Forums

Help › Forums

Putting

Sun, Jul 16 2017 5:46 AM (20 replies)
  • OnzieSecord666
    4 Posts
    Wed, Jul 12 2017 2:30 PM

    To know how hard I have to putt, I take the distance to the hole and divide it by the number on my putter.

    Example: I'm 10 feet from the hole, I would use the 15ft distance on my Odyssey Tank Cruiser V-Line Putter.

    10/15= .6666667 or 67%. I would go up to 67% on my meter. Now you would have to take some percentage points on or off depending on if you're putting uphill or downhill. But I've found this to be a pretty good guide for somebody just starting out. I'm sure it's been discussed to death but, hopefully this makes it easier for newbies. I've seen some pretty complicated formulas for putting lol.

    What I'm curious to know is, if some of you could share tips on judging the break of putts with me.  I'm not bad for someone who has only been playing for a month, but any tips from experienced players would be appreciated.

    Thanks folks.

  • Woodoworkery
    3,498 Posts
    Wed, Jul 12 2017 6:02 PM

    Here is a very good place to start, its a long read but worth it.

    http://www.wgt.com/forums/t/270430.aspx

     

  • K7JBQ
    1,469 Posts
    Wed, Jul 12 2017 6:11 PM

    Reading the breaks is the most difficult of all skills to acquire in this game. It takes lots of practice, and keeping notes is very helpful.

    A few tips:

    A downhill putt will react more strongly to the break than an uphill. And the faster the green speed, the greater the break.

    Note where on the path the break occurs. It's counter intuitive, but a break nearer the beginning of a putt will have a bigger impact than a break near the end.

    It is useful to look at a putt both from the standard view and the reverse view. I generally hit the ball from the reverse view.

    If you pull the pin, it will give you a better look at the putt.

    If the break is confusing, switching to chip mode will give you a simpler look at the break. Once you read it, switch back to the putter.

    Many new players develop a bad habit at whacking the ball to take the break out of the picture. While you can get away with this some on slower greens, as you advance it will cause you more grief.

    That said, a little bit too firm is better than a little too soft. Nothing worse than missing a putt two inches short that would have been dead in the hole with just a little more speed.

    I'm not a "formula guy." There are players here who are the equivalent of rocket scientists. But these tips are based on a lot of rounds played. Hope they help.

  • JFidanza
    1,676 Posts
    Wed, Jul 12 2017 8:12 PM

    K7JBQ:

     

    A downhill putt will react more strongly to the break than an uphill. And the faster the green speed, the greater the break.

     

     

    I'm just curious about some things about this situation...and I've never noticed or tested the presumption but lets say:

     

    1) We're looking at a putt and break at the same location/spot on Pinehurst hole 1.

    2) The greenspeed is tournament 11 or the like.

    3) The break dots are moving 'medium speed'

     

    Now, say, the same as above BUT the greenspeed is 'SLOW'

    Q: Will the break dots move at the same 'medium speed' OR slower or faster in comparison ??

     

     

  • alosso
    21,088 Posts
    Wed, Jul 12 2017 11:34 PM

    OnzieSecord666:
    To know how hard I have to putt, I take the distance to the hole and divide it by the number on my putter.

    Example: I'm 10 feet from the hole, I would use the 15ft distance on my Odyssey Tank Cruiser V-Line Putter.

    10/15= .6666667 or 67%. I would go up to 67% on my meter. Now you would have to take some percentage points on or off depending on if you're putting uphill or downhill.

    A good start, but it's missing a few basic things:

    1) This is true for "1" green speed, which is "Standard". For "Slow" (slower) and "Fast" to "Champion" (all faster) you'd have to include divisors of 0.9 to 1.4 to the equation.

    2) You better use a higher putting scale, because less meter power implies less meter speed.

    Example: On Tournament 12 speed, the factor would be 1/1.35. I'd take a 30 scale.

