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OT: Any tips for putting better in golf?

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Something’s off with my stroke or maybe the stance. Often, if I’m able to hit it on a straight line to the hole, my feet are pointing to the left a little. Maybe the ball should be more forward/behind when that’s happening? And, you need to be directly over the ball too, correct? I’m right handed and my grip is conventional with right hand below left.
 
Conndog said:
I've gotten better at golf except for putting. How can I improve? I'm tired of 3 putting so often. Distance seems to be the #1 error- can't get it consistently near the hole, could be way short or way long. Anything over 2 feet and I get really nervous. Help!
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I was consistently short on putts until Covid when our course put in PVC pipes. You just had to hit the pipe to sink a putt. Since then I have not been short. Someone told me a trick to put a brick behind the cup and just always either sink the putt or hit the brick.
 
huskyfan224 said:
Light grip pressure, feel it more in your forearms instead of shoulders (shoulders will still rock), look at the hole while you practice stroke to get a feel….set up to ball, look at hole, look back at ball and go …there should be no wrist/hand movement, they should be stable.

Also when practicing, set tees up in a circle around the hole within 3 feet and try to lag putts in that circle
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Yes on grip.

Poor putters tend to death grip the putter which keeps your forearms tight.

On a scale of 1-10, grip about 2-3. I grip the lightest pressure you can to keep control of putter head.

No magic trick cures everything. Good fundamentals make it easier to know how to correct when things go wrong.

Don't dismiss the ball you play too. Whenever I am forced to find a new ball due to discontinuation first thing I do is try a new ball in the green. If it doesn't make a certain click when I putt it clean I won't play it.
 
Tuck the right arm/elbow close as you can to your side. Get a grip that feels good for you in which you will not get wristy. Be slow pulling back and the same forward. The length of both back and forward should be the same all depending on length of the putt.

Also try a center shafted putter it helps you get over the ball more and see straight back.

Most of all practice, practice, practice!
 
Yea, I mean there are countless things to try to do to improve and you just need to find what works for you. The fact Will Zalatoris can yip it in the hole with his style is all you need to know. One of the grossest things I’ve seen but it works for him.

Biggest thing is practice to develop feel
 
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Short putts - short back swing and hit the middle of the ball
 
If you want to be better at golf play with someone who is worse at it than you are
 
1. Light grip pressure
2. The length of your backstroke should match the length of your through stroke
3. Consistency in the pace of the stroke. Meaning don't go back fast and decel through, and don't go back slow and then speed through the stroke.
4. Do the above and let the ball get in the way as opposed to striking the ball.
5. Aim small, miss small. Don't listen to people who say to hit it to a 3 foot circle cause if you miss it by 3 feet now you've got 6 feet.
6. Be more athletic. Think about a shooter. He just shoots, he doesn't go through a checklist before shooting. Do all your thinking prior to getting into your stance. Once over the ball, shoot.
7. When trying to read the green don't just look at your line. Look at the entire green. This will let you know if, for example, everything is funneling to the front left of the green.
8. Don't read greens with just your eyes. Use your feet too.
9. If you're over a 15 footer and the line is a ball out to the left, don't aim there. Instead find a spot, imperfection or something on the green about 6 inches in front of the ball and use that mark as your spot. Either over the spot or just left or just right. This also works on the tee shots and approach shots.
10. Practice!
 
WhereistheDove? said:
A few things that have really helped me:
  • Keep your head down through the putt. This advice is so cliche and overused for a normal golf swing, but so important for putting. Advice I got for a pro was to look at the ball and not move your eyes or head on short putts until you hear it hit the cup. My experience is that a ton of distance variability on golfers that struggle with it is mishitting putts.
  • Practice a ton of putts inside of 3 feet. You should be completely confident standing over those.
  • Mix up your lag putting practice. Don't hit 10 in a row from one distance and then move. Keep moving distances so you have to practice judging it and can't just keep making improvements based on your last stroke.
  • This last one you can take or leave. I switched from a traditional to a left hand low putting grip a few years ago. It has shaved a significant number of strokes off my score. It really helps me keep my wrists from getting too active. That's a pure preference thing though.
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Forget every other post. this is the primary reason why putts are missed. Just not moving your head will make you a better putter
 
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mauconnfan said:
Most of all practice, practice, practice!
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This is it. To become good at putting you will need to spend a lot of time practicing.

My advice is get a putting lesson. Always good to get a set if eyes from a teaching pro, then as mau said, practice, practice, practice.
 
