Short Game Practise

OffalyMedic

Hi guys,

Just thought I'd start a new thread about what we all do to practise our short games. Maybe we could share a few drills and ideas and hopefully we'll see the handicaps all come plumiting in the handicap index thread.

So today i got a great little booklet off a coach with short game drills. I'll try my best to explain them and attach a few photos too

Section 1- Short Game
#chip: 3ft from edge of green to within a 3ft circle (distance=16yards)
#pitch: 15 yards from edge of green to within a 3ft circle (distance 30yards)
#lob: Over a bunker or mound to a tight pin within an 8ft circle
#bunker: Greenside bunker to a flag approximately 15yards on green to within an 8ft circle.
You hit 5 balls from each of the above and record in a table like attached.


Section 2- par 18
#Set up some short shots around the greens : 3easy, 3 medium, and 3 hard,
preferably 2 bunkers, 2 chips, 2 pitches, 2 lobs and 1 from rough
#Using 1 ball,complete each hole and total your score
#use full routine for each shot and putt
#you can even give yourself a short game handicap
#Record results in table


Section 3-Par 27
#Set up 6 putts from 3ft,8ft and 35ft
#Record the number of putts required from each distance
# Hit at 18 putts in a total of 27 strokes to be a scratch handicap putter :
#Record results


Section 4- Wedge Centre
#Set up target area of 16ft around hole (based on tour average results from within 100yards)
#play 5 shots from distances of 35, 50, 65 and 80yards and record results


I really enjoy these little drills because it make practise feel more like a real round. I also do it with my friend some days and i love the competiviness. In my opinion it beats hitting 100 balls as fast as you can in the range, or hitting putts aimlessly around a putting green for 10mins until you get bored and go home.
Hopefully with a bit more practise at these drills my short game will improve and my handicap will come down a bit. Beacuse we all know deep down that to be a good player you need a good short game even if you are a bomber off the tee:)

Feel free to add ye're own short game practise routines and drills (or lack thereof )

Golfgraffix

I have one simple on and that is for 4 foot putts.

10 balls and I dont leave until I have made 20 in a row. Harder than you might think.

J

Rikand

These types of practice routines are great for identifying your weaknesses and teaching you what you need to do to improve them. I followed a similar one 3-4 years ago when I was going through putting troubles and it really made a difference to me. I ended up going from a handicap of 7 down to 4 that year.

It;s a routine that I stole from the twoplustwo poker forums designed by US PGA Tour Teaching professional, Rob Stocke.

Not trying to say mine is any better than Shauna's. IT'S NOT!. They both follow the same method of repeating the same types of shots over and over until you get better at them and by setting goals and practice routines, your game will invariably improve on the golf course. For the routine I'm about to post though, You definitely need to have a lot of time to complete it and it was designed with that in mind.

This is the link to the original post I posted a LONG time ago, lol - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=76306435&postcount=39

And this is the link to the original thread on 2+2 :: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/93/golf/ultimate-practice-routine-992787/

And this is the routine, in a quoteable easy to read post

dagolfdoc wrote: »

I've had a lot of people ask me about this & I've seen quite a few threads regarding practice & lowering their handicap, so I thought I'd post this in hopes that it will help someone.

Here's the story behind it, and the disclaimer. About 8 years ago, I had a student come to me who was a 36 hdcp - best round 110, ave round 120. His goal was to shoot par that year. I've seen the threads on here about doing this, and it is possible but it is not probable. I explained to him that it would take time, money, instruction, and a lot of work with no guarantee that it could/would be done. He was 28, not athletic at all, but had time, money, & desire. We spent 3 months working on his swing (very over-the-top, lot's of moving parts) just to develop a consistent, somewhat solid fade. Since his goal was to score, I developed a program that is scoring based - I have tweaked it some over the years, but basically it's about the same. After I created this, I gave it to 4 tour caliber players (1 PGA Tour, 2 Nationwide, 1 NCAA All-American) and asked them to run through the program and tell me how long it took them to complete & if they would change anything. It took them between 1 1/2-2 hours to complete and they felt it was great for someone looking to lower their handicap. I gave it to my student and he came back a few days later saying he'd spent over 6 hours on the program - and hadn't completed the 2nd stage (lag putting)! I knew then, it would work. We continued to work on his game, and he practiced the routine constantly. Over the next few months he became one of the best putters & wedge players at our club, and he shot 72 in October of that year. When he shot par, he didn't carry a driver or 3 wood and played a low, fade (almost a slice). He was recognized as the most improved player in the country that year - ending the year as a 6.2 handicap. Let me tell you, for a couple months, no one could touch him in a net game - it was fun to watch, and he credits this routine for allowing him to reach his goal. He worked his a** off, and he needed more than just this routine (technique, mental game, strategy, etc), but this is easily a guideline for players instead of just beating balls. This program is currently used by at least 8 NCAA golf teams as well.