    10 / 30 / 1.35 = 24.7 % meter power and add some to reach the hole ;)

  • garypinhunter
    1,049 Posts
    Thu, Jul 13 2017 4:11 AM

    OnzieSecord666:

    To know how hard I have to putt, I take the distance to the hole and divide it by the number on my putter.

    Example: I'm 10 feet from the hole, I would use the 15ft distance on my Odyssey Tank Cruiser V-Line Putter.

    10/15= .6666667 or 67%. I would go up to 67% on my meter. Now you would have to take some percentage points on or off depending on if you're putting uphill or downhill. But I've found this to be a pretty good guide for somebody just starting out. I'm sure it's been discussed to death but, hopefully this makes it easier for newbies. I've seen some pretty complicated formulas for putting lol.

    What I'm curious to know is, if some of you could share tips on judging the break of putts with me.  I'm not bad for someone who has only been playing for a month, but any tips from experienced players would be appreciated.

    Thanks folks.

    You cant go wrong with  taking a look at this site. Alot of tips on putting along with several green maps.

    LINK

     

    Gary

  • borntobesting
    9,751 Posts
    Thu, Jul 13 2017 6:16 AM

    JFidanza:

    K7JBQ:

     

    A downhill putt will react more strongly to the break than an uphill. And the faster the green speed, the greater the break.

     

     

    I'm just curious about some things about this situation...and I've never noticed or tested the presumption but lets say:

     

    1) We're looking at a putt and break at the same location/spot on Pinehurst hole 1.

    2) The greenspeed is tournament 11 or the like.

    3) The break dots are moving 'medium speed'

     

    Now, say, the same as above BUT the greenspeed is 'SLOW'

    Q: Will the break dots move at the same 'medium speed' OR slower or faster in comparison ??

     

     

    In theory the dots should move slower on slow green speeds. Because the ball moves less due to having to hit the ball harder to get it to the hole.

  • Calpon
    5 Posts
    Thu, Jul 13 2017 3:01 PM

    Putting has been the hardest part for me (and probably everyone else). I don't want to sit with a calculator in hand while playing, so what are the best ways to do this. (I know...practice, practice, practice) Any Youtube videos, etc? I have speeds figured out for the most part, but reading breaks longer than 10 feet are killing my scores. Example: at the end of most 18 hole rounds, I could have shot at least seven to ten strokes better if 1 foot had been changed on the round. (I have many putts that miss by just fraction of an inch not related to speed...just left or just right)

  • System3
    47 Posts
    Thu, Jul 13 2017 3:43 PM

    1) the swing scale is NOT linear.  Take 15'  hole is 7.5' perfectly flat.

    If you hit it 7.5' it will not quite go there. When you get real low, say a 3' putt

    you have to add a foot or two especially at slow greens.

    2) NEVER leave an up hill putt short.

    3) try off ding putting for a few weeks. Instead of moving that damn flag & dinging

    you miss the ding to hit the hole. MUCH faster & for me more natural.

    good luck

    LFOD !

  • phred952
    2,714 Posts
    Thu, Jul 13 2017 6:57 PM

    Calpon:

    Putting has been the hardest part for me (and probably everyone else). I don't want to sit with a calculator in hand while playing, so what are the best ways to do this. (I know...practice, practice, practice) Any Youtube videos, etc? I have speeds figured out for the most part, but reading breaks longer than 10 feet are killing my scores. Example: at the end of most 18 hole rounds, I could have shot at least seven to ten strokes better if 1 foot had been changed on the round. (I have many putts that miss by just fraction of an inch not related to speed...just left or just right)

    Respectfully, I would say work on your approach shots if you feel you could score better by having shorter putts.  I know that with the equipment and balls available to you, stopping the ball where you want isn't easy.  Instead try to get a better feel for roll out on the greens, so you can reduce that Average Distance to the Pin by allowing for both carry and roll out..

    Also try using the SEARCH box to the right and look for tips on how to read the greens better.  Finally, your comments about practice are spot on.

RSS