Conference 7.286::golf

>    but...on the practice green, I never seem to have developed a good
>    routine.   Can you help me with some recommendations on a putting
>    practice routine, and/or some drills that can help me develop some
>    putting "feel".   My alignment is ok, but distance, especially beyond
>    about 12 feet, is driving me crazy(er)

It depends on what you want to practice.  Good drills include the circle drill
starting at about 3 feet.  Distributing balls in a circle around the hole try
to make all of them.  If you do keep on working back.  This is good for
accuracy, but not for distance.

You can try practicing getting the ball to the hole by playing a game with 
ourselve like dropping 3 balls and putting to the hole.  Give yourself 2 points
for any you make, give yourself 1 point for any that go past the hole & stop
within 3 feet, 0 points otherwise.  (Minimum score to aim for 4 points).

You can also work on your distance (probably what you need in this case) by
working with several balls spaced about in a line about a yard apart and just
walk up, align, and pull the trigger trying to have all balls finish within
3 feet of the cup.

From your question I think you may be trying too hard to sink putts 12 feet and
beyond.  If you approach putts like that from the point of view that you are
going to putt it close (within 3 feet) so the next one will be a gimme you may
find less pressure.  You will be amazed to find out how many will fall when you
are just trying to get them close.

When you practice putting you should always putt out all the balls, no matter 
how close.  (McCumber proved that a 3in putt isn't a gimme.  Last week Love
proved that it is easy to miss 3 foot putts.)  if you always finish out you 
will have more confidence when faced with a pressure 3 footer.

Also don't be discouraged early in the season your swing will probably be in 
good shape because it is basically controlled by the larger muscles & requires 
less feel.  The first few rounds you generally swing well within yourself and
are more worried about making good contact.  However the short game uses the
small muscles and require more feel.  They are rusty after the winter and
need to be retrained.  In a couple of weeks they'll be back to peak form.

You should also work on the mechanics of the stroke without worrying about 
making putts.  This includes setting up with your eyes above the ball on the 
line.  Putter square to the line & swinging along the line.

Remeber that's not a gimme, putt it! ;-)
Larry

    
    All of Larry's points are very good ones. The only advice I can
    give is practice practice practice. I intend on spending alot of
    time on the practice green this year myself. I tend to spend most
    of my practice time with the irons because it's more fun but I pay
    for it when I'm on the green and I'm faced with one of three footers
    for par. If you practice these puts you feel good over them and
    that is half the battle. The feel will come in time. Always spend
    some time on the putting green before a round to get the feel
    especially if you a playing a new course. One thing I have noticed
    that helps me keep my putting stroke square is to run my thumbs
    down the putter shaft and follow through to the hole or line you
    are putting to. Keep practicing and good luck it will come. When
    you figure it out let me know I am always looking for some good
    tips. 
    
    Oh, be aggresive never up never in. I had to say that.
    
    Pete

.0>    My alignment is ok, but distance, especially beyond
.0>    about 12 feet, is driving me crazy(er)
    	
    Last year I started taking a practice swing with my eyes on the cup,
    thinking only of speed, and visualizing the roll.  Then, when I address
    the ball, I can keep my eyes on the ball, concentrating on stroke and
    direction.  This tip came from a _Golf_ or _Golf_Digest_ article early
    last year.  It really helped me.

    Here are some drills that should help.
    - Place two dimes, one directly on top of another, on the floor.
      Knock the top one off without disturbing the bottom one. Move
    your feet around until you can do it. This will help you find the
    bottom of your putting arc. It will also teach you to take it away
    low.
    -Hit one foot puts hard enough so that the ball stays out. This
    will give you a feel for firm puts that will go in.
    -Put one, three, and five foot puts with your eyes closed and listen
    for the ball to fall in the hole. This will help you to keep your
    head and upper body still.
    - Pick a spot halfway between the ball and the hole and roll the
    ball over it. This helps you with breaking puts.
    -In your living room throw a dozen balls down and play billiards.
    This will focus your attention to a spot on the object ball while
    helping your tempo with softer and harder puts.
    - On the practice green, stick a tee in and put to hit the tee and
    have the ball stop against the tee.
    - In the house, use a wall to restrict your takeaway so that you
    learn to accelerate through the ball.
    -Practice with one ball just before you play. Try to two put to
    every practice hole. This gets you mentally adjusted to what is
    going to happen out on the course.
    
    Touch is learned and takes practice, practice, practice, practice,
    practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice and more
    practice.
    
    Hope this helps.
    
    Rich 
    ps. You had better practice!

Golf is like sex; it's all in your mind. (You also don't have to be 
good to enjoy it.)

Confidence is the name of the game. The closer to the hole, the more 
important it becomes. That's why pressure starts at the hole and works 
back to the tee. So...

