Leaving putts short

[killer]

I was wondering if anyone has any usefull tips to stop me from leaving putts short. Iam a fairly decent putter from 6 ft in, its just that when I have longish putt, 8ft or more I tend to come up short.

Now iam not sure if this is due to fear of knocking my putt several feet past. I know never up never in. but either way, its really annoying when the putts that come up short, are usually on line.



So any tips or links please.

Thanks in advance

[GolfJunkieSr]

Re: Leaving putts short

Instead of the hole, putt to a spot a few inches past the hole. I do this on up hill putts, and just the opposite on down hill putts. I also tend to deloft the club face a little (hands a head of putter face) for a smoother roll. I don't recommend delofting the club face with out a lot of practice. Perhaps in your situation, more follow through after impacting the ball could help. I have also read that the pros, on longer putts, use a little more wrist action, since their arm and shoulder swing is only good for just so many feet. GJS

[BrianW]

Re: Leaving putts short

I use the relationship of my feet to the swing length, I am aware whether the putter should go back just in front of my back foot, to it, just past or way past for varying distances, I then follow through the same distance and always use the same tempo no mater how long the putt. It does take a lot of putting practice for it to be reliable though.

[photoballmarker]

Re: Leaving putts short

Start by reading your putt on the side opposite your ball. This forces you to walk back to your ball and that pacing will help you gain feel for the length of a putt.

On shorter putts, my son Kelly, gave me a great tip. He said, look down into the hole and hit that spot with your putt. You will never leave a shorter distance putt short if you do this. It really does work.

[Kurt in Kalamazoo]

Re: Leaving putts short

Killer -

There are a couple things you can try to stop leaving putts short. One is to look at the hole instead of the ball when you putt. I know this sounds a bit unconventional - but remember, putting is not about "style" - it's about getting the ball in the hole consistently in 2 strokes or less. Try it on the practice green - once you are ready to stroke your ball - look at the hole and putt - this is a good excercise to work on your distance anyway - try it on the course and see how it works for you.

Another helpful tip to keep you from leaving putts short is to have the proper proportion and focus on the "distance" of your putt vs. the line. Putting is about line and distance - but distance is everything in putting - so you should focus on the line 40% - and distance 100%! (Yeah, I know - that's 140% - but you get my point.) Once you determine your line - you can forget thinking about your line and all your focus needs to be on distance! Remember - in golf - distance is more important on the green than it is off the tee. Determine the line as best you can - then all your focus needs to be on distance - rolling your ball with enough speed to get it a foot or two past the hole.

You can get more information on this at www.mastergolfenterprises.com

Hope this helps!

Kurt in Kalamazoo

[killer]

Re: Leaving putts short

Killer -

There are a couple things you can try to stop leaving putts short. One is to look at the hole instead of the ball when you putt. I know this sounds a bit unconventional - but remember, putting is not about "style" - it's about getting the ball in the hole consistently in 2 strokes or less. Try it on the practice green - once you are ready to stroke your ball - look at the hole and putt - this is a good excercise to work on your distance anyway - try it on the course and see how it works for you.

Another helpful tip to keep you from leaving putts short is to have the proper proportion and focus on the "distance" of your putt vs. the line. Putting is about line and distance - but distance is everything in putting - so you should focus on the line 40% - and distance 100%! (Yeah, I know - that's 140% - but you get my point.) Once you determine your line - you can forget thinking about your line and all your focus needs to be on distance! Remember - in golf - distance is more important on the green than it is off the tee. Determine the line as best you can - then all your focus needs to be on distance - rolling your ball with enough speed to get it a foot or two past the hole.

You can get more information on this at www.mastergolfenterprises.com

Hope this helps!

