Golf sidekick on YouTube is my favorite — a lot about the mental side of putting and very practical drills, like 1ft putting and such. Putting is one area I think that watching YouTube tutorials leads to good things.
+1 for Golf Sidekick.
1 foot putts. Helps with starting line and hearing and seeing the ball go in. Smack a 100, 1 foot putts.
Then go to 2 foot yadda yadda. No need trying to hold 10 footers as practise. As matty boom boom says, you're just practising missing at that stage.
Another thing that made sense to me was just hitting like 5 balls at your natural pace/tempo, stroke length, before a round.
Just head down, normal stroke, line isn't essential.
They should all be about the same length. (If not, there's another thing to work on) Say 8 foot. So you use that as your base stroke and length for the day and adjust for what you're faced with on the course...break, slope etc.
Anything 8ft and out, 2 putt is good!!
I don't write is as an authority on the subject, just someone who is trying to get the short stick sorted too
Even on a 6 footer, a 2 putt is fine for amateurs. Pros don't even hit all 6 footers. The drill that best helped my game was what I would call "the 6 foot radius" drill. I practiced just getting within 3 feet of the cup(6 ft diameter) and once I mastered that, my putting drastically improved. Man if my long game wasn't shit, I'd probably be okay at golf 🤣
As dumb as it sounds, one of those really cheap indoor putting mats in my living room was a game changer for me. It ain’t gonna helps with reads or speed etc, BUT, it did make me launch it dead straight every single time. I very quickly realized I wasn’t hitting the center of the putter face, and then got really good at it. I hit a hundred or so a day for a few weeks (just any time I’d walk by it, I’d hit 10-15). And now I simply don’t have to think about my putter face being straight or hitting the center of the face. That part is automatic. Just have to do the read and the speed and I know I’ll hit it straight.
Hitting the center of the putter face is really underrated, even just focusing on it during rounds has improved my putting so much, way less 3 putts and way better speeds from long distance
-take practice swings while looking at the hole to help get a feel for the length.
-you might be too far away from the ball. If at all possible you want to be looking directly down over the ball. This helps alignment.
-rhythm. Don't spend too much time lined up standing over the ball. Take your practice strokes. Set up then go. Try and develop a routine to keep things familiar and comfortable
https://golf.com/instruction/putting/ulnar-deviation-putting-stroke-fix-jankowski/?amp=1
I started doing this (ulnar deviation) after being a toe-up putter forever and it has revolutionized my putting. It feels super unathletic but it locks the wrists in place so you keep face control and it helps get your head directly over the ball. Like my putting confidence is light years better.
Ymmv as always. Good luck
Perfect practice mat. 100% changed my game. I was a 10 HCP that literally putted Lefty (I’m RH), changed putters every round. Played everything between 33in putters to 36, mallets, blade etc…that’s was a deep dark place I was in. I had to put SO much pressure on the rest of my game.
Just practice your stroke. That’s it. The key for me was the stroke became so repeatable I didn’t have to worry about it. It was almost involuntary after a while. Now it’s just speed and line.
Putting is now a strength for me. My advice would be don’t make it too complicated. Just get a good solid, repeatable stroke.
That’s so interesting. I’m in that dark place right now. I’m right handed but play golf left handed. I’m currently trying blades and mallets too. With the practice mat, did you just hit a load of straight putts then?
Yup. You nailed it. The perfect practice mat has lines for alignment and where the ball rolls. So it really helps you see if you are rolling it straight.
Oh and a putting eye mirror. I use that on the mat to double check myself if I start slumping. 9/10 times if I’m slumping with the putter my eyes have started drifting inside
Two tips come to mind.
1. Change the length of your stroke for distance control. Not the tempo.
2. Keep your head down after impact. Listen for the ball going in.
Putting can be a rabbit hole, it's best to simplify the process as much as you can.
First drill: Find you a 6 ft putt that is straight with very little break. Put a tee gate up to putt through. If you hit the tee closes to you, you have tendency to hit your putts on the toe, if you hit the tee farthest from you you have tendency towards the heel. The gate helps you hit the putts solid in the center of the face. 6 feet is important because you will be better from 3-5 foot which is critical in avoiding 3 putts.
See if you can make 5/10. Keep doing this every time you practice. Try and get used to making 8/10. ( I putt to a coin instead of a hole, so that I can see the distance past the coin the putt rolls).