>    putting "feel".   My alignment is ok, but distance, especially beyond
>    about 12 feet, is driving me crazy(er)
    
Your problem probably isn't so much with the long puts as with the 
short ones. I mean, it's a piece of cake to get the ball within 5 
feet, right? If you were sure that you'd make anything within 5 feet
(ok, 19 out of 20), you wouldn't feel much pressure on your long putt.
Nothing numbs "feel" like pressure.

The circle routine is *great* practice for short putts. 4 balls, 
equadistant north, south, east, and west, will do the trick. I'd start 
at 1 foot, though. To build confidence.

Know what I love most about this game? In what other human endevour 
will you find so many bloody experts to call upon for help?

    re .-1
    "golf is like sex"
    
    ya, while you can do it by yourself,it's more fun with a partner.;-0

    	One practice drill I use during the winter time is to practice
    putting a ball, that is between two books.  I use encyclopedias.
    I place the two books, so that my putter blade will fit just inbetween
    them.  Then I place the ball down in the middle, and putt as normal.
    If your stroke is even and your blade stays even along the putting
    line, it will not touch either book.  But if your blade is turning
    or twisting, or you are simply not stroking it in a level line,
    your blade will hit one of the books.  This drill will probably
    not help in distance, but certainly will help you with a smooth
    and level putting stroke.
    
    Beak

    	I found this tip by Bernard Langer helped my putting by about	
    
    five shots a round. My problem was always distance, hitting the
    
    ball farther past the hole than the putt I already had or leaving
    
    it dreadfully short. Line up the putt as normal looking for slope,
    
    then stand close to the ball looking at the hole and swing the putter
    
    for an imaginery stroke to feel the distance you want to hit it.
    
    Swing five or six times untill you feel confident of the swing you want
    
    to put on the ball. After this I always felt more confident of the
    
    line to hit the ball, as I always line the ball logo at the hole,
    
    so now you can swing with "CONFIDENCE" big help. 
    
    
    good luck it's certainly helped me.
    
          
    
    Luke

    This may sound goofy, but you should have a putter that you really
    like. Did *I* really say that? Anyway, I had this favorite putter
    a long time ago. It is very similar to the one Ben Crenshaw and
    Jack Nicklaus (a long time ago) use. I did something stupid to it
    and it broke (I whacked the putter on my golf shoe and the shaft
    broke). So I proceeded to get a ping pal. I could not deal with
    this putter. I used it with a positive attitude but I never could
    figure out how to align a putt with the darn thing!
    
    Many times, I would stare over a putt and the ball did not roll
    the way I thought I had lined up. After several frustrating attempts
    to get a line on this putter, I sold it and bought another one.
    The new one resembles the putter that I stupidly broke a long time
    ago. I putted well with it last year. I still need to find the "sweet
    spot" on the putter (it didn't come with a line etched on the top)
    but I think I have gotten pretty close.
    
    This is all probably psychobabble. It's all in my head but if you
    can't get a good feel with your putter, then maybe you should search
    for a different kind.
    
    Mike

    RE: .9

>    ago. I putted well with it last year. I still need to find the "sweet
>    spot" on the putter (it didn't come with a line etched on the top)
>    but I think I have gotten pretty close.

    Mike don't trust those little lines anyways.  I have seen a lot of putters
    where they are wrong.  (I haven't found a Ping putter yet that is wrong,
    but I expect that even they have the occassional Q/C problem.)

    To find the sweet spot on your putter hold it by the shaft between your
    thumb and finger.  Take a pencil and start tapping the face from the toe
    moving towards the heel.  When you hit the sweet point the head won't
    twist from side to side but will swing straight back and forth.

    Another thought on helping your putting game is to find the best putter
    at your club or in your foursome and have them look at your stroke to
    make sure that your mechanics are sound.  

	Larry
    

    I agree with .9.....
    
    You gotta have a putter you trust...My putter is at least 25 years
    old. It has sold lead as a weight in the middle that is all dented
    and scratched....Has an extremely heavy head, fiberglass shaft and
    a new grip (when I put it on I did not take all the old glue off
    so it looks sort of pigpenny..).
    
    I may have a wicked slice, but my putting usually saves me. Confidence
    in my putter and using Langhard's method (I've been doing that for
    about 10 years) have helped a lot. Another thing I do is with my
    grip. I run the index finger of my lower (right) hand down the shaft.
    This helps me feel the putt and helps in direction.
    
    I read somewhere in GD, to imagine rolling the ball to the hole.
    Use the amount of speed to roll the ball when you putt...
    
    Lastly, boy I sound like I know what I'm talking about, like many
    others have said, practice, practice and practice some more...
    
    Hit'm straight...
    
    Jim
    

    One last putting drill....try practicing with one hand.  Before
    a round, I usually line up about five balls, from about 0ne foot
    to about 6 feet away and then hit them first with my right hand,
    then with my left, then with both.  It's like anything else, if
    it works for you, use it.
    