The disclaimer: 1) I don't promise you'll shoot par doing this. 2) This is a good starting point. It's designed for mid-high hdcp players. I don't have tour players do this, and if you're already a low single digit hdcp, it's probably not much use to you, but you may find it helpful to identify a weakness 3) If it seems too easy, make the reps or targets match your level of play. This is designed to help you improve the scoring areas of the game.4) Go through your pre-shot routine before shots - I want this to simulate playing golf. 5) Once you've done the program a few times, add uneven lies, different shaped shots, etc to challenge yourself. The program can be done in one session or broken up into several - you must start at the beginning & can only move to the next section when you have completed a section. You cannot move to chipping until you complete putting, etc. So a player who can't lag putt will not hit full shots for a while. If you are "stuck" on putting, take a break every 20 minutes and stretch your back, get something to drink, just do something else, you can certainly hit balls, but don't skip part of the program.

It is based on a 2 week format - do program A for 2 weeks then program B for 2 weeks, then back to A, etc.

Sorry for the long intro- I just didn't want to drop the routine down without sharing the background & what it is designed to achieve. If you have questions or anything you believe I should add, please don't hesitate to let me know!

Here is the Ultimate Practice Routine, enjoy!

Program A, First 2 weeks, in this order:

Putting:
25 in a row from 3 feet
Lag Putting
20 in a row from 20 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle
20 in a row from 30 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle
20 in a row from 45 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle

Chipping:
8 out of 10 in a 3 foot circle from 20-30 feet

Pitching:
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 30 yards
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 50 yards
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 70 yards

Bunkers:
10 out of 10 out of bunker
6 out of 10 stop inside the length of a flagstick

Long Bunker shot:
5 out of 10 on the green from 30-50 yards

Irons:
9-iron 6 out of 10 land & stop on green
7-iron 6 out of 10 land & stop on green
5-iron 4 out of 10 land & stop on green

Driver:
6 out of 10 land & stop in fairway (if you're on a range set 2 targets the width of a common fairway).

Program B, Second 2 Weeks:

Putting:
25 in a row from 5 feet
Lag Putting
30 in a row from 20 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle
30 in a row from 30 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle
30 in a row from 45 feet stopping in a 3 foot circle

Chipping:
7 out of 10 in a 3 foot circle from 40 feet

Pitching:
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 40 yards
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 60 yards
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 80 yards

Bunkers:
10 out of 10 out of bunker
7 out of 10 stop inside the length of a flagstick
7 out of 10 out of bunker from uneven/buried lies

Long Bunker shot:
6 out of 10 on the green from 30-50 yards

Irons:
pw 7 out of 10 land & stop on green
8-iron 6 out of 10 land & stop on green
6-iron 5 out of 10 land & stop on green

Driver:
7 out of 10 land & stop in fairway

I know it's the third time I've posted this and it's not my intention to clutter the forum. It's simply to help people, just as I know Shauna's post is

Montgolfier

Rikand wrote: »

These types of practice routines are great for identifying your weaknesses and teaching you what you need to do to improve them. I followed a similar one 3-4 years ago when I was going through putting troubles and it really made a difference to me. I ended up going from a handicap of 7 down to 4 that year.

It;s a routine that I stole from the twoplustwo poker forums designed by US PGA Tour Teaching professional, Rob Stocke.