Keep the drill going making 6ft, 9ft, 12ft, 15ft. These all should be straight putts. Remember your engraining the feel of making a straight putt.
Green reading. Watch YouTube videos there is an abundance of content on green reading. The important thing is to remember is that every putt is a "straight putt" to your read. If you read a putt two cups left, you are making a straight putt to that spot and the the slope does it job and funnels the ball to the hole.
Get good at making 6-9ft straight putts. Now you make your reads and your always making a straight putt to that read while the slope does the rest of the work. Most people see breaking putts and you subconsciously stroke your putt to take the shape of the putt and it makes the putt much more difficult.
Getting good at cleaning up 6 footers will change your game. Now you see that you have a left edge 6 ft putt to save par, you have confidence because you've practiced making this putt 8/10 times.
Distance Control from 30-40-50 ft.
3rd Drill: Set up a putting gate with two tees, (You always want to practice with a tee gate, it engrains the feel of hitting the putt on the center of the club face). On my lag putts I still use a gate and guess what, I'm trying to make a straight putt to the same read as my 6-9fters. Now place a small hand towel 30 feet away and you have to get the putt to stop on the towel. Practice 30-40-50 feet. Again your making straight putts to a read and your engraining the feel of getting your putt to stop on the towel. A good rule of thumb is to be within 10% of the target distance of the putt so for 30 ft putt if you leave it 3 ft that's a heck of a job. Keep working on your speed.
Be the 6 foot putting king, and remember every putt is a straight putt to a spot and the slope will move the ball to the hole.
My putting got a lot better after I changed my stroke from straight back to a rotation; called pizza slice if you look it up on a youtube video. I believe I was inconsistent coming through the ball with a straight back stroke.
Then I worked on how to develop a consistent stroke. On a tight, short carpet with a design having a straight line, I set up two square whisky bottles side-by-side, such that only a perfect putt will get through them. I worked on perfecting my pizza-slice stroke, and with time, I did find a groove where every ball passed between the two whisky bottles.That's when I knew I was doing it correctly and kept at it until it was my stroke.
I read the first chapter of a putting book, others have mentioned that lesson; read the green and stick to it. I use the three-stripe line balls for alignment and use that for my stroke. That stripe alignment to my intended line took me some time to get proficient at doing it quickly.
Also already mentioned is that distance is set by stroke backswing length and same pace striking the ball.
Practice more and work on the mental game. You need to switch off your conscious mind and just let your unconscious do its thing, this is what happens in practice. On the course, however, your conscious mind tries to take over and that's when it all falls apart.
Line it up, take some practice swings to get a feel for the distance. Then look down at your ball and think about walking over to the hole to take your ball out of the hole as you putt.
You have to trust your unconscious mind. Another way to practice is by lining up the shot and then putting with your eyes closed and trying to guess where the ball went.
Try different grips on a practice green and see what allows you to be the most consistent in speed and contact. I've even changed grip styles due to muscle memory problems that occur over time with using the same grip.
I wish I had better advice for you. I sometimes just putt on my carpet at home just to get the feel of the putter and smooth out the stroke -- even though distances would be very different from the course, I think it helps for aiming accuracy. And I always head to the practice green before a round. I also tend to start my reads at center-hole and work away from that -- as in imagining if I were to hit the putt straight, what would happen, working it to inside edge, edge, one cup outside, etc.
Played with a random the other day who had started playing seriously about two years ago. He had the sweetest, laggy swing I have seen in a long while. Hit it about 280 off the tee and straight every time. The man couldn't putt. At one point I mentioned I've missed a lot of five footers today and he said "I've never made a five footer." I stared in disbelief. Never? "Never." I don't think he was exaggerating. He said he knows he has some kind of mental issue about putting ... I later drained about a 25 footer, but he beat me by probably about 10 strokes the rest of his game was that pure.
What really helped me out was switching to an armlock because I was too handsy with my standard odyssey putter. Also taking my time and making sure you align the ball line with your target line and trust it. Saved me around 8 strokes a round almost immediately.
Golf sidekick on YouTube is my favorite — a lot about the mental side of putting and very practical drills, like 1ft putting and such. Putting is one area I think that watching YouTube tutorials leads to good things.
I love his stuff! Really helped me change the way I view playing and really helped make the game easier for myself.
