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infamous 4yd putt from fringe glitch

• azshawn71 189 Posts

  Tue, Oct 26 2010 2:35 PM

  Ok..so two rounds in a row at Oakmont I have a 12ft putt from fringe and putt at about 12ft power and the ball barely moves if at all. This last one was today on #17. I had a 1" down hill lie too. Any explanation on this issue?

  azshawn71

• Richard4168 4,309 Posts

  Tue, Oct 26 2010 4:02 PM

  azshawn71:

  putt at about 12ft power and the ball barely moves

  This is why the ball didn't move.

  What was your putting scale set at for the putt? If it was only 15, you'll whiff that fringe putt every-time. The ball sits down in the fringe making the putter glide over the top of the ball.

  The putting scale value for that putt should have been set to 30 at minimum. Some times it's good to set the putting scale value at 60 or even 90 in some putting circumstances.

  A higher putting scale value means you need less meter to execute the shot.

   

• KingOfTheCourse 419 Posts

  Tue, Oct 26 2010 4:56 PM

  I've just given up with putter off the fringe, instead I use a little 6 yard chip, sometimes I get lucky and chip it in but this way I never Whiff.

• oneputtdavid 1,337 Posts

  Wed, Oct 27 2010 12:43 AM

  "A higher putting scale value means you need less meter to execute the shot".

  Thanks Richard for that bit of advice on putter "scale up" when putting from the fringe.

  I had totally given up even attempting to putt from the fringe. It happened to me once, too many times (meaning twice) of the two times Ive attempted putting from the fringe. 

  p.s.....if I whiff or ball goes xxx inches I'll be gunnin for you. lol

   

• Richard4168 4,309 Posts

  Wed, Oct 27 2010 6:39 AM

  oneputtdavid:

  p.s.....if I whiff or ball goes xxx inches I'll be gunnin for you.

  LOL! Sure thing David.

  It works for me every time. Just elevate the putting value a bit, and your good to go. You'll have to adjust the speed of the putt with using the higher putting value, but at least you won't whiff the ball and you'll give yourself a chance to make the putt every-time.  : )

   

• VanHalenLover 1,422 Posts

  Wed, Oct 27 2010 6:57 PM

  Richard,

  I've never heard this tip yet either.

  Are you saying if you normally hit a fringe putt w/ 10ft of power on a 15 foot scale, that hitting it with 10ft of power from a 30 foot scale will produce a different result?

  I'll give it a shot, cause you got my curiosity up, but if this is true, there is something really wrong with this scenario, lol. 10 feet of power should be 10' of power regardless of the scale.

• Richard4168 4,309 Posts

  Thu, Oct 28 2010 9:02 AM

  Hi VHL,

  You have to keep the lie in mind. The law of physics would say you can hit 10' of power for 10' of distance, but this is why everyone is whiffing fringe putts. The fringe on a real course is soft and fluffy and the ball sits down in it making it difficult for a flat bottom club like a putter to get underneath it, or to strike the equator of the ball. Without giving the putt a little more power, the ball will merely sit stationary, thus whiffing right over the top of the ball.

  Again, I've had no problems making fringe putts using a higher putting scale value. I have a good example saved on my profile.

• BolloxInBruges 1,389 Posts

  Thu, Oct 28 2010 9:16 AM

  Richard,  that may very well be true at your local muni that cuts the fringes 2-3 times a week,  but golf courses of this caliber on WGT certainly do not have 'soft and fluffy' fringes.

  edit -  example, you can barely even tell a difference between green and fringe at bethpage.

  Another example on oakmont,  can barely even notice the difference from fringe to green with the naked eye.

  Best example I could find from kia,  enlarge and you can see just how miniscule the difference is from the green to the fringe.

  I simply cannot imagine anyone with under a 40 handicap EVER duffing a shot from those 1/4" fringes,  or having a pitch land on them and immediately stop.

• Richard4168 4,309 Posts

  Thu, Oct 28 2010 9:35 AM

  That may be Bollox, but I believe fringe is fringe. Are you saying my theory that works is wrong, why not just use a higher putting scale value and watch the putt move to the hole with no whiffing? It works every-time.

  I don't believe there's a glitch with fringe putting. People can keep using their way of fringe putting and keep getting the same whiffing results. There's no sense in trying to convince one of the top player of this game.

• BolloxInBruges 1,389 Posts

  Thu, Oct 28 2010 9:39 AM

  I just want it to be realistic richard, it should not be any more difficult than it is on the green to control your power from the fringes on courses of this caliber,   90% of the time it is not an issue as the putt calls for more than 10' of power.  There are rare times that you are on a severe downslope (13 oak, back fringe)   or have a pin very close to the fringe, 13 kia, 17 oakmont, 10 BP back pin, etc.   From those places where one may choose to hit a putt with 10 ft of power,  why should that not be an option?