Not trying to say mine is any better than Shauna's. IT'S NOT!. They both follow the same method of repeating the same types of shots over and over until you get better at them and by setting goals and practice routines, your game will invariably improve on the golf course. For the routine I'm about to post though, You definitely need to have a lot of time to complete it and it was designed with that in mind.

This is the link to the original post I posted a LONG time ago, lol - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=76306435&postcount=39

And this is the link to the original thread on 2+2 :: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/93/golf/ultimate-practice-routine-992787/

And this is the routine, in a quoteable easy to read post




I know it's the third time I've posted this and it's not my intention to clutter the forum. It's simply to help people, just as I know Shauna's post is

Good routine. Too many reps in it for me though.:)

millerj

Rikand, thanks for the information. Makes absolute sense to me now. I am currently playing off 10 and always considered my putting to be that of a much higher handicapper and that the rest of my game was compensating for this. I DONT ENJOY PUTTING. Therein is my problem. As soon as I get onto the green I want to get off of it. If I have a putt from say 8'0"+ my mindset is to make sure I don't three putt rather than try to genuinely make the first putt whereby more often than not I leave the first putt short and sometimes woefully short. The greater importance of putting over any other aspect in the game has been shown to me in the last couple of weeks. I was asked to try out for our Bruen side as I think they were looking for guys on the higher side of the qualifying handicap. In playing these practice games I see guys rolling in putts from all angles yet considering my performance on the green over the last two matches I have really made nothing, again afraid of hitting a putt too firm and always trying to lag my putts. I am going to try and start the drill as you have outlined above, ie starting with the 3'0" range and will stick with it until I have 25 consecutive putts. Obviously once this is achieved it should follow that on the course I should not be as concerned about knocking one a couple of feet past the hole. My intention now is to try and give an average of about an hour a day (everyday) on the putting green to get some genuine improvement which essentially for me is confidence on the greens. I think the fact that these drills are like a game within a game should make this fun too unless frustration gets the better of me.

MisterAnarchy

Pitching:
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 40 yards
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 60 yards
25 in a row landing & stopping on the green from 80 yards

So you are the guy destroying all the greens with pitchmarks

PARlance

millerj wrote: »

I am currently playing off 10 and always considered my putting to be that of a much higher handicapper and that the rest of my game was compensating for this. I DONT ENJOY PUTTING. Therein is my problem. As soon as I get onto the green I want to get off of it. If I have a putt from say 8'0"+ my mindset is to make sure I don't three putt rather than try to genuinely make the first putt whereby more often than not I leave the first putt short and sometimes woefully short. The greater importance of putting over any other aspect in the game has been shown to me in the last couple of weeks. I was asked to try out for our Bruen side as I think they were looking for guys on the higher side of the qualifying handicap. In playing these practice games I see guys rolling in putts from all angles yet considering my performance on the green over the last two matches I have really made nothing, again afraid of hitting a putt too firm and always trying to lag my putts.... Obviously once this is achieved it should follow that on the course I should not be as concerned about knocking one a couple of feet past the hole.

I'm just starting to get to grips with putting now, very streaky but above could be a discription of my putting until last summer.
Walking onto the green with "don't 3 putt" in my mind was my putting routine

It's amazing seeing the difference between a good and bad putter. I'm sure he won't mind but it was when I played with Rikand in portumna that I really realised I needed to do something about it! A bit of solid practice and I built up confidence fairly quickly.

There's nothing worse than walking up to an underhit putt... left myself 6ft from 20ft on Sat morn and it still has me awake now

100% of short putts never go in.

Ciaranra

Love to have the time for drills. Id be 2 weeks alone trying to get 25 3 footers in a row never mind the rest

charlieIRL

I was practising some chipping at home last night and before i was finished i was chipping balls into a soccer goal the kids have. Then i made it a bit harder and was chipping balls trying to hit the crossbar from 30m away, was surprised how many times i was able to hit it!!

Probably useless practice but a bit of fun all the same!

Rikand

Ciaranra wrote: »

Love to have the time for drills. Id be 2 weeks alone trying to get 25 3 footers in a row never mind the rest

That one can be done on the carpet at home. The import thing is making your stroke repeatable that you can slam 25 3 footers in a row. The first 10 are easy, then as you get into the high teens and early 20's, man the pressure builds. I cant count the number of times that I was doing it when I got to 23 or 24 and then MISS! And start all over again. But it's worth it. It makes you so much better!

