Putting looking at the hole not the ball

[bill reed]

Re: Putting looking at the hole not the ball

hi all
i use impact tape on my putter a lot to make sure i am hitting the sweet spot and one thing i found was that looking at the hole and not the ball gave me a far better cluster of sweep spot hit than looking at the ball, i really though it would be other way about. so i know that i hit ball better looking at the hole and that if i hit that sweet spot i put better so thats only way i putt now and my friends say my game has changed so much and i hardly miss on the greens, get some impact tape and try both types and see what works best, you will be suprised like i was.
best of luck
bill

[mariner]

Re: Putting looking at the hole not the ball

I had another go with this method on my last round after starting terribly on the wet greens (it's been a really hot dry summer so far so it was a big speed change) and it was brilliant - virtually every long putt I hit had a chance, hit the hole, lipped out or stopped a foot past and more than a few went in espeically the shorter ones (that I usually miss)
The difference was I used it on ALL putts, not just the long ones as I said I did before and I was definitely better - the lovely positive way they ram into the dead centre of the back of the cup is a relevation to a tentative twitcher like me that leaves everything short in an effort not to 3-putt!
If you have doubts about giving this a go, try this on the practice green - stick a tee 6 inches left or right of the cup, then line up an 8 or 10 footer at the hole as best you can, then putt looking at the tee. Even though you have lined up at the hole, the ball will go closer to the tee than the hole.
Think what this means! You don't even have to aim that well or have perfect technique, the subconscious will overide it all and get you pretty close.
I just wish I could play full shots while looking at the target . . . or maybe you can???

[mariner]

Re: Putting looking at the hole not the ball

A method that i use to read the break on greens is plumbobbing....i stand back and look at the hole through the shaft of the butter after staring for a while another shaft becomes visible, this is the shaft that is invisible to your naked eye. So now that you see to shaft put the ball at the bottom of the shaft and look up and how ever far off the hole the "invisible" shaft is then thats how far it is going to break to that side....

Try it and let me no wat you think!!!

Sorry, mate, this doesn't make sense - unless I misunderstand, the other shaft you see is the one seen by your less dominant eye and if you did this on a perfectly flat green you would still see it and play for a break and miss?
As for plumb bobbing in general, Dave Pelz in his putting bible says it can only tell you about any break immediately around the cup.

[bill reed]

Re: Putting looking at the hole not the ball

hi mariner
dave plez asked all the pros he was coaching and not one knew why the really plumb bobbed and i think that tells you its someting you see other do and copy without really thinking about it. i dont think i have had it help a putt in my 30 years off golf but i know it did it for years.
bill

[Norman Bates]

Re: Putting looking at the hole not the ball

I tried putting while looking at hole a few times this week on the course, and I must admit it worked, especially with the long puts, leaving the ball within 30 cm of the hole

but it still doesn't feel comfortable

and because my putting in "the classic way" is going very good, I'll stick to that

[jcbdb]

Re: Putting looking at the hole not the ball

I have taken the idea slightly differently now after reading Aftford's putting article where he quoted Tiger's views on taking a mental picture of the putt.

I have had an inch taken off my putter and now take a mental picture from behind the ball to get the line then setup and take another mental picture seeing the ball going in the hole. I hold this in my mind as I setup to the ball then simply hit it using the feel I have from the mental picture.

I never realised how well this approach could work. I ham lagging and holing putts better than ever and just feel more confident in my approach.

Thanks Aftford - great comments as always!

JCBDB

[bill reed]

Re: Putting looking at the hole not the ball

hi
if you toss a ball to someone you dont look at your hand, same with fishing when you toss a lure into the river you look at the target and not at the lure, same with playing darts you look at target. the ball dont move so you dont need to look at the ball. try puting impact tape on your putter and hit 10 ball at the hole from about 6 feet using your normal shot.then change tape and do same looking at the hole then compair the tape, you will be so suprised when you see looking at hole give you a better cluster on the sweep spot, try it yourself, if like me you hit sweep spot more looking at hole then why would you go back to looking at ball.
bill

[mariner]

Re: Putting looking at the hole not the ball

I can feel myself missing the sweet spot quite often but the end result is still better!

[mariner]

Re: Putting looking at the hole not the ball

I suppose the reason why no touring pros do this is because they have such a good mental picture of the hole that they don't HAVE to physically look.
When Tiger says he "takes a mental picture" of a putt and then "putts to the picture", he is, in effect, looking at the hole in his mind's eye and seeing it just as well as if he actually looked at it physically.
All pros have always stressed the importance of strong mental images and the power of the mind's eye, so it follows that there is probably a direct correalation between being able to visualize really well and being a good player, maybe it's more important than swing mechanics?

[bill reed]

Re: Putting looking at the hole not the ball

hi mariner
check my last post in the putting grip, i have said about looking at hole in there, but think your right that most pros see the putt and the line the ball will follow in there mind before they even set up to the putt.
bill

[edshaw]

Re: Putting looking at the hole not the ball

I think Tiger is getting a little mystical
with some of his recent remarks about the
mental game. Jack Nicklaus got into the
same general area when he was king.
Remember Jack's comments on "going to
the movies" as part of pre shot routine?
It's about visualization and imaginative
actualization, and I it must work. Maybe
it is a way of escaping pressure of reality.
Anyway, my comment is that in the midst
of all this, we have to always remember that
there are real lines to see, real breaks
to discern, and real slopes and
distances to be reckoned with. Learning
to perceive the realities is a field in itself,
one that does not require either motivation
or imagination.

[Matt10]

Re: Putting looking at the hole not the ball

I've been doing this all month. And the results are fantastic - I haven't had a 3putt in over 10 rounds of golf, nothing but 2 putts. Feels incredible and now I've got my iorn game down, soon the driver will start working...I can feel it molding all into place

[canadian_man_44]

Re: Putting looking at the hole not the ball

I've been putting looking at the hole not the ball for about three years now. From the first time I tried it I found it helped me with my distances. Most of my long putts were coming within a foot of the hole whereas before trying this I would definately be three putting from anywhere outside of 10 feet. I had never been a good putter(not enough time spent on the practice green) but this method knocked a good seven strokes of my game on the local nine hole course. On putts between 5 and 10 feet I found myself making at least 50% more then before and putts inside of 5 feet I would nail almost everytime. This method has helped my game greatly helping me come from a 12 handicap down to around 5.

Having said that, it's not for everyone. My brother tried it and immediately went back to the more traditional style.

[canadian_man_44]

Re: Putting looking at the hole not the ball

Tom Watson said a few weeks ago on the golf channel that he sometimes uses this method on long putts. He also said that a lot of the new golfers on the tour use it with very good results. I guess it's a matter of finding what works for you and just doing it.

[kbp]

Re: Putting looking at the hole not the ball

I use a variation on the "looking at the cup" method. I set up to the ball in about the right position, and then I look at the hole while taking a couple of relaxed practice strokes a few inches above the ball. While taking these practice strokes, I adjust my alignment slightly as required to make my natural stroke follow my intended line. (I also look down at the ball as necessary to make sure I haven’t adjusted myself out of position relative to the ball) After I’ve got the line and the set up, I make a couple more practice strokes, now looking at the hole and the distance, concentrating only on speed. I really focus on the feeling of the stroke for the distance. Then I look at the ball, drop down and sole the putter behind the ball, lift up a tad so the putter is hanging just off the turf, and I try to make the real stroke with EXACTLY the same feel as the last practice stroke. No thoughts except the feel of the stroke.

IMO, once you’ve read the green and can "see" the putt, your brain will make the right stroke, if you let it.