Kurt in Kalamazoo

Very Informative repsponse thanks Guys will try em out tommorow.
Thanks

[dagosa]

Re: Leaving putts short

Another quick, excuse me late suggestion that I've been using with great success for distance control around and on the green is the following. Instead of practice strokes you think might be the correct distance, pick out a stroke you know that is long. Now pick out one that you feel is the right distance and choose a feel that is something in between. You WILL be up to the hole.
If lag is what you do prefer, pick out second stroke, something you know is short and proceed accordingly.
The human mind needs a kinetic reference that you don't get if you try do zero in too quickly w/o that long/short reference. You will chip and putt with greater confidence which max. your roll too. Don't be afraid of going by the hole. Remind yourself it gives you another read coming back. That will help set your mind at ease too.
In addition as stated, disregarding for line while making the stroke and using a line on your ball instead as many pros do, so your focus on distance is maximized. Don't ask your brain to do too many things at once, and two is too many for some of us.

[killer]

Re: Leaving putts short

Very Informative repsponse thanks Guys will try em out tommorow.
Thanks

I nipped out for a hour today and tried the putting method, putting whilst looking at the flag as opposed to the ball. I must say each time I tried this the ball was up past the hole. After trying this method with success I tested myself by hitting 2 putts looking at the hole, result ball 2feet past hole, then I tried 2 putts whilst lookig at the ball result ball came to rest 2feet short of the hole. Ha ha, The mind is a funy old thing.

[mariner]

Re: Leaving putts short

I do the same as BrianW and use my feet as a measuring stick.
I always stand exactly the same, put the ball in the same place every time and count "one thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand" to keep the tempo the same (backswing on three, forward swing on four)
If I take the putter to my back foot it will go 8 paces on a flat, normal speed green, just outside my back foot will go 11 paces and so on.
When I first started doing it I went 6 rounds without 3-putting and I thought I had really cracked it!
It doesn't seem quite so reliable now, probably because I try to visualise and feel ALL my other shots in a round more so than I used to, and this is the last thing you should be doing with this method as you must keep the subconscious right out of it otherwise it will add a couple of paces to your uphill putts (that you have already factored in) with disastrous results!
Inside about 6 paces it doesn't work, but as you are more concerned with line than length the closer you get, that's not really a problem.
I have tried the "putting while looking at the hole" method too, which is the exact opposite of the foot-meter method as it relies entirely on feel and touch, and I have found it good for very long putts, but I mishit too many to actually use it in a round.
I am of the opinion that pros do this, but look back at the ball with a vivid image of the hole still in their head, so that they are effectively still looking at the hole when they putt.
Isn't it strange that Dave Pelz's Putting Bible, which is about three inches thick, mentions neither of these methods?

[Neil18]

Re: Leaving putts short

May I suggest, in nothing but a friendly manner of course, that if you're mishitting putts when looking at the hole, then you have so far been unable to truly grasp "gaining control by giving up control"

When I putt looking at the hole, my putts run truer and longer and most definately come out of the sweet spot more regularly.

Just gotta believe in it. With putting being such a small action, you don't need to see the ball to contact it pure.

[GolfJunkieSr]

Re: Leaving putts short

I was out Monday walking my usual 18 holes, and for what ever reason I started leaving putts short. I must have left 7 or 8 putts in a row that were rolling right on line short, with in an inch of falling into the hole. The cure was quite evident to me. That being to just stroke the ball a little firmer. Once I got that concept through my thick skull, my putts started dropping for me. You have to love a game that has little issues pop up out of no where every so often. All fairways, greens, with two putts, with no big pay check waiting for you would get boring......yeah right. GJS

[mariner]

Re: Leaving putts short

[quote=Neil18;10561593]May I suggest, in nothing but a friendly manner of course, that if you're mishitting putts when looking at the hole, then you have so far been unable to truly grasp "gaining control by giving up control"quote]


Probably quite true, but I get close enough with the foot meter method not to have to try the other way anymore, and I have this nasty memory of catching the ground once and not even getting the ball half way.

[ReefBoy]

Re: Leaving putts short

Hi Killer,

It has been mentioned once in one of the replies but I thought I would chime in on its importance. The biggest killer of power in the putting stroke is not having the hands pressed forward at address and into impact. If you have your hands in the middle of your stance and you slightly break your wrists before impact you start to top the ball. Try it and I think you will be surprised at how much more power/distance you will get from your putts.

Christopher