    Remember, over 95% of the putts that don't make it to the cup, don't
    go in.  (I couldn't resist my first "golf cliche" of the year...sorry)
    

    I just rented a video called the Golden Tee (yes, it REALLY is a golf
    video) that had tips from many of the former greats like Billy Casper,
    Byron Nelson, and Julius Boros.
    
    Julius Boros had a putting tip that involved how he grips the putter. 
    He slightly bows the right thumb and presses its tip on the putter 
    shaft rather than laying the whole thumb flat on the shaft.  This is
    supposed to increase sensitivity and feel.
    
    I've tried it putting on my carpet and like it, although I haven't done
    it long enough or under the heat of battle.

    Thanks everybody, I'll practice, practice, practice those drills,
    drills,drills..

    
    Hi,
    
    	I just finished reading all the reply's and just wanted to say
    thanks... Excellent tips on putting.
    
    	Walt

    
    Hi,
    
    	Over the winter I have worked very hard on putting. Trying to
    develop a grip, stance and style that will hold up on the course.
    
    	Well , after watching the TPC over and over, looking at grips
    I noticed a few players with their left index finger overlapping
    their right hand. It wasn't comfortable for me, but I did try
    something similar... I use an interlocking grip. This seemed to
    balance my grip pressure better. 
    
    	Then I read Tom Watson's tips on putting... which I have read
    plenty of times. But just now noticed a huge flaw in my putting.
    When I swing an iron, my left arm does most (if not all) the work.
    When putting, I use to do the same. Tom Watson states " the left arm
    takes the putter back, the right drives it through... but don't let
    the left go limp"
    
    	After most ot the winter, putting putting putting... it wasn't
    until now , that my putting stroke feels solid. I sure hope this fixed
    a broken fundamental. And not just changed a style preferance?
    
    	Thanks,
    
    	Walta
    
    	
    

                 <<< MSEE::USER$1:[NOTES$LIBRARY]GOLF.NOTE;1 >>>
                               -< The Good Game >-
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Note 1026.0                     PUTTER WOES !!!!                       2 replies
RAYBOK::COOPER "MAD HACKER"                          12 lines  23-JUL-1990 14:15
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         Well, All the tips I got on improving my short game
    helped so much I thought I would bring up the next big
    sore spot . PUTTING !!!!!   I used to be a fairly good 
    putter, less than 36 per round, but now I stink !!!
    If my ball is outside 4 feet, it is a pretty shakey
    bet on where the ball may go. My stroke is good, but I
    can,t seem to hit the ball on the line I choose !!! Also
    I have started to scuff the blade on long putts and come 
    up way short a lot of times . This causes a lot of 3 putts !
    Any good tips on hitting the ball on the chosen line ?
    
    Mad Hacker

                 <<< MSEE::USER$1:[NOTES$LIBRARY]GOLF.NOTE;1 >>>
                               -< The Good Game >-
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Note 1026.1                     PUTTER WOES !!!!                          1 of 2
CSOA1::KOBRIEN "Certifiable golfer"                  25 lines  23-JUL-1990 14:38
                           -< Listen it in the hole >-
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    Hmmmm let me search the memory bank to see when I had this problem
    last.  Let's see June 1990?  Ah yes.  Of course it's not the first time
    I had the problem and it won't be the last.
    
    The problem of hitting off line (mostly left?) and scuffing putts is
    caused by moving your head.  You end up getting a case of "line fever"
    and you sneek a peek to make sure you hit it on line.  What I generally 
    do is to go to the practice green and put the ball down about 3/4 ft
    from the hole, focus on the ball (and of course your line), stroke the
    putt and LISTEN for it to go in the hole.  The one subtle thing that
    you have to keep in mind is that moving your eyes will cause you to
    also move your head (and shoulders aren't far behind) causing all kinds
    of bad things to happen.  Keep your eyes focused on the ball and the
    spot where the ball was before you stroked it.  After you get the 4
    footers down, move back to 6/8 feet and keep practicing.
    
    If this doesn't fix your problems then have somebody check your line
    from behind when you practice.  Make sure that you are lining up
    correctly especially on the short putts.  There is no greater strain on
    your lag putting than to think you can't make the 3 footer coming back.
    After you consistantly start making the short putts, you lag putting
    will improve by itself.  Good luck and keep us informed.
    
    
    						KO

                 <<< MSEE::USER$1:[NOTES$LIBRARY]GOLF.NOTE;1 >>>
                               -< The Good Game >-
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Note 1026.2                     PUTTER WOES !!!!                          2 of 2
ASABET::VARLEY                                        7 lines  23-JUL-1990 14:38
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     Imagine that the ball is glued to the center of your putter head. As
    you stroke your putt, try to follow through along the ground as if your
    are reaching into the hole with your putter/ball. Naturally, when you
    are playing a breaking putt, do the same thing BUT just follow through
    toward where your line is.
    