Rikand

charlieIRL wrote: »

I was practising some chipping at home last night and before i was finished i was chipping balls into a soccer goal the kids have. Then i made it a bit harder and was chipping balls trying to hit the crossbar from 30m away, was surprised how many times i was able to hit it!!

Probably useless practice but a bit of fun all the same!

Hitting to a target that you could hit ? nothing useless about that whatsoever!

Next time you have a 30 metre pitch on the golf course or a pitch where you are required to carry the ball 30 metres in the air, that pitching action will be dialed in!

slingerz

this is just what i needed. was trying to practice last night but without any structure didnt feel like it was doing me much good.

i would break out the longer shots though from the range and just leave the chipping and putting drills for the course

PARlance

Rikand wrote: »

That one can be done on the carpet at home. The import thing is making your stroke repeatable that you can slam 25 3 footers in a row. The first 10 are easy, then as you get into the high teens and early 20's, man the pressure builds. I cant count the number of times that I was doing it when I got to 23 or 24 and then MISS! And start all over again. But it's worth it. It makes you so much better!

Charlie from 30m out: "Lads, will ye run up and hold that flag from me..... Nah lads, yer holding it wrong altogether.... lift her up above your head will ya"

OffalyMedic

PARlance wrote:

Charlie from 30m out: "Lads, will ye run up and hold that flag from me..... Nah lads, yer holding it wrong altogether.... lift her up above your head will ya"

He'll be asking for the flag out from 170 back now that he has the new irons aswel

charlieIRL

PARlance wrote: »

Charlie from 30m out: "Lads, will ye run up and hold that flag from me..... Nah lads, yer holding it wrong altogether.... lift her up above your head will ya"

They'll have to hold it sideways like the crossbar!!:D:D

slingerz

tried this last night. would never progress if i stuck to the rules was about 80% for the short putts and 2 from 5 for the lag putts

Rikand

slingerz wrote: »

tried this last night. would never progress if i stuck to the rules was about 80% for the short putts and 2 from 5 for the lag putts

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

dont defeat yourself! Keep at it. It will get better

Dr_Colossus

Rikand wrote: »

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

dont defeat yourself! Keep at it. It will get better

+1, I remember a few years ago the first time I tried the 25 putts in a row from 3 feet, it took me about 2 1/2 hrs and my back was on fire. Seriously tough going but I tried it a couple of more times that year and completed it in under an hour. Must try it again sometime to see if I can succeed.

ryaner777

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

+1, I remember a few years ago the first time I tried the 25 putts in a row from 3 feet, it took me about 2 1/2 hrs and my back was on fire. Seriously tough going but I tried it a couple of more times that year and completed it in under an hour. Must try it again sometime to see if I can succeed.

Do you use one ball - in and out of the hole each time ?

Dr_Colossus

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

+1, I remember a few years ago the first time I tried the 25 putts in a row from 3 feet, it took me about 2 1/2 hrs and my back was on fire. Seriously tough going but I tried it a couple of more times that year and completed it in under an hour. Must try it again sometime to see if I can succeed.

ryaner777 wrote: »

Do you use one ball - in and out of the hole each time ?

No, when I used to practice it I'd use 5 balls spread around the hole so taking different slopes into consideration. Place 5 tees in the green at the length of the putter away and putt away, the hole would accomodate 5 balls before filling after which time I'd re-position the balls to commence again.
It was the stance crouched over the ball that I found tough on the back, picking the balls out of the hole stretched it out.

Rikand

Doing the putting routine on the carpet this evening.

3 footers went well
5 footers went.... well, they went....

