and a miss will roll 8 feet past, I look at it like a challenge I will meet and accomplish. Like everyone I have really good days and days nothing seems to fall but I will never understand someone saying "I'll probably miss the putt" or "I have no chance of making this big breaker" and then doing just that. 

[chisag]

34 minutes ago, cnosil said:

BTW, That is a very mechanical thought .   You sound like putting instructor Geoff Mangum in your response 

 

... Ahhhhhh but you aren't taking into consideration the length of the putt, the grain and subconsciously calculating the speed and break where feel is the key. Or the occasional putt hit way out on the toe to deaden a fast downhill putt.

... We have discussed this before but when I watch some Pace Off Their Putt I have no idea how that helps them. Most every 15 ft putt is at least a little different to radically different. Uphill, downhill, sidehill, into the grain or down grain, fast or slow greens all call for radically different speed. I had a guy tell me that was a mediocre putter at best and he uses the pacing for a baseline and then adds or subtracts steps depending whether it is uphill or downhill. I asked how do the steps help when the greens are a 9 one day and an 11 the next and he said he needs to readjust those distances.   I said why not just look at the hole and just feel how much speed you need to get the ball to the hole and he replied "Haha I wish". 

[Jim Shaw]

1 hour ago, cnosil said:

You are 100% that it should be, just like every full swing should be the same.   But in reality it isnt.   I’d say that Tiger Woods is a pretty good putter but even he isnt 100% consistent putt to putt

https://golf.com/instruction/putting/tiger-woods-putting-stroke-sam-puttlab-data/

With putting you are talking about less than a degree; even less that 1/2 of a degree of accuracy to be as consistent as you say a player should be.  

I have to disagree, every full swing can't be the same, the greats manipulate it to hit the ball higher, lower, left, right, control, control of the ball, whatever it takes... and tiger woods isn't a good putter he is a great putter and a great controller of the ball. (and that is something he is teaching his son) 

Putting stroke, different story, like @chisagso elequently put it, every putt is straight just trust the line and speed and in she goes... 

[chisag]

59 minutes ago, Jim Shaw said:

i love that example, probably why I couldn't really understand the concept. Over the 50 years I have played have I said to myself "you pulled that putt" yeah probably but not very often at all, sometimes I think "you whipped that putt" or came across that but only if I am not "present" during my stroke. 

 

... Like most things in sports for me, my mind basically goes blank and I trust I will do what I need to do. I would shoot 100 free throws at practice and toss 50 passes so when it came time to do it in a game I didn't have to think about it. Never more true than my putting stroke when I take a look at my putt letting everything sink in without thinking anything*, then I trust my subconscious has taken in the line and speed and all I have to do is stroke the all the same way I have a million times. What some call "in the zone" and there is no reason you can't do it every time. Obviously you will still miss because judging everything correctly from grain to speed to line is quite difficult but if you stay out of your own way mentally, it is much easier to accomplish. 

* my pard asked me how can you not think at all and accomplish anything. I said sure, I initially think things like "a little slow up this hill" or "breaks left to right" before I address the ball, but once I am over my putt I let my mind go blank and no longer have those conscious thoughts and allow my subconscious to guide me. 

[Jim Shaw]

9 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Like most things in sports for me, my mind basically goes blank and I trust I will do what I need to do. I would shoot 100 free throws at practice and toss 50 passes so when it came time to do it in a game I didn't have to think about it. Never more true than my putting stroke when I take a look at my putt letting everything sink in without thinking anything*, then I trust my subconscious has taken in the line and speed and all I have to do is stroke the all the same way I have a million times. What some call "in the zone" and there is no reason you can't do it every time. Obviously you will still miss because judging everything correctly from grain to speed to line is quite difficult but if you stay out of your own way mentally, it is much easier to accomplish. 

* my pard asked me how can you not think at all and accomplish anything. I said sure, I initially think things like "a little slow up this hill" or "breaks left to right" before I address the ball, but once I am over my putt I let my mind go blank and no longer have those conscious thoughts and allow my subconscious to guide me. 

yep... and what makes the elite, elite... good old fashioned athleticism, some are just better than others. when you get hard work with great athleticism, you get tiger woods... 

[Josh Parker]

@cnosil the highjack is real.  Haha.  But it's been a great topic for sure!

@chisag I know you have mentioned it before and see it again about not thinking about anything over the ball and trusting the muscle memory.  I agree with that as well, whether it be a putt or swing.  I think we can over complicate a lot when we start "thinking" about everything too much.  Or at least I do at times.  My driver being the perfect example.  My pro told me that just the other day.  "Quit thinking so much about everything and just hit the ball, trust your swing and go!"

I think what I often see at least with the guys I play with, some are very methodical with putting and want to read every putt, walk it off or a number of different things and then there are some that have a "feel" for the line and trust what we see.  You see both scenarios with the pros as well.  