    --Jack

	I know it's not what you want to hear but....



Practice, practice, practice.....    And try doing this for no more than

20 minute intervals, as it's very difficult to keep your concentration for 
that long a period of time.  One drill you can try at home and inside is, put
down 2 encyclopedias or other large books, and spread them apart, about 1/2 
wider than your putter blade.  Now place a ball right in the middle of them 
and take your normal putting stroke.  When you can do this without your putter 
blade touching wither book on either side, then you'll know your putter blade 
is coming thru the ball without turning or twisting and also from straight 
behind the ball, which are the 2 biggest causes of hitting the ball off line. 
As far as scuffing behind the ball, concentrate on hitting the middle to top 
half of the ball.  This should stop you from hitting the ground before the 
ball.

Beak

         I guess I'm going to have to try having someome stand behind 
    me to check my alignment. I have no fear of any putt within 4 feet
    of the cup, I just ram them into the back of the hole ! It seems 
    that I see the line I want to putt a longer putt on but when I
    stroke the ball it is a few degrees off. Not after leaving the face 
    of the putter, but even including the line of the backswing. The part
    about moving my head may be right because on short putts I can see
    the hole out of the corner of my left eye so I don't look. Maybe I
    need to pick a spot a couple of feet out to roll the ball over to get
    it on the right path, or lay a string on the practice green along
    my intended route like setting up a station at the driving range. It's
    like I forget where the hole is once I settle down over the ball and
    prepare to stroke it. Maybe working back from the hole in 1 foot 
    increments will help also. I spend a lot of time on the practice green 
    already but you couldn't tell from the results I get. 
    
    Mad Hacker

    MH, I posted some drills in 556.4. They ought to help. Remember to
    keep your head absolutely still when making the stroke.
     
    You can add this one to the list...
    Take a quarter and balance it on your putter. Then swing the putter 
    back and forth without letting the quarter fall off. This will help
    give you a smoother stroke. 
    
    Let me know how you make out.
    Rich

         I saw the tips  and they have helped some but it is pretty
    hard to balance a quarter on the rounded top edge of my putter,
    even when it isn't moving !!!! I also discovered that I was "leaning"
    on my putter while lining up the shot ! Makes it hard to take it away
    smoothly and straight. Thanks for the help !!
    
    Mad Hacker

    >     I saw the tips  and they have helped some but it is pretty
    >hard to balance a quarter on the rounded top edge of my putter,
    >even when it isn't moving !!!! I also discovered that I was "leaning"
    
    Hey Mad Hacker...
    
    Try sticking the quarter on the putter with gum!  Hey... at least it'll
    build your confidence!!!  ;^)
    
    -dwight

    Funny you should mention confidence Dwight ! I have also discovered
    that on putts of longer than say 15 feet my main thought pattern is
    "come'on Cooper at least get it close to the hole !!!" This is even
    before I hit the putt. I am conditioning myself to do poorly on the
    longer putts by giving up on them before even making the shot !!!!
    From now on it's "In The Hole and Your The Man !!", on every putt !!
    Well. maybe that is a little extreme. 8^)
    
    Mad Hacker

    Suggest that you forget "In The Hole and Your The Man", which are
    emotional thoughts.  Successful athletes under pressure are able
    to concentrate on the mechanics of the task at hand.  They visualize
    the  successful accomplishment of the task, they analyze what must
    be done, letting that analysis eliminate thoughts of success or
    failure, or consequences of either.  My advice is to analyze the
    putt, SEE the ball rolling along the line and HEAR it plunk in the
    cup, shut that part of your mind off and go into the EXECUTE mode,
    which deals with your stance, stroke, target, etc.
    
    Big Mac

      I was just kidding with that stuff Big Mac! It comes from another
    topic. I have no trouble seeing the line I want to putt on when I
    look the shot over but it just seems that when I get over the ball,
    I have a hard time remembering where that line is !!! I,ll make a good
    stroke, keep my head down, listen for the plunk, never hear it and look
    up to see the putt was 10-20 degrees off line . After having someone
    watch my alignment, it appears that on putts of longer than 10 feet
    I line up off to the right. I'm going to start trying to find some
    intermidiate point say 2-4 feet out from the ball to roll it over and
    get it on its way towards the hole. Thanks for all the tips and hope-
    fully some improvement will come with practice. Also I,m trying to
    get my approach shots closer to the hole ! 8^)
    
    Mad Hacker

    
    re: earlier note on finding the sweet spot
    
       According to Dave Pelz, you must hold the club at the angle that you
       will hold it while putting...  the angle of the club affects the
       center of percussion, which he claims is different than the center
       of gravity.
    
       fwiw,
    
    	   /jim