Use theMickelson drill. Putt 3 balls from 3 ft from 12 o’clock. If you make all 3, move to 3 o’clock. Make all 3, 6 o’clock. When you make all 12 putts move to 6 feet. Whenever you miss one, start all over at 3 ft
 
Take your wrist and hands out of putting..shoulders putt ..pick a line infront of ball ..using your shoulders to putt will give u better control of your distance and lines
 
Every one agrees most 3 putts are the result of a poor lag putt on first attempt?

I'll add this for strategy. Figure out where the first putt has to end to have the flattest and most straight putt for the second putt.

For example, on a 20' straight up hill putt leaving it three feet short isn't end of the world. Have a 20' downhill or side hill putt and a 3' putt becomes real nervous.

Keep it simple on the green and around the course. Figure out what shot you need to hit to give yourself the highest probability of a simple shot on the next swing.
 
DogBoy said:
The best putting advice I ever got was from Jack McConachie about 30 years ago.

"Hit your wedge closer to the pin"

I have used the look at the hole while putting for a long time. I trust my putting stroke so I don't need to watch it. Looking at the hole helps another in distance control.
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If i could have done that I would have been a scratch golfer.
chipping costs and saves more strokes. And believe me I hit thousand of practice chip shots.
Because the greens are so fast in most AZ courses under-hit and it dies in the rough around the green, hard and it’s off the back side.
I almost rather come out of green side bunker than chip. At least the explosion creates a ton of backspin.
I used the Texas wedge whenever possible ,its ,more doable out here than CT.
As far a putting understanding the green speed is important in lagging which seems to be the problem,
if your not on the practice green before your tee time to get a handle on the speed of uphill , downhill , or side hill your missing out.
My routine was 5-10 minutes on the practice green and an equal amount on the range.
Sometimes the only clubs I used on the range were wedges just to get my swing right. If I’m cracking my PW 110 yards every time then stepping up and hitting a tee shot is no problem.
On short putts the pace of the ball should be enough to take the break out. Too soft and the green will dictate the break and it almost always away from the cup.
Chin Diesel said:
Yes on grip.

Poor putters tend to death grip the putter which keeps your forearms tight.

On a scale of 1-10, grip about 2-3. I grip the lightest pressure you can to keep control of putter head.

No magic trick cures everything. Good fundamentals make it easier to know how to correct when things go wrong.

Don't dismiss the ball you play too. Whenever I am forced to find a new ball due to discontinuation first thing I do is try a new ball in the green. If it doesn't make a certain click when I putt it clean I won't play it.
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Death gripping any club hurts your game
Even on a driver it will result in shortening you swing and losing distance
The pro’s instructed me the grip should be like your holding a live bird in your hand. Firm enough that it won’t fly away soft enough not to harm it.
if I overgriipped I also tended to speed up my backswing resulting in a chop rather than a desired swing .
Before addressing a ball on the range getting the grip and tempo of the swing was the first thing I did. Then I started with wedges.
Putting especially lagging is getting a feel for green speed. That’s practice , I was never a good chipper so I became known as the master of the Texas Wedge.
 
I had a pacemaker implanted a few years ago, I asked my doctor if I could start playing golf again and he replied no but you can putt. I said couldn't before and don't think I can now.
 
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Simplest, best putting tip ever.

Pretend there is a string from the bottom of you chin connected to a fish hook set in the bottom of you . This will help you keep your head perfectly still, no up and down, no side to side. Keeping you head perfectly still will give you a consistent reliable putting stroke.

Easy to remember. You're welcome.
 
Palatine said:
Simplest, best putting tip ever.

Pretend there is a string from the bottom of you chin connected to a fish hook set in the bottom of you . This will help you keep your head perfectly still, no up and down, no side to side. Keeping you head perfectly still will give you a consistent reliable putting stroke.

Easy to remember. You're welcome.
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Don’t put butter on the putter to putt better.
Say this five times fast and take a deep breath before putting.
 
Last edited:
FairwayFlyer said:
1. Light grip pressure
2. The length of your backstroke should match the length of your through stroke
3. Consistency in the pace of the stroke. Meaning don't go back fast and decel through, and don't go back slow and then speed through the stroke.
4. Do the above and let the ball get in the way as opposed to striking the ball.
5. Aim small, miss small. Don't listen to people who say to hit it to a 3 foot circle cause if you miss it by 3 feet now you've got 6 feet.
6. Be more athletic. Think about a shooter. He just shoots, he doesn't go through a checklist before shooting. Do all your thinking prior to getting into your stance. Once over the ball, shoot.
7. When trying to read the green don't just look at your line. Look at the entire green. This will let you know if, for example, everything is funneling to the front left of the green.
8. Don't read greens with just your eyes. Use your feet too.
9. If you're over a 15 footer and the line is a ball out to the left, don't aim there. Instead find a spot, imperfection or something on the green about 6 inches in front of the ball and use that mark as your spot. Either over the spot or just left or just right. This also works on the tee shots and approach shots.
10. Practice!
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All good stuff except 5….you should definitely practice lag putting and try to get it within a small circle. If you continue to miss that circle while practicing that won’t translate to the course. The point of that drill is to develop feel

Now if you’re talking about that being an on course scenario, I agree.
 