Task|Attempt|Score
Putting from 3 feet|1|15 in a row
"|2|4 in a row
"|3|10 in a row
"|4|25 in a row
DING|DING|DING!!!!!!!!
-|-|-
-|-|-
Putting from 5 feet|1|1 in a row
"|2|3 in a row
"|3|2 in a row
"|4|0 in a row
"|5|0 in a row
"|6|1 in a row
"|7|3 in a row
"|8|4 in a row
"|9|2 in a row


Not great attempts at the 5 footers, lol

My back was killing me at this stage so I just had to give up on it, lol

millerj

I was reading an article a couple of weeks ago which said that Gary Woodland had made his last 1,816 putts from inside 3'0".............hope he didn't miss one in the last couple of weeks..!! That must be some confidence booster. He obviously has good quality carpets....ha ha

benny79

Tried to do 5 in a row last nite after I played 9 holes on the practice green. Started very slow took me a bit to get going, then start getting 3 in a row a few times, then 4 then finally 5! after 35 mins! I legged it after that with relief! its amazing the difference on the putting green to the mat at home! and I was using the same line each time.

Ill have to start making this a regular thing...

slingerz

defo have to start making it a regular thing alright especially for the putting. I think a progressive approach to getting up to the level will work best for me!

on a side note i manage to get out of the bunkers 100% of the time anyway. getting it close is much more hit and miss!

BOB81

millerj wrote: »

I was reading an article a couple of weeks ago which said that Gary Woodland had made his last 1,816 putts from inside 3'0".............hope he didn't miss one in the last couple of weeks..!! That must be some confidence booster. He obviously has good quality carpets....ha ha

Some going by Woodland - also saw this on Freddie Jacobsen:
http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2015/04/freddie-jacobsons-record-break.html
524 holes without making a 3-putt! Also a random pic with a very scared looking Rhianna!

Have been trying the putting drill at home as well - from 4 feet with a "putter gate" set-up - putting through 2 tees set up on my putting mirror. Its very frustrating as anything starting offline will contact the tees and miss - best is 7 in a row so far but will keep working on it!

FixdePitchmark

Struggling with putting and played par 27 - putted the best I have in ages (lol) Got 26.

But - a question on these tests -

Do people take the 6 putts from the one spot.

Is it not too easy if you are taking 6 putts in a row from same spot ?

Dr_Colossus

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Struggling with putting and played par 27 - putted the best I have in ages (lol) Got 26.

But - a question on these tests -

Do people take the 6 putts from the one spot.

Is it not too easy if you are taking 6 putts in a row from same spot ?

Great score. No is the answer to your question, anytime I've tried it has been on the practice green so different spots and different holes used. 3 balls at a time, drop one a 3 foot, one at 8 foot and one at 35 foot and proceed to putt them out before moving onto another hole and repeating the process 6 times.

FixdePitchmark

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Great score. No is the answer to your question, anytime I've tried it has been on the practice green so different spots and different holes used. 3 balls at a time, drop one a 3 foot, one at 8 foot and one at 35 foot and proceed to putt them out before moving onto another hole and repeating the process 6 times.

I know it is all good and only a variation.

But what you describe above - is a far far harder test of your putting to what I did.
If you take 6 putts from the same spot - the amount you improve on ball 3-4-5-6 , is amazing.

It has value - but not something you ever do in a round of golf.

BraveDonut

Tried the 25 from 3 feet (length of the putter) on the practice green today.
Took me about 5 attempts to get the 25. I just kept going to see how many in a row I could do - got to 47.

I found that it definitely built confidence when I went back to 'other' putts. I was much happier with consistent grip, stroke, etc.

I found it much more helpful than randomly playing from hole to hole on the practice green.

redzerdrog

Happy with tonights practice at home in the sitting room. I have one of them putting mats with the last 10 - 12 inches elevated to the hole.

So this is how it went

3ft normal
Attempt successful putts
1. 0 Short
2. 25


5ft Normal
Attempt Successful putts
1. 1 Missed Right
2. 1 Missed Right
3. 0 Missed Right
4. 10 Missed Right
5. 5 Short
6. 25
I actually thing there is a slight left to right break in my floor/mat :pac:

I then tried the same again with about an inch on double sided tape on the face of the putter at the heel and the toe to help focus the mind on centre strikes

3ft Narrow
Attempt Successful Putts
1. 25

5ft Narrow
Attempt Successful Putts
1. 25

So I somehow now have 75 successful Putts in the trot, I don't know whether to go for the ton or to wrap it up and be happy for the evening

WHIP IT!

redzerdrog wrote: »

So I somehow now have 75 successful Putts in the trot, I don't know whether to go for the ton or to wrap it up and be happy for the evening

Go up and have a wash then head on out on the town... if ever there was a night you were guaranteed to get laid!

redzerdrog

WHIP IT! wrote: »

Go up and have a wash then head on out on the town... if ever there was a night you were guaranteed to get laid!

