Forums

Putting tips

• frisco8834 33 Posts

  Thu, Nov 20 2014 2:30 PM

  I have dramatically improved my putting over the last 6 months using 3 tools that I had not previously used. I share them with you in hopes that they improve your putting as well.

  First, use the reverse direction putting always. It gets you much closer to short putts. It normally gives you straight on view of putt. For longer putts, you see the last breaks. It is a much better perspective. You get the reverse view by clicking the white "recycle" symbol in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

  Second tip is a bit more subjective but works for me. Once you are looking at putt in reverse direction, watch the little white dots representing speed and direction of the green. Move the green triangle in the opposite direction of the speed dots. Position the triangle and then watch the dots pass from the triangle to the hole. Count in your mind how long the putt would take to reach the hole. Adjust the green triangle to where the white dots take the same amount of time to reach the hole as the shot would... Its a little hard to describe without a diagram. Try this. With some practice and experience you will be making more longer putts. Also coming much closer each time. If nothing else you will be 2 putting from anywhere on the green. Practice makes perfect.

  Third tip. When you read a putt, you will see distance to hole in feet and elevation difference in inches. As a rule of thumb, adjust the distance by the elevation difference. If the distance to the hole is 25 feet but the elevation difference is down 5", substract 5 feet from the distance or play to hit ball 20 feet. Conversely, if the elevation is 5" higher, add 5 feet to distance and play to hit ball 30 feet. Again it is not perfect but it is a good rule of thumb. Practice makes perfect.

  Finally, make sure you check speed of greens in upper right hand corner of screen before playing. They are generally faster rated at 9 or 10 which means you need to play the ball slightly shorter than the indicated distance.

  So many factors and so little time. Hope these tips take 10-15 strokes off your score!

• SHRUDE 5,835 Posts

  Wed, Nov 26 2014 12:35 AM

  Thanks for that Frisco, I am sure many players will find some useful tips in there.

• JimbeauC 5,835 Posts

  Wed, Nov 26 2014 4:06 PM

  Misding putters: kindly disregard and move on. :^)

  frisco8834:

  Count in your mind how long the putt would take to reach the hole. Adjust the green triangle to where the white dots take the same amount of time to reach the hole as the shot would

  Spot on. Knowing how much time will elapse between striking the putt and the ball reaching (or sailing past) the hole is crucial. Early on, I spent a day on Kia #1 green timing putts. Valuable data. It varies with green stimp. Keeping in mind,though, that the data would be for flattish greens. Adjustments have to be made for up/downhill. Since you're putting with less power downhill, the putt will take longer to get there and break more. Reverse for uphill, but not quite so drastic. 

   

• SweetiePie 4,925 Posts

  Thu, Nov 27 2014 6:51 AM

  JimbeauC:

  Misding putters: kindly disregard and move on. :^)

  Sage advice indeed...I didn't move on...no, I read, re-read, re-read, then re-read it again. And I now move on with a scrambled brain and great admiration for all that can understand any of this....and actually be able to do it...

• MichaelStroke 2,066 Posts

  Thu, Nov 27 2014 10:07 AM

  That's great and all for really low level and really low tiered players.  However, if you're more advanced, those are some very, very, VERY misguided rules.

  For the reverse angle - I detest the reverse angle.  Why?  The breaks at the beginning of a putt are much more important than the breaks at the end of one.  For instance, if you have a 20 foot putt where the first 10 feet break right to left, and the last 10 feet break left to right, what do you do?  If your answer is "hit it straight, it'll even out"...BUZZ!  The first 10 feet is the "dominant" break, and the last 10 is the "recessive" break.  You have to put into the dominant break moreso than the recessive.  A straight put, in the above scenario, will land you quite a bit left of the hole.

  Also, your "even elevation for distance" suggestion will, give or take, work for standard, fast, and (probably) very fast greens.  On tournament and championship (especially championship) greens, that will spell your doom.  Do you know what a 15 foot putt will do on champ greens when you're 25 feet from the hole with a decline of 10?  It will roll a good 35 feet downhill.

  Therefore, if you're new and need a rather simplistic method to adjust your game, this advice is fine.  If you're more advanced, I would seriously disregard it.

• JimbeauC 5,835 Posts

  Thu, Nov 27 2014 3:29 PM

  MichaelStroke:

  Therefore, if you're new and need a rather simplistic method to adjust your game, this advice is fine.  If you're more advanced, I would seriously disregard it.

  Yep. All I was saying is that knowing how long it will take the ball to reach the hole is the only way to be able to use the dots. 

  MichaelStroke:

  Do you know what a 15 foot putt will do on champ greens when you're 25 feet from the hole with a decline of 10?  It will roll a good 35 feet downhill.

  Heh. Or worse if it's Painhurst 18. That's where the practice and experience comes into play. Much break at all in that same putt would be compounded crazily. As I say, the OP's got the general idea of reading greens. 

• Mushy01 2,567 Posts

  Fri, Nov 28 2014 10:16 AM

  A lot of the time, the break at the beginning of a putt is taken out by the pace of the ball 

• mantis0014 8,946 Posts

  Fri, Nov 28 2014 1:43 PM

  Nice post by the OP.

  3 views in putting.

  1/ normal view... I only use when i'm annoyed and couldn't give a damn...lol

  2/ Reverse view ...  I use most of the time and gives a better look at what dots are doing.

  3/ Chip mode in reverse view...  gives the best read of what the dots are doing.  Only has a range of about 15ft to pin.  Warning though, when changing back to putt, make sure you look at the putting scale as it changes back to default if you have changed it in chip view.

  Golden Rule... when in doubt at what the dots are doing,  Just ding it and hit it straight.

  -Roger

• Heath021 378 Posts

  Fri, Nov 28 2014 2:10 PM

  You guys crack me up with these tips...its all about manipulation. You have to will the ball into the hole or know some magic.  lol!

  Speed is the most important aspect of putting. 

• mantis0014 8,946 Posts

  Fri, Nov 28 2014 6:33 PM

  Heath021:

  You guys crack me up with these tips...its all about manipulation. You have to will the ball into the hole or know some magic.  lol!

  ...and you would know this wouldn't you.   Apart from your magic spell tips out of Charmed, have you got anything else to tell us about how the people out there can get better on the greens.

  Yes posts like yours do crack me up...lol