# Putting



## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Hobbit and I were talking on Skype about putting or are you standing over the ball too much.
to be perfectly honest I must be practicing bad habits at address of the ball. The problem is I'm pushing or consistently putting to the right of the cup. if it wasn't snowing today I'd be practicing, but I need various tidbits of advise to try to see what might work for me. I might be squeezing too hard when putting.


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## Cajun (Jan 17, 2010)

You could try left hand low for a while. If I'm pushing, it works for me sometimes. If you're squeezing your grip too hard, you might try a larger grip, that worked for me on my regular clubs. I can't say I've ever diagnosed that as a problem with my putting.


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## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

Depending on how keen you are to address the problem there's all sorts of alignment tips, e.g. using an alignment stick across the feet and standing back from it using a club, pendulum style to make sure the alignment stick is lined up correctly, and two tees with string between and using the alignment marks on the putter in line with the string... there's loads of putting tips.

If, as discussed, you have a common fault, i.e. always missing on the top side, it is easy to fix.

BT, its now up to 45 guienea's... keep a tight hold on that wallet.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

BT, its now up to 45 guienea's... keep a tight hold on that wallet.[/QUOTE]

Would you settle for two cases of Rolling Rock Beer? 

BTW does the putter shaft length aid or hinder in putting? I'm not talking about the belly/broomstick putter.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

Sometimes I feel like I play too quickly until I get to the green and then sometimes I feel like I play too slowly. 

No change of grip like left hand low has ever worked for me. All I can do to improve my putting is maintain my fundamentals in as good a state as I possibly can. Where I feel like I'm taking a lot of time is in positioning myself over the ball in a way that my stroke has as little chance as possible of going off line. I try to concentrate on my distance from the ball so I'm looking down the line and I concentrate on my ball position so I hit the ball as close to having the putter square to where I'm aiming.

Long ago I tried a long putter. I've tried left hand low. I've messed around with my partner's belly putter. I considered playing right handed and putting left handed like some pro did a long time ago. Everything feels weird and I can't stand the frustration.

About the only thing in terms of a grip change I've ever done is this. Growing up, I was taught a 10 finger grip and I used it for everything. As an adult, I changed to the overlap grip and started putting with the more common reverse overlap grip. Sometimes I find it easier to use the same overlat grip I use for full shots with my putter. At least it doesn't feel really weird.

The most radical thing I could try would be something like Jim Furyk does, that double overlap thing with the little finger and the ring finger over the left hand.

And people ask me why I say I'm hopeless...


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## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

Putter shaft length; let's go with the premise that you need to have your eyes over the ball to give you a straight view of the hole as opposed to at an angle from the target line. Next you need to be comfortable and a have free range of movement that would allow your arms and shoulders to perform the swing without any other body movement. Once you are in that comfortable position, there will be a particular length of shaft that fits. Too long or too short will impact on how your shoulders and, potentially, your wrists move. Simply put, too long a shaft will not allow you to get over the ball without you getting your hands and shoulders into an unnatural position that will lead to a 'wiggly' swing. Too short a shaft will see you hunched over the ball and, again, an unnatural position.

However, there are enough quirky swings etc to prove it is possible to putt whilst in what looks like an unnatural/awkward position but for the best results you need to start with a strong, fundimental basic position. 

"What's a quid?" A quid is slang for a pound(£). Ten quid = £10. Next time we'll talk about florins, crowns, shillings, pennies, farthings & groats.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

I guess maybe I'm lucky. I've almost always been happy with my putting. I did have a battle with the yips a few years ago, and for the first time ever for me, an equipment change actually fixed it. I use a putter built from Golfsmith components, and it is the only putter I'll ever use. My buddy had this putter, and he loaned to to me for 9 holes. I had 5 one putts and 4 two putts in those 9 holes, shot 39. I had him build me one exactly the same. :thumbsup:

When I have a problem now, I know it's the stroke, so I go to the putting green and get back to the basics. My main fault is letting my hands into the stroke, so I practice for a few minutes just focusing on exaggerating the use of my shoulders to draw the putter back, for the stroke and a smooth follow through. 

