Two putt targeting principle

[Shorty]

In an extensive study by Cochran on how well golfers performed with successive putts from a fixed distance it was determined that:“There was an improvement in the results of successive putts, but not a very marked one…For example, of the four thousand or so spectators who took part in a test carried out at Muirfield at the 1966 Open Championship, only 33% holed their first attempt at a curly six-footer, but this rose to 38% at the second attempt, and continued to rise rather more slowly, finally reaching 43% at the fifth attempt.”
D. Pelz, a world renowned writer and instructor of the short game and putting, has observed similar practice putting habits from his new students. Pelz (2006) stated: “They will line up a putt, make a stroke and miss their putt below the hole. Then they will take another ball from the exact same spot, make the same swing, and miss below the hole again. Maybe on the next putt they will manipulate their putter to get the ball started on line, possibly making a putt.”
D. Pelz’s procedure, using a yard stick as alignment device, is:
“If I putt along my initial aim line, I will make a stroke, and miss the putt below the hole. The feedback has begun. Rather than repeating the same alignment, I will adjust my alignment guide, put the ball back in the same spot, re-set my feet, and then make another stroke. I am still missing below the hole. The feedback continues. Since I trust my putting stroke and I am not going to manipulate the putter, I know I must adjust my aim to play more break. Now, I’ll go ahead and adjust my alignment guide, aiming higher. I am improving my aim line and alignment during this practice session, not manipulating my stroke. Eventually, I’ll make that putt.”
Is there a more efficient procedure than the above procedures in making putts from a fixed distance? The answer is yes by making use of the two-putt principle. This principle is analogous to the two-shot principle used by sport shooter’s during circle target practice which states:
“The ideal gun aim circle band on a circular target required to hit the bull’s eye on the second shot is the high side of the circle band hit when the first shot is aimed at the bull’s eye. “
The physical explanation for this is based upon the gravity effects on the bullet’s trajectory in that, due to gravity effects, the bullet drops away from the aim line during flight.
Similarly in putting, gravity is the principle force which causes the ball to deviate from the aim line. Instead of a target surface as used by sport shooter's, imagine a target line used during putting practice. Pelz (1994) defined the target line as a line that (1) passes through the hole, and (2) is perpendicular to the ball-hole line. The aim-line is picked by choosing a point on the target line. The two-putt targeting principle can then be stated:
The ideal aim point on the target line required to hole the ball on the second putt is a point on the high side of hole equal to the ball break when the first putt is aimed at the hole.

[LowPost42]

Re: Two putt targeting principle

Although kind of wordy, I agree.

Granted, I've started playing too much break (missing all my putts high), but I generally work the same theory. I look through my ball to the hole (straight line) to see what would happen if I putted directly at the hole. I then alter my aim accordingly.

[GregJWillis]

Re: Two putt targeting principle

Too bad you only get 1 putt attempt at each stroke. But for the sake of learning breaking putts, this is a good approach.

One problem, is that this only works on putts that have identical break around the hole. If the higher the line you play actually putts over a smaller amount of break (as in a crown), then you are s-out-of-luck.

[Shorty]

Re: Two putt targeting principle

Supporting figures (attached)
Figure (a) represents conditions for the 1st shot at a circular target made by a shooter. The pistol is aimed at the bull’s eye as shown by the aim line. Gravity causes the bullet to drop away from the aim line and hits the target on 4th band (blue) below the target For the 2nd shot aim line, the shooter follows with his eye around to the high side of this band.
Figure (b) represents conditions for the 1st putt at a target line. The aim line is directed to the hole. Gravity causes the ball on the “optimum” ball track to drop away from the aim line. The true break is shown at the target line crossing. For the 2nd putt, the player determines the 2nd aim point by transferring this break magnitude to the high side of the hole.

[Shorty]

Re: Two putt targeting principle

Too bad you only get 1 putt attempt at each stroke. But for the sake of learning breaking putts, this is a good approach.

One problem, is that this only works on putts that have identical break around the hole. If the higher the line you play actually putts over a smaller amount of break (as in a crown), then you are s-out-of-luck.

If the second putt misses the hole, the next question would be where should you aim for next putt? The answer is similar to what a sport shooter does when they miss the bull's eye on their their 2nd shot. They know two things about their 2nd shot: (1) which band on the circular target that they are aiming at, and (2) the band where the bullet impacts. For example, suppose they aim high on the 4th band, and the bullet hits one band below the bull's eye. For the next shot he aims at the (aim band) plus or minus (error band) or (4 + 1 = 5 th) band.
Similarly, in putting, the procedure would be recognize (1) where you aimed and (2) the error in missing the hole. For the next putt you correct your aim point by the amount of error.

[Scragger63]

Re: Two putt targeting principle

.....in putting, the procedure would be recognize (1) where you aimed and (2) the error in missing the hole. For the next putt you correct your aim point by the amount of error.

Agree with Greg here Shorty...

Yes, on the practice putting green, where you can have 3 or 4 cracks at the same putt, the method you quote sounds perfectly sound...

But, out on the course, if you miss a putt, you can't just pick the ball up and put it back and re take the putt. I think it highly unlikely that you will have two identical consecutive putts on any one green in any competitive round of golf...

Cheers

[LowPost42]

Re: Two putt targeting principle

Agree with Greg here Shorty...
But, out on the course, if you miss a putt, you can't just pick the ball up and put it back and re take the putt.