Not sure what the wife will say but ya know what you are right I deserve it

mafc

redzerdrog wrote: »

Not sure what the wife will say but ya know what you are right I deserve it

Bring her with you.....
Deffo quids in.....

Slicemeister

BraveDonut wrote: »

Tried the 25 from 3 feet (length of the putter) on the practice green today.
Took me about 5 attempts to get the 25. I just kept going to see how many in a row I could do - got to 47.

I found that it definitely built confidence when I went back to 'other' putts. I was much happier with consistent grip, stroke, etc.

I found it much more helpful than randomly playing from hole to hole on the practice green.

Teeing off in the morning at 8. Gonna give this a shot pre-round. Is it bright at 5? I agree with the randomness in the varying distances on the practice green, which gets boring very fast imo.

See Freddie Jacobsen had 20 putts yesterday in round 1 of the Zurich!!!

Keano

Tried this today - got 8 in a row! Will definitely build it into my practice.

Montgolfier

Anyone know where to get those 3ft circles rings you see coaches with using?

willabur

Montgolfier wrote: »

Anyone know where to get those 3ft circles rings you see coaches with using?

a circle of tees not do the job?

Montgolfier

willabur wrote: »

a circle of tees not do the job?

T'would

FixdePitchmark

So still working on some of the stuff on this thread.

Long putting good
Mid range ok

From 8 feet down - awful.

I've decided to drop playing golf for a while and just work on this. When I changed to short game practice versus golf - got very quick results.

So a rest from golf - and work out short game putting

This evening - realised the flaws and problems.

Everything very very tight
Inconsistent set up
Inconsistent arm body contact
Inconsistent stroke - straight to outside to inside - on way back.

did eventually about ( 7 efforts) get 10 in a row from 4 feet.
But just awful and confused - But will do the work now.

millerj

millerj wrote: »

Rikand, thanks for the information. Makes absolute sense to me now. I am currently playing off 10 and always considered my putting to be that of a much higher handicapper and that the rest of my game was compensating for this. I DONT ENJOY PUTTING. Therein is my problem. As soon as I get onto the green I want to get off of it. If I have a putt from say 8'0"+ my mindset is to make sure I don't three putt rather than try to genuinely make the first putt whereby more often than not I leave the first putt short and sometimes woefully short. The greater importance of putting over any other aspect in the game has been shown to me in the last couple of weeks. I was asked to try out for our Bruen side as I think they were looking for guys on the higher side of the qualifying handicap. In playing these practice games I see guys rolling in putts from all angles yet considering my performance on the green over the last two matches I have really made nothing, again afraid of hitting a putt too firm and always trying to lag my putts. I am going to try and start the drill as you have outlined above, ie starting with the 3'0" range and will stick with it until I have 25 consecutive putts. Obviously once this is achieved it should follow that on the course I should not be as concerned about knocking one a couple of feet past the hole. My intention now is to try and give an average of about an hour a day (everyday) on the putting green to get some genuine improvement which essentially for me is confidence on the greens. I think the fact that these drills are like a game within a game should make this fun too unless frustration gets the better of me.

God I am really happy at the moment. Having read the post where Rikand mentioned putting on his carpet at home I hot footed it to a carpet shop, got me two off cuts about six feet long (one for home and one for the office). I cut holes about 2 1/2" diameter and any opportunity I get I am taking the time to practice these putts in the three/four foot range. I must have four to five hours putting done in the last couple of days. Okay its always level but amazing the confidence it builds and the set routine that's formed for these putts. Played a practice game this evening and won 3 & 1!. Back to the practice tomorrow, amazing the confidence it builds, hit one bad putt for the evening. Cant beat a good shag! (carpet I mean obviously......)

FixdePitchmark

So day 2

Got to course - played 12 holes - so much for change of plan , but weather just too good.