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huskyfan224 said:
All good stuff except 5….you should definitely practice lag putting and try to get it within a small circle. If you continue to miss that circle while practicing that won’t translate to the course. The point of that drill is to develop feel

Now if you’re talking about that being an on course scenario, I agree.
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I'm referring to on the course
 
There's a company called LAB Golf (Directed Force putters) that claims that your thumbs shouldn't be on the putter. I've been doing this for a few years and it's night and day. The thumbs can stay on but very lightly and shouldn't be the driving force of effort. The meat of your thumb pads should be what has most context with the grip.

Overall I like to do this, FWIW:

  • Slightly open stance. Allows eyes to see down target line, helps not get stuck and flip at the ball.
  • Hands closer together than apart. I've seen people have way too much separation between their hands on the grip and it is a death sentence. Too much separation (for a standard grip) completely takes the feel out and sometimes causes a flip motion at the ball.
  • Thumbs off of putter (or slightly/lightly on).
  • Putter grip seams should run parallel to the thumb pad creases of the both hands. When hands are on the putter the seams and creases should match up.
  • Hands set higher than lower at address. The shaft should look to be on the same angle as your forearms, like one long line connecting your forearms and putter shaft.
  • Dominant eye directly over ball. First find your dominant eye. Then take your posture, hold the ball over your dominant eye and drop it on the ground. That's where your ball placement should be when you putt.
  • Shoulders comfortably rolled inward. Takes tension out of lower back and helps to keep shoulders/arms connected.
  • Slight rounding of the lower back. Think "push the belt buckle into stomach". Takes tension out of back.
  • Hover putter slightly before takeaway. It releases tension in forearms and hands and helps to take it back at the right pace.
  • Smooth takeaway that builds in speed from start to finish of stroke. By gripping it lighter you'll be able to feel when the backswing naturally causes your wrists to break very slightly. That's when I know to begin the follow through.

The keys are really all about tempo and relaxed wrists, arms and lower back. Keep a nice, athletic and stable lower body to allow for the upper body to be relaxed and work together.
 
Good advice! What makes most sense to me
is 1) lighter grip, 2) same length back/forward stroke, 3) definitely practice putting before round, 4) head still as possible, 5) shoulders doing the putting, 6) choosing spot 6 inches from ball on putting line and putting through ball in that spot’s direction.

Next, I’ll learn how to hit out of sand trap better!
 
On long puts loosen up a bit, break your wrists a little, gives you more feel and control over the distance.
 
Conndog said:
I've gotten better at golf except for putting. How can I improve? I'm tired of 3 putting so often. Distance seems to be the #1 error- can't get it consistently near the hole, could be way short or way long. Anything over 2 feet and I get really nervous. Help!
Expand ...
Practice, practice, practice ... practice to the nth degree AND buy used or new Golf My Way by Jack Nicklaus. I read a section at a time and it never failed to improve that part of my game including putting. I gave my copy to a friend struggling with his game. To this day he thanks me. I tell him thank Jack. Seriously, do lots of practice to build your confidence. It is amazing how it WILL translate to your play. Why do you think Geno stresses performance in practice as a requirement to play in a game? Get it right in practice time and again and it will allow you to know you will execute the shot. Hole it every time? No. Get lag putts within 2-3 feet of the hole. Yep! Provide the confidence to firmly stroke a two foot putt directly into the hole. You betcha! My nemesis was 18 inch putts until I practiced 18" putts over and over until the confidence became real. You can do it! But don't sleep on Jack's book. It is the best by the best. As you know he was a really good putter.
 
Played yesterday afternoon … and apparently the only thing I can do consistently anymore is putt. :mad:

It’s really a feel for distance and line, and I’m not sure how to tell you to get that. A lot of the earlier advice is sound. Light grip, soft hands, practice lags for distance from many lengths, be very aware of uphill/downhill, etc.

Putter weight is important. You have to feel like you’re in complete control of the head, and too light a putter head is just as hard to control as too heavy.

Also, the tendency for many is to redirect your swing back toward the hole even during the swing. Once you pick a line, stay on it. Playing a little too much break is usually better than too little.

And, oh yeah, hit your wedges close and below the hole. Now, if only I could do that …
 
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