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Putting. Am I missing something?

• SevenDeuce 31 Posts

  Wed, Sep 12 2012 2:53 PM

  So since I started playing this game, I've missed 90% of my birdie putts by 2-4 inches short or I'll hit the cup and it will launch another 7 feet passed the hole. Now here's my dilemma, because I'm utterly confused at this point and frankly getting quite irritated.

  I use that putter pal thing and the level 35 Ghost Spider putter (was using the level 19 spider putter up until a few hours ago) and I'm always within 1-2 feet of the hole distance wise, and I always putt long because I hate being short, but it seems when I'm going for birdie, all that goes out the window. 

  Example - 61 foot putt, 2 inch up slope standard greed type, I pull the putter back to 65% power on a 100 foot putter distance. I ding the putt, perfect line, it hits the hole with such speed it ends up another 10 feet passed the hole. An uphill putt, 65% power (65 feet) the putt goes 75 feet after hitting the hole. BS.

  Example 2 - 12 foot putt, no slope, fast green type. I pull my 15 foot putter back to about 95% because I keep leaving the putts short. I end 2 inches short of the hole with a perfect line. 

  This happens almost every hole. I don't understand. Am I doing something wrong? Or does this game go out of its way to torment players for buying new clubs? Only birdie putts I have ever made were under 3 feet because of this crap...

• WGTicon 12,511 Posts

  Wed, Sep 12 2012 3:38 PM

  hi

  give this guide a read http://www.wgt.com/forums/t/559.aspx

  it will give you the basics of the greens and how elevations and slopes work. after that, practice a bit more and see if your putting improves or maybe you'll have some specific questions we can answer.

  -wgticon

• PUHOLINO 1,189 Posts

  Wed, Sep 12 2012 4:00 PM

  SevenDeuce:

  Example - 61 foot putt, 2 inch up slope standard greed type, I pull the putter back to 65% power on a 100 foot putter distance. I ding the putt, perfect line, it hits the hole with such speed it ends up another 10 feet passed the hole

   

  Are you sure you had the 100 ft scale and you read the putter pal correctly and it really was on a standard green? I'm not trying to get clever here, don't misunderstand, I'm asking this cause under described condition the ball would never get even close to the hole and I mean never. 10ft short on most courses, however, some seem to play faster, but nowhere near to what you are describing here. This sounds more like the slower (TM) version of the tournament speed or the 150 ft scale on standard. If it really hit the center of the hole, that slowed it down (at least 5 feet shorter) and if it stopped 10ft behind the hole(+ previously mentioned 5 ft), that would be about the effect of a 65% power on the 150 scale on standard greens with the uphill slope. It's good to check or reset the scale if you go to the reverse view and then back, it sometimes changes without you doing so and if your scroll button is very sensitive, you can also change the scale (or the club when you're not putting) without even knowing it. I hope things will get better and less frustrating for you in time. Infact, I'm sure they will, just put in the time and try to remember how your putts behaved on particular greens. A max shots reached practice round is also a good idea, St. Andrews is perfect for putting practice with the long greens, just shoot the ball back and forth to get the feeling what certain power does to it. And you can try to do it by feel (lose the putter pal) with the Ghost. I tried the pal, worked good with the starter (30 scale), but only messed me up when I used it with the Ghost, kept being too short, and as my ex used to say, that's never good.

  Jure

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Wed, Sep 12 2012 4:31 PM

  SevenDeuce:

  I use that putter pal thing and the level 35 Ghost Spider putter (was using the level 19 spider putter up until a few hours ago) and I'm always within 1-2 feet of the hole distance wise, and I always putt long because I hate being short, but it seems when I'm going for birdie, all that goes out the window. 

  A few hours is a fraction of what you need to be a decent putter. For starters, great move getting a better putter. Now you need to learn it and the only way that's happening is if you give it time. Estimating gets you in trouble so take the time to learn each scale and how hard to hit based on your Putter Pal. Lipouts are 99% speed-the ball's going too fast to drop. Getting the speed right will fix that.