After went to putting green instead of the 6 holes - and did 90 minutes of the drills.

Must be a fluke or placebo effect . But went for 10 in a row from 4 feet - amazingly made it on attempt 2.

Moved onto 6 foot putt - very hard after about 7th effort got to ball 8. As I was going along arc - the break of putt was increasing.
I started thinking about expectations from 6 feet - we have covered stats on here before - so looked up PGA tour graph.

At 6 feet we are talking 60 to 70 % - so it shows how hard it is to get 10 in a row.



So - ridiculous to think you can improve in days. But to think about your stroke and putting on a putting green is far more preferable than the course.

Long putting still very very good.

Do note how, I lack a consistent anchor to my upper body

Do people anchor upper body into chest tight - or are they very free putting - I seem uncertain here ?

I have found the 10 in a row very good - as you end up stuck till you get ten - it makes you stay at a putt you are bad at, without this - in the past, I'd head off back to long putting as I love this.

FixdePitchmark

Golfgraffix wrote: »

I have one simple on and that is for 4 foot putts.

10 balls and I dont leave until I have made 20 in a row. Harder than you might think.

J

That is impressive - I think I'll try get my yellow belt first.

PARlance

I can't say that I think the idea of setting a target of X putts is something that is going to be beneficial in itself. The fact that it may force someone to practice putting is where the benefit lies imo.

Goals should be realistic and achievable imo. Most people are going to fail this goal more often than not. A lot more often than not.
Surely that would just engrain a sense of failure?
Are you going to remember the 17 successful putts or the 18th you missed. Do you remember the rare occasion you complete it or the many failures?

The drill was designed for someone that was going to go at golf full time. Most guys don't have the time to put into this to make it sonething that can be achieved regularly enough to make it work imo.

We're all different so we'll all take different things from it but it wouldn't be somthing I would be rushing into it.

I've went from horrendous to average and hope to keep improving. The key for me is getting more and more comfortable with my stroke (by practicing loads, mainly at home on a mat) and building up the memory bank of positive results. I would say at least 3 of the 6 shots I dropped last year were down to this.

The consecutive putts drill seems to create pressure, I can see the logic in that but for me I prefer to put pressure on myself to practice and that eliminates pressure on the green. I like the idea of acceptance that Karl Morris focuses on. The pga pros are missing 3 or 4 out of 10 (albeit on much harder greens) from 6 foot.
We're going to miss loads from that range, if you're just thinking about making a good stroke on a "pressure" putt, and confident that you've put in the work then that's half the battle imo.

But horses for courses, I just choose a different delusion

FixdePitchmark

PARlance post is very logical.

I've considered the maths of this a little.

It is true - when you miss one - say on ball 8 , you go , S**t - what did I do wrong. There is a risk you are disappointed / think change is required.

When you look at maths - 8 in a row is unreal from 6 feet, that is why you hear guys saying I was on green for over 1 hour to get 10 in a row.

Chance of making a 6 foot putt (even if PGA player) = 0.7
Chance of making 8 6 foot putts in a row = (0.7^8) = 5.7 %

So it will take up to 20 efforts to do it even with PGA level putting.


So - if you look at the type of drills people do - the likes of par 27 above is a better performance indicator - without unrealistic repetition.

Of course repetition is important - but know maths is against you in this 10 in a row lark. When you start going away from 3 feet.

Golfgraffix

I wouldn't be concerned about the tour stats as you are putting the exact same line same distance every time, it's a different animal altogether

For me the goal is not the 10 or 20 in a row, it's the repetition of doing something that is working and right. The number of putts that drop is just a mechanism to help me concentrate as practising can be a chore.

So when I am on a golf course I have complete confidence in my ability to get down from 4 feet. The upside of this is not the amount of 4 footers I make but the the amount of 12 footers or 15 footers because I am not afraid to leave them past the hole, so I can be aggressive.

I know it's a cliche but 100% of short putts don't go in.

Dave Stockton is recognised as one of the best putters ever on tour and his philosophy is to set up to put them 12 inches past (I think it is 12)

But Parlance is right, each to their own

J

Ps, I would add that I always try and do this exercise on a straight putt and uphill if possible

FixdePitchmark

Golfgraffix wrote: »

I have one simple on and that is for 4 foot putts.

