Help!! My putting has left me

[cougarzh]

hello my name is Zach and i am new to this website. I need help with my putting i am a 4 to 5 handicap and from tee to green im good but once i get on the green i have no confidence and my putting is eratic. When i put it seems like my putter gets off line from the very beginning maybe as if my wrist start the putt. My question is any suggestions on which grip might be the best right now i am using a cross hand style? Second is why my putter might be getting off line from the very start?.

[grouper1700]

Re: Help!! My putting has left me

you are probably using your hands initiating the takeaway, better if you employ pendulum stroke. Read up on David Pelz' putting bible, it has helped me a lot.

[LowPost42]

Re: Help!! My putting has left me

If your ball is starting just a little off line, your swing path may be suspect. If you're way, way off line, you're manipulating the face.

I'll second the pendulum 'shoulder rock'. If you really need to take your hands out of the equation, it could be time to go to the saw or claw grip.

[edshaw]

Re: Help!! My putting has left me

Zack:
There are all kinds of things to try, but here
is one that bailed me out of a long slump:
I couldn't figure out why my backswing was
inconsistent and blamed it on age and nerves.
Then one day, after about five years of this,
I happened to notice I was lightening pressure
of the right thumb on account of this cracked skin
spot that was painful. As soon as I noticed this
unconscious thing, I was back in business.
The reason I tell the story is "even pressure
all through the grip." Also, without gripping
hard, compact the hands with the push-pull.
That means push down the shaft with the left,
and pull up with the right. Not to grip the
club harder, but to compact the hands. If you
need a demonstration, find an expert handgunner
and ask about the push-pull grip in shooting.
Just thoughts for you.

[lafrenz75]

Re: Help!! My putting has left me

Get somebody you trust, like your swing coach, to help you to get through your problems. But also do some research on the mental side that could be an issue as well.
If you have a problem with the first putt leaving a difficult second, lower that handicap to at least a 3 to 4 foot leave and grind on those lengths on the practice green. And get those long putts dialed in too.
Since you are a lower digit handicapper, you probably have scoring lengths between 10 to 8 feet to about the 4 to 1 foot putts. That is a mental side that you have to grasp for the scoring mentality. It also requires you to spend time on the practice green too.