For me, a good putting stroke feels like my arms and hands are rigid (but still relaxed - hard to describe it), and the entire stroke comes from the shoulders. That isn't how it is in reality, but it's the feeling that I shoot for. When I do that, my hands stay quiet and the club returns to the ball squarely.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

The current Putter is a ping and I noticed how far I was bent over the ball compared to a longer and much older putter. I was having much better success with the longer shaft. lag putts were closer and those 10 feet and closer were more accurate yet when I miss it is still to the right of the cup. I'm thinking I may be dealing with two problems. !. the putter shaft and 2. me.


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## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

broken tee said:


> The current Putter is a ping and I noticed how far I was bent over the ball compared to a longer and much older putter. I was having much better success with the longer shaft. lag putts were closer and those 10 feet and closer were more accurate yet when I miss it is still to the right of the cup. I'm thinking I may be dealing with two problems. !. the putter shaft and 2. me.


There will be a shaft length that fits your natural stance... as for the second problem... you... is there a cure?

FP is right in that the arms, wrists and hands are rigid yet relaxed. Any wrist hinge or arm bending/straightening will almost certainly lead to a miss.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

As tall as I am, (6'7"), people are often surprised to see me use a 34" putter. Nobody believes I don't use extra long clubs for that matter.

My putter head came loose during a round a number of years ago and to finish the round, I had to borrow my buddy's putter, a 34" Ping Zing.

All of a sudden I found setting my hands that little bit lower, (I bend over pretty far anyway), seemed to make my swing go more naturally back and forth. I made less figure 8 shapes like I did when my elbows were bent more when I used my 36" putter.

The only problem is, I need my putter set a few degrees flat and there are actually rules about how and where the putter can be bent. With no tournament play in my future, I'm not overly concerned.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Big Hobbit said:


> There will be a shaft length that fits your natural stance... as for the second problem... you... is there a cure?
> 
> FP is right in that the arms, wrists and hands are rigid yet relaxed. Any wrist hinge or arm bending/straightening will almost certainly lead to a miss.


The Veterans Hospital has me medicated so time will tell.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

I've read before that tall men don't always need clubs which are much longer than standard because their arms are long enough to compensate for their height. What they usually need is a more upright lie.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

Exactly right Rick. In my case, I happen to have a somewhat shorter upper arm and when MacGregor measured me for my clubs many, many years ago, they suggested 1.5" extra long.

My fitting requirement hasn't changed over the years, (I've aged without getting shorter), but even with opportunities to lighten clubs with graphits shafts or less weight in the ports on the head, I can't get anything 1.5" extra long that still comes in at a swingweight I can handle at my age.

Like many tall people, I've simply accommodated regular length clubs and built a swing around them.

The putter is the one club I've seen a big difference in by going to a shorter club. Letting my arms hang down more naturally lets me avoid wrist cock and I make a much better stroke.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

DennisM said:


> Exactly right Rick. In my case, I happen to have a somewhat shorter upper arm and when MacGregor measured me for my clubs many, many years ago, they suggested 1.5" extra long.
> 
> My fitting requirement hasn't changed over the years, (I've aged without getting shorter), but even with opportunities to lighten clubs with graphits shafts or less weight in the ports on the head, I can't get anything 1.5" extra long that still comes in at a swingweight I can handle at my age.
> 
> ...


I"m 6'2", and I've always used a fairly standard set of irons, and my putter is 34" (I think, I've never actually measured it). I grip it at the bottom of the rubber, so actual length isn't that critical. I do hunch over a bit, and my left elbow is chicken-winged, which seems to help me keep my hands quiet. I also putt with an open stance.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

We seem to have about the same style. I guess mine was influenced by being a Nicklaus fan. I sort of adopted his open stance and right hand push at the ball.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Fourputt said:


> I"m 6'2", and I've always used a fairly standard set of irons, and my putter is 34" (I think, I've never actually measured it). I grip it at the bottom of the rubber, so actual length isn't that critical. I do hunch over a bit, and my left elbow is chicken-winged, which seems to help me keep my hands quiet. I also putt with an open stance.





DennisM said:


> We seem to have about the same style. I guess mine was influenced by being a Nicklaus fan. I sort of adopted his open stance and right hand push at the ball.


Based on what all of you have mentioned I'm going to look at my over all putting game. I do know that I tend to grip so tight that on the take away the putter swirls, my stance is generally shoulder width, I do question if my body is aligned properly and I compensate with the putter face.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

I edited my post above. The chicken wing is my left elbow, not right.... :dunno:


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