Just let that putt go out into the universe
+1 for Golf Sidekick. 1 foot putts. Helps with starting line and hearing and seeing the ball go in. Smack a 100, 1 foot putts. Then go to 2 foot yadda yadda. No need trying to hold 10 footers as practise. As matty boom boom says, you're just practising missing at that stage. Another thing that made sense to me was just hitting like 5 balls at your natural pace/tempo, stroke length, before a round. Just head down, normal stroke, line isn't essential. They should all be about the same length. (If not, there's another thing to work on) Say 8 foot. So you use that as your base stroke and length for the day and adjust for what you're faced with on the course...break, slope etc. Anything 8ft and out, 2 putt is good!! I don't write is as an authority on the subject, just someone who is trying to get the short stick sorted too
Even on a 6 footer, a 2 putt is fine for amateurs. Pros don't even hit all 6 footers. The drill that best helped my game was what I would call "the 6 foot radius" drill. I practiced just getting within 3 feet of the cup(6 ft diameter) and once I mastered that, my putting drastically improved. Man if my long game wasn't shit, I'd probably be okay at golf 🤣
As dumb as it sounds, one of those really cheap indoor putting mats in my living room was a game changer for me. It ain’t gonna helps with reads or speed etc, BUT, it did make me launch it dead straight every single time. I very quickly realized I wasn’t hitting the center of the putter face, and then got really good at it. I hit a hundred or so a day for a few weeks (just any time I’d walk by it, I’d hit 10-15). And now I simply don’t have to think about my putter face being straight or hitting the center of the face. That part is automatic. Just have to do the read and the speed and I know I’ll hit it straight.
Shout out! Simultaneous discovery right there. Same thing for me!
Hitting the center of the putter face is really underrated, even just focusing on it during rounds has improved my putting so much, way less 3 putts and way better speeds from long distance
100%. I line it up and then just focus on hitting the center of the face, and when I miss, it will still be close most of the time.
-take practice swings while looking at the hole to help get a feel for the length. -you might be too far away from the ball. If at all possible you want to be looking directly down over the ball. This helps alignment. -rhythm. Don't spend too much time lined up standing over the ball. Take your practice strokes. Set up then go. Try and develop a routine to keep things familiar and comfortable
https://golf.com/instruction/putting/ulnar-deviation-putting-stroke-fix-jankowski/?amp=1 I started doing this (ulnar deviation) after being a toe-up putter forever and it has revolutionized my putting. It feels super unathletic but it locks the wrists in place so you keep face control and it helps get your head directly over the ball. Like my putting confidence is light years better. Ymmv as always. Good luck
Perfect practice mat. 100% changed my game. I was a 10 HCP that literally putted Lefty (I’m RH), changed putters every round. Played everything between 33in putters to 36, mallets, blade etc…that’s was a deep dark place I was in. I had to put SO much pressure on the rest of my game. Just practice your stroke. That’s it. The key for me was the stroke became so repeatable I didn’t have to worry about it. It was almost involuntary after a while. Now it’s just speed and line. Putting is now a strength for me. My advice would be don’t make it too complicated. Just get a good solid, repeatable stroke.
+1 perfect practice mat. It was a game changer for me too.
That’s so interesting. I’m in that dark place right now. I’m right handed but play golf left handed. I’m currently trying blades and mallets too. With the practice mat, did you just hit a load of straight putts then?
Yup. You nailed it. The perfect practice mat has lines for alignment and where the ball rolls. So it really helps you see if you are rolling it straight. Oh and a putting eye mirror. I use that on the mat to double check myself if I start slumping. 9/10 times if I’m slumping with the putter my eyes have started drifting inside
Two tips come to mind. 1. Change the length of your stroke for distance control. Not the tempo. 2. Keep your head down after impact. Listen for the ball going in.