[cnosil]

35 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

 Of course I have my putter face open or closed on occasion and those are the putts I lip out or just miss. But I don't come across the ball and pull my putt or change my path through the ball so it is left or right of my target. Additionally if my putter face is closed .5* and I miss left, I don't feel like I pulled my putt. I just feel like I missed it because .5* is way too small to feel.
 

Agree, that face angle is what controls balls direction.  Path is generally consistently biased in a particular direction (left or right) but has little influence on a balls direction.  The “pull” term or missed left are the same in my mind.  But we practice to get our. face angle within that .5* so like your shooting and passing analogies it just becomes second nature.  We practice our setup and ball position so it is consistent, but it does creep and change occasionally.   During a round I do post putt assessment to make sure the fundamentals are right; adjustments might be made after several holes of the same “issue” not a putt to putt or hole to hole change.  It is simply monitoring.  

[Jim Shaw]

3 minutes ago, Josh Parker said:

@cnosil the highjack is real.  Haha.  But it's been a great topic for sure!

@chisag I know you have mentioned it before and see it again about not thinking about anything over the ball and trusting the muscle memory.  I agree with that as well, whether it be a putt or swing.  I think we can over complicate a lot when we start "thinking" about everything too much.  Or at least I do at times.  My driver being the perfect example.  My pro told me that just the other day.  "Quit thinking so much about everything and just hit the ball, trust your swing and go!"

I think what I often see at least with the guys I play with, some are very methodical with putting and want to read every putt, walk it off or a number of different things and then there are some that have a "feel" for the line and trust what we see.  You see both scenarios with the pros as well.  

yeah, lots going on for sure Josh... lots of moving parts but try and extrapolate the "bits" that may help you on your journey, this is fairly high level stuff from players that, guess what, didn't just fall into this information, we all worked long and hard to figure it out, my goal, for one, is to try and help the "spy's" speed up the process... that is another thing about golf that I really like, we help each other...

[Josh Parker]

1 minute ago, Jim Shaw said:

yeah, lots going on for sure Josh... lots of moving parts but try and extrapolate the "bits" that may help you on your journey, this is fairly high level stuff from players that, guess what, didn't just fall into this information, we all worked long and hard to figure it out, my goal, for one, is to try and help the "spy's" speed up the process... that is another thing about golf that I really like, we help each other...

That's why this community is so great!  Everyone willing to help each other out and learn.  

[cnosil]

18 minutes ago, Jim Shaw said:

I have to disagree, every full swing can't be the same, the greats manipulate it to hit the ball higher, lower, left, right, control, control of the ball, whatever it takes... and tiger woods isn't a good putter he is a great putter and a great controller of the ball. (and that is something he is teaching his son) 

My goal is stock shot, same swing 90% of the time with flighting of the ball as I get to the wedges.   Fundamentally I should be able to move my hands and body in the same way each time just like putting.  I am not trying to be a “great” and fully believe that it is possible to even get to a plus handicap golfer without having to do much manipulation.   My post shot assessment is what did I do to mess up the stock shot.
 

I want this:

 https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2QNaYSvDT8/?hl=en
 

[Jim Shaw]

3 minutes ago, cnosil said:

My goal is stock shot, same swing 90% of the time with flighting of the ball as I get to the wedges.   Fundamentally I should be able to move my hands and body in the same way each time just like putting.  I am not trying to be a “great” and fully believe that it is possible to even get to a plus handicap golfer without having to do much manipulation.   My post shot assessment is what did I do to mess up the stock shot.
 

I want this:

 https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2QNaYSvDT8/?hl=en
 

good plan, especially getting to the + index....

[chisag]

4 minutes ago, cnosil said:

 The “pull” term or missed left are the same in my mind.

 

... One of the things I see too often with many Am's is coming out of the stroke when they really want to make a putt. Or with some high index players, every time they putt. They more often than not pull their putts because everything is moving left. Their entire body moves and turns toward the hole as they try and "make" or "wish" their ball into the hole. Especially with a rare birdie or par save. It just takes a little mental discipline to keep your eyes down til the ball is long gone. There is plenty of time to look up and see if it goes in the hole. But again they are results bound and not stroke bound. It is such an easy fix. 

... I like this picture because even though it was about a 40 footer, my wrists remain the same as they were at address and my eyes are still down when the ball is a good 8 feet gone. 

[chisag]

7 minutes ago, cnosil said:

My goal is stock shot, same swing 90% of the time with flighting of the ball as I get to the wedges.   Fundamentally I should be able to move my hands and body in the same way each time just like putting.  I am not trying to be a “great” and fully believe that it is possible to even get to a plus handicap golfer without having to do much manipulation.   My post shot assessment is what did I do to mess up the stock shot.