10 balls and I dont leave until I have made 20 in a row. Harder than you might think.

J

So J - if you had PGA tour level putting you have a 12 % chance of doing above.

- Best of luck.

I do accept your point on the same putt but.

Well - do you putt from exact same spot - I used an arc - so not same putt.

Golfgraffix

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

So J - if you had PGA tour level putting you have a 12 % chance of doing above.

- Best of luck.

I do accept your point on the same putt but.

Well - do you putt from exact same spot - I used an arc - so not same putt.

Always the exact same putt.

I would imagine a PGA tour pro in practise mode with the exact same putt over and over again would be closer to 90%.

Every time I go to a tour event I always seem to end up at the practise green mesmerised by what they can do over and over again.

PARlance

Golfgraffix wrote: »

I wouldn't be concerned about the tour stats as you are putting the exact same line same distance every time, it's a different animal altogether

For me the goal is not the 10 or 20 in a row, it's the repetition of doing something that is working and right. The number of putts that drop is just a mechanism to help me concentrate as practising can be a chore.

So when I am on a golf course I have complete confidence in my ability to get down from 4 feet. The upside of this is not the amount of 4 footers I make but the the amount of 12 footers or 15 footers because I am not afraid to leave them past the hole, so I can be aggressive.

I know it's a cliche but 100% of short putts don't go in.

Dave Stockton is recognised as one of the best putters ever on tour and his philosophy is to set up to put them 12 inches past (I think it is 12)

But Parlance is right, each to their own

J

Ps, I would add that I always try and do this exercise on a straight putt and uphill if possible

Think the key word there is repetition, as long as that's there, then putting won't be an issue. Most people that struggle probably just don't put in the practice imo. I was horrendous because I never practiced.

I'm trying to drill it in that a short putt is a fail from close range. I'm comfortable enough with that.
When practicing lags I'm trying to get them all past the hole too, the default is still to leave them short though. Finding that harder to engrain.

OffalyMedic

OK so i've a pretty big match next Saturday and I want to have my game up to scratch, atm my ball striking is good and i'm actually very happy with it, short game is alright, better than it used to be but still room for improvement. Where i loose most of my shots in definitely with the flat stick.

So i'm working 12hr shifts all week so wont get to a putting green before saturday but have plenty of carpet in my house. Was wondering if anyone has some good drills for practising putting inside on a carpet?

Any putting tips at all would be really helpful, thanks guys

Ben1977

shaunac93 wrote: »

OK so i've a pretty big match next Saturday and I want to have my game up to scratch, atm my ball striking is good and i'm actually very happy with it, short game is alright, better than it used to be but still room for improvement. Where i loose most of my shots in definitely with the flat stick.

So i'm working 12hr shifts all week so wont get to a putting green before saturday but have plenty of carpet in my house. Was wondering if anyone has some good drills for practising putting inside on a carpet?

Any putting tips at all would be really helpful, thanks guys

Turn a tee upside down and putt to it from 3 to 6 feet. Concentrating on something smaller then the hole size always helps. The when you playing, pick a mark in the hole at the back and focus on that.
Another good drill is to practice putting and keep the head dead still, don't look at the ball till you think it has stopped. Gary player would always say amateurs are too impatient to hear the ball dropping into the hole. Think there is a clip of him holding a players head while they putt

galwaylad14

shaunac93 wrote: »

OK so i've a pretty big match next Saturday and I want to have my game up to scratch, atm my ball striking is good and i'm actually very happy with it, short game is alright, better than it used to be but still room for improvement. Where i loose most of my shots in definitely with the flat stick.

So i'm working 12hr shifts all week so wont get to a putting green before saturday but have plenty of carpet in my house. Was wondering if anyone has some good drills for practising putting inside on a carpet?

Any putting tips at all would be really helpful, thanks guys

I find putting on a carpet to be decent enough practice to be honest. Just short putts, maybe 3 feet and make as many as you can. maybe use a euro coin and if you can "hole" 10 putts in a row to that from 3 feet the hole will look like a bucket in comparision.