  Try using the longer scales for shorter putts. This keeps the back swing short, slow and easy to ding. Putt 1-3 feet past the cup until you get a feel for how hard to hit a putt to get it to the hole. If you miss the ding on the low side of a break you will always miss the putt. Every time. Miss on the high side. (A lot of players putt this way, by missing on purpose.)

  You'll  get to the point where your misses are consistently the same and then you will be able to fine tune them. The object here is to get a "feel" for your putter and once you get that under control you will see them drop. 

  The best place to practice is at BPB. Front 9, holes 2, 3 and 4. Long greens that you can putt back and forth on. Set up practice rounds there and try all the green speeds and learn the distances on all the scales.  GL

   

• alanti 10,564 Posts

  Wed, Sep 12 2012 7:17 PM

  YankeeJim:

  A few hours is a fraction of what you need to be a decent putter

  Not wrong there, I am still an apprentice in the putting stakes. Practice is the key, and lots of it as per the other posts.

  I do have a question though, as in the last 2 days I have hit putts exactly as desired but just slide by, wheras in the past a lot of these seemed to drop. Has there been any change?

  And don't get me wrong, I am not blaming the programmers or I am not suggesting there is a conspiracy against me, quite simply my line and in particular, my speed has been wrong (in fact the greens seem truer this way and MUCH more realistic). Or have I just put to much vegemite on my toast in the mornings?

• SevenDeuce 31 Posts

  Wed, Sep 12 2012 7:19 PM

  Yes, I'm sure. I double and triple check before putting, especially for birdies and pars. 

  Don't get me wrong, I am quite new to the game, but it seems the more I play, the worse I get. Couple games after buying the level 19 spider putter I raised my 1 putt percentage from 9% up to 22%, but after using it up from level 30 to 35 my 1 putt percentage has dropped to 19% and my 3 putts or more % has risen quite a bit. I guess it's just frustrating to get worse over time, especially when nothing has changed. 

  Also, I guess I was under the assumption that missing the ding by a fraction of a millimeter wasn't a big deal, but I guess I was wrong.

  Thank you for all the advice and such, I'll just keep plugging along. Watching my average go up and not down is quite disheartening. From 71 up to 76 now. Lol 

• 9,041 Posts

  Wed, Sep 12 2012 8:42 PM

  SevenDeuce:

  Example - 61 foot putt, 2 inch up slope standard greed type, I pull the putter back to 65% power on a 100 foot putter distance. I ding the putt, perfect line, it hits the hole with such speed it ends up another 10 feet passed the hole.

  On my scale you shouldn't have been more than 2ft past on Standard greens..61 +2 = 63,divided by 1.0 = 63ft..or 63% with 100ft putter.(Divide by 1.1 fast,1.2 v/fast,1.3 tourney etc)...must have been diff speed green or wrong putter length..use wheel on mouse to change putter length...amazingly took me nearly 70 levels to learn that nugget of info (Ty Yancey).......GL..Andy

• canuck4everr 100 Posts

  Wed, Sep 12 2012 8:52 PM

  Impossible to play this game without some kind of ruler , i use this one 

  https://sites.google.com/site/rulerhelp/

• alanti 10,564 Posts

  Wed, Sep 12 2012 9:12 PM

  alcaucin:

  On my scale you shouldn't have been more than 2ft past on Standard greens..61 +2 = 63,divided by 1.0 = 63ft..or 63% with 100ft putter.(Divide by 1.1 fast,1.2 v/fast,1.3 tourney etc)...must have been diff speed green or wrong putter length..use wheel on mouse to change putter length...amazingly took me nearly 70 levels to learn that nugget of info (Ty Yancey).......GL..Andy

  I use a very simalar formula, except on a longer putt like this i add a foot for so to the start of the calculation as the initial inertia of the putt is greater but decreases the further the putt travels, particularly on an uphill putt. I am still trying to refine this!

  On this putt was it from the fringe, as the autocaddy will set at the greatest distance, I have been stung by that, especially early on. On occasion I have also misread the slope (mixing up, uphill with downhil) l personally do not use putter pal, just calculate an imaginary line before I putt.

• bubbadork 984 Posts

  Wed, Sep 12 2012 9:46 PM

  I use my own ruler.  It looks like this:https://daweidesigns.netfirms.com/Swing.php .  A little Python, you're home free.