Actually, yes you can.

You declare the ball unplayable after your first putt, add a stroke, put it back, and try again.

I read a story of a fellow who had a decent putt (10 or 12 footer, I think) to try and make. He hit it a little hard, it missed the cup (cut on a ridge), ran down the slope, and left him 50 feet uphill coming back. He took an unplayable, and jarred the next putt.

[Scragger63]

Re: Two putt targeting principle

Actually, yes you can.

You declare the ball unplayable after your first putt, add a stroke, put it back, and try again.

I read a story of a fellow who had a decent putt (10 or 12 footer, I think) to try and make. He hit it a little hard, it missed the cup (cut on a ridge), ran down the slope, and left him 50 feet uphill coming back. He took an unplayable, and jarred the next putt.

Hmmm......

Ok.....

Sits corrected...

[GreeBoman]

Re: Two putt targeting principle

In the real world where you onlyhave one shot at any putt you are better to aim higher than lower.
In the case where you leave it on the lip the ball will never fall up hill, but it might just fall down hill for you.

[LowPost42]

Re: Two putt targeting principle

In the real world where you onlyhave one shot at any putt you are better to aim higher than lower.
In the case where you leave it on the lip the ball will never fall up hill, but it might just fall down hill for you.

The only exception is where the bermuda is fairly strong. I've seen grain overtake little breaks...

[GreeBoman]

Re: Two putt targeting principle

The only exception is where the bermuda is fairly strong. I've seen grain overtake little breaks...

But if the ball is sitting on the right edge of the cup with the green sloping left to right, I dont think any amount of grin is going to make the ball fall uphill, do you?
The ball has stopped, grain is not longer an issue, unless you leave the ball there long enough for the grass to grow and move the ball, which you cant do under the ROG.

[golfseeker]

Re: Two putt targeting principle

How about this one putt method...Let's say you visualize having a 6 inch break from left to right on a twelve foot putt. The line you want to putt on is at a target 18 inches above the hole (6 inches times 3). This method will at least give you a shot at the ball falling in the hole from above the hole. This method has seved me well on most breaking putts. I usually average around 28 putts a round. Most of the time I try to leave the ball below the hole so I can avoid the breaking putts.

[Shorty]

Re: Two putt targeting principle

Although kind of wordy, I agree.

Granted, I've started playing too much break (missing all my putts high), but I generally work the same theory. I look through my ball to the hole (straight line) to see what would happen if I putted directly at the hole. I then alter my aim accordingly.

I could not agree with you more LowPost42!!
I predict that this way of reading greens will become the standard method instead of visualizing an 'ideal' ball track passing through the hole using the apex putting approach.
Advantages are that it gives you nearly a direct measure of the true break instead of the visual break. Also, because of the two putt targeting principle, where the ball track would cross the target line indicates where to aim on the high side to sink the ball.

[Shorty]

Re: Two putt targeting principle

Although kind of wordy, I agree.

Granted, I've started playing too much break (missing all my putts high), but I generally work the same theory. I look through my ball to the hole (straight line) to see what would happen if I putted directly at the hole. I then alter my aim accordingly.

There are several ways, it seems, that you can as you say ‘alter my aim accordingly.’ For moving the break from the low to the high side to obtain the aim point for your putt to the hole you could make the transfer by: (1) eyeballing it, (2) using flagstick as aid, (3) using a pointing finger, (4) using a pencil, or (5) using a Target Line if you’re on the putting green. Here’s how you might make the transfer:

• Eyeballing: Visually move break distance to the high side. Project the target point to some fixed object, such as a tree trunk. Then set up to align for your putt to the hole with that object.
• Flag stick aid: Project the break distance to the flagstick, and observe how far above ground the break magnitude is. This works especially well, if the flagstick has stripes. Project this point back to the ground on the high side.
• Pointing finger (see attached figure). Using your forefinger and thumb of your forward arm, slide your thumb along the bottom until the difference between the finger end and the thumb nail visually project to the break. Then move your finger to the high side of the hole and see where break point projects.
• Pencil. This is similar to using the forefinger but can be used for transferring bigger breaks.
• Using a Target Line (see Attached). See post [How to use the Putter’s Target] in Golf Practice forum. This has a further advantage of being able to verify as you say 'see what would happen' but to also check the appropriate speed by the distance that the ball passes beyond the target line.

[Shorty]

Re: Two putt targeting principle

How about this one putt method...Let's say you visualize having a 6 inch break from left to right on a twelve foot putt. The line you want to putt on is at a target 18 inches above the hole (6 inches times 3). This method will at least give you a shot at the ball falling in the hole from above the hole. This method has seved me well on most breaking putts. I usually average around 28 putts a round. Most of the time I try to leave the ball below the hole so I can avoid the breaking putts.

Your procedure that you describe starting from the visual break originated with Pelz (see p 157 of his book), and I’m sure he would be very pleased that it’s working for you.
Here’s an alternative procedure which gets you nearly the same aim line as Pelz’s technique. This is illustrated in attached figure. For approximating an aim point for true aim line:
· Visualize an optimum ball track passing through the hole
· Estimate the visual break occurring at 1/3 distance from hole
· Multiply it by 2.
· Aim at this point.
Using your data of 6 inches for the visual break (observed @ 4 ft from hole), the aim point would then be 12 inches along the same line.