 

... I am reminded of Freddie that once said he is striving for perfection even though he knows it is unattainable and accepts what he has that day. I admire your goals even though I think it is impossible to move your hands and body the same way with so many moving parts at such high speed. Speaking of Freddie, I watched him hit his opening tee shot in a Tournament and hooked it OB. Teed up again and did the same thing. Teed up a 3rd time and just bombed it down the middle. It was a turning point for me because if Couples can hit 2 really bad tee shots in a row, what chance do I have to not hit bad tee shots because my hands and body didn't react the way they should? Still the goal, but I became much more understanding that on any given day I can hit some horrendous shots. 

... Pia Nilsson and Vision 54 says everyday your swing is different depending on things like how much sleep, what you ate, stresses in your life away from golf and a myriad of other things that effect your swing on any given day. The key is making your swing that day work to your max benefit. 

[StrokerAce]

5 minutes ago, chisag said:

... Pia Nilsson and Vision 54 says everyday your swing is different depending on things like how much sleep, what you ate, stresses in your life away from golf and a myriad of other things that effect your swing on any given day. The key is making your swing that day work to your max benefit. 

This is probably one of the reasons that I don't just quit or give up playing. You don't have to learn everything over again but every day is a new experience. It might be kinda boring if it wasn't and we could just record that perfect swing and press play every time. I have to remind myself that it's a game and to embrace the challenges.

 

20 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... One of the things I see too often with many Am's is coming out of the stroke when they really want to make a putt. Or with some high index players, every time they putt. They more often than not pull their putts because everything is moving left. Their entire body moves and turns toward the hole as they try and "make" or "wish" their ball into the hole. Especially with a rare birdie or par save. It just takes a little mental discipline to keep your eyes down til the ball is long gone. There is plenty of time to look up and see if it goes in the hole. But again they are results bound and not stroke bound. It is such an easy fix. 
 

I was told and it's helped me: try to putt with your core. 

[Javs]

2 hours ago, chisag said:

 

... This is one of the things I have never fully understood. Since every putt, even one that breaks 10 feet, is a straight stroke through the ball, every putting stroke should be exactly the same. Just a shorter or longer stroke. I certainly understand not reading the putt correctly but nobody should ever physically "pull" a putt. Putting at home on a hardwood floor or thick carpet, the stroke is exactly the same and no reason you can't make solid contact in the middle of the face and have your putting stroke take the same path every single time. It is the only element of golf you can do practically anywhere from a practice green to a hotel room. Again, you may come up short or long and you may have the wrong line but barring physical problems, there really is nothing easier in golf than a repeatable putting stroke. 

... That said, my partner pulls putts all the time and it is because he is much more focused on making his putt than making his stroke. So I understand the mental side can interfere with a putting stroke as well as the pressure of an eagle, birdie or trying to save your par but simply stroking the ball several feet should be eminently repeatable if you find what works for you and then just stick with it.  

Interesting mechanical approach to putting. However, I would submit that some putts are different. A fast downhill putt for one. I hit those putts on the toe of the putter. I have found hitting the putt on the toe helps kill the speed of the putt. I have become extremely confident and consistent using that technique. Another thing that hasn’t been mentioned or if so, I missed it was set up. One of the main things I work on (I am right handed) is making sure the back of my left hand and palm of my right hand at pointed at the target or line I am putting the ball. I see a lot of players with their hands miss matched or not in line with their target. Makes it harder to keep the ball on line. 

[StrokerAce]

1 minute ago, Javs said:

One of the main things I work on (I am right handed) is making sure the back of my left hand and palm of my right hand at pointed at the target or line I am putting the ball. I see a lot of players with their hands miss matched or not in line with their target. Makes it harder to keep the ball on line. 

Yes! As well as their shoulder line. I see a lot of people either open or closed to the path with their shoulders even though their feet may be aligned. 

[Javs]

1 hour ago, chisag said:

 

... Like most things in sports for me, my mind basically goes blank and I trust I will do what I need to do. I would shoot 100 free throws at practice and toss 50 passes so when it came time to do it in a game I didn't have to think about it. Never more true than my putting stroke when I take a look at my putt letting everything sink in without thinking anything*, then I trust my subconscious has taken in the line and speed and all I have to do is stroke the all the same way I have a million times. What some call "in the zone" and there is no reason you can't do it every time. Obviously you will still miss because judging everything correctly from grain to speed to line is quite difficult but if you stay out of your own way mentally, it is much easier to accomplish. 

* my pard asked me how can you not think at all and accomplish anything. I said sure, I initially think things like "a little slow up this hill" or "breaks left to right" before I address the ball, but once I am over my putt I let my mind go blank and no longer have those conscious thoughts and allow my subconscious to guide me. 

Agree with this above. Practice is where I think about swing or path etc. On the course my thought is where I want the ball to go and scoring. During my pre shot I determine distance, where I want to hit it and the flight I want. Then I see that shot, quiet my mind step in and pull the trigger. I am a very fast player and I do not like my mind clogged with needless thoughts. I play my best when I see it feel it and hit it, repeat.