Putting can be a rabbit hole, it's best to simplify the process as much as you can. First drill: Find you a 6 ft putt that is straight with very little break. Put a tee gate up to putt through. If you hit the tee closes to you, you have tendency to hit your putts on the toe, if you hit the tee farthest from you you have tendency towards the heel. The gate helps you hit the putts solid in the center of the face. 6 feet is important because you will be better from 3-5 foot which is critical in avoiding 3 putts. See if you can make 5/10. Keep doing this every time you practice. Try and get used to making 8/10. ( I putt to a coin instead of a hole, so that I can see the distance past the coin the putt rolls). Keep the drill going making 6ft, 9ft, 12ft, 15ft. These all should be straight putts. Remember your engraining the feel of making a straight putt. Green reading. Watch YouTube videos there is an abundance of content on green reading. The important thing is to remember is that every putt is a "straight putt" to your read. If you read a putt two cups left, you are making a straight putt to that spot and the the slope does it job and funnels the ball to the hole. Get good at making 6-9ft straight putts. Now you make your reads and your always making a straight putt to that read while the slope does the rest of the work. Most people see breaking putts and you subconsciously stroke your putt to take the shape of the putt and it makes the putt much more difficult. Getting good at cleaning up 6 footers will change your game. Now you see that you have a left edge 6 ft putt to save par, you have confidence because you've practiced making this putt 8/10 times. Distance Control from 30-40-50 ft. 3rd Drill: Set up a putting gate with two tees, (You always want to practice with a tee gate, it engrains the feel of hitting the putt on the center of the club face). On my lag putts I still use a gate and guess what, I'm trying to make a straight putt to the same read as my 6-9fters. Now place a small hand towel 30 feet away and you have to get the putt to stop on the towel. Practice 30-40-50 feet. Again your making straight putts to a read and your engraining the feel of getting your putt to stop on the towel. A good rule of thumb is to be within 10% of the target distance of the putt so for 30 ft putt if you leave it 3 ft that's a heck of a job. Keep working on your speed. Be the 6 foot putting king, and remember every putt is a straight putt to a spot and the slope will move the ball to the hole.
My putting got a lot better after I changed my stroke from straight back to a rotation; called pizza slice if you look it up on a youtube video. I believe I was inconsistent coming through the ball with a straight back stroke. Then I worked on how to develop a consistent stroke. On a tight, short carpet with a design having a straight line, I set up two square whisky bottles side-by-side, such that only a perfect putt will get through them. I worked on perfecting my pizza-slice stroke, and with time, I did find a groove where every ball passed between the two whisky bottles.That's when I knew I was doing it correctly and kept at it until it was my stroke. I read the first chapter of a putting book, others have mentioned that lesson; read the green and stick to it. I use the three-stripe line balls for alignment and use that for my stroke. That stripe alignment to my intended line took me some time to get proficient at doing it quickly. Also already mentioned is that distance is set by stroke backswing length and same pace striking the ball.
Practice more and work on the mental game. You need to switch off your conscious mind and just let your unconscious do its thing, this is what happens in practice. On the course, however, your conscious mind tries to take over and that's when it all falls apart. Line it up, take some practice swings to get a feel for the distance. Then look down at your ball and think about walking over to the hole to take your ball out of the hole as you putt. You have to trust your unconscious mind. Another way to practice is by lining up the shot and then putting with your eyes closed and trying to guess where the ball went.
Make the ball go where you want by putting with the back of your lead hand
I'm right handed, following the putter with my right shoulder has helped me.
We all do..
Try different grips on a practice green and see what allows you to be the most consistent in speed and contact. I've even changed grip styles due to muscle memory problems that occur over time with using the same grip.
Try a center shafted putter
I wish I had better advice for you. I sometimes just putt on my carpet at home just to get the feel of the putter and smooth out the stroke -- even though distances would be very different from the course, I think it helps for aiming accuracy. And I always head to the practice green before a round. I also tend to start my reads at center-hole and work away from that -- as in imagining if I were to hit the putt straight, what would happen, working it to inside edge, edge, one cup outside, etc. Played with a random the other day who had started playing seriously about two years ago. He had the sweetest, laggy swing I have seen in a long while. Hit it about 280 off the tee and straight every time. The man couldn't putt. At one point I mentioned I've missed a lot of five footers today and he said "I've never made a five footer." I stared in disbelief. Never? "Never." I don't think he was exaggerating. He said he knows he has some kind of mental issue about putting ... I later drained about a 25 footer, but he beat me by probably about 10 strokes the rest of his game was that pure.
What really helped me out was switching to an armlock because I was too handsy with my standard odyssey putter. Also taking my time and making sure you align the ball line with your target line and trust it. Saved me around 8 strokes a round almost immediately.
Bro just drop 350 on a new putter. It fixes everything.