Putting Technique Of A Legend

I like the dime idea steve. I also have an anywhere you want it hole. It's a flot saucer the size of a hole by Callaway. You can place it anywhere you like. The cool thing about it is when the putting green is crowded yoou don't have to wait for a hole to free up. I this doesn't matter to you sinvce you don't putt to real holreanyway in your practice. Though I see your logic in never putting to a hole but to a dime. I also would see the arguement that we don't putt to a coin on the course but to a hole.
Like you've said, what ever works for each individual.

 You might have your eyes checked for an astigmatism. Whatever the reason, you apparently have a severe parallax shift when your likely dominant right eye is turned further from the target. Try lining up the put by picking a point immediately in front of and behind the ball on the line you intend the ball to start on and focus only on aligning yourself to them when you're over the ball. That might help.

I always mark my balls as well, for the same reasons you give. On good putting days, I actually see a clear line or path of the putt also, but not always, YET!

 Old Red Indian one that about the yellow snow, or are they native americans?
No need for a stool at the ball washer here down under hahahahaha. Quick headstand and all is clean and 'fired up' for the game ; - ) Reverse cycle with a new meaning hahaha. Good to see that you are in good fettle Dick lad.

Thanks Robert, For some reason I have not received the email yet with these notifications and video links.????????

Nothing to do with golf, BUT, here's a funny video from fun loving Grandparents that is on our local news channel today. Be sure to listen for the last line from Grandma. What are we coming too?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Is it the Acme Wiley Coyote version.

 Steve

I have found that in the winter  I am very stiff.  Sometimes I am so stiff I can't get my leg up far enough to reach the ball washer.  That can be a real problem when you have dirty balls from the mud like the one guy was talking about.  Guess I should stop falling down in the mud, then that would not be a problem.

You are so right about the yellow snow.  Heck, I knowed about that one long before I ever played golf.

Night pal,
Dick

I happen to know I'm getting one of the hindsight's for my birthday on the 16th. Could not resist the low cost at the link you posted. I may not be able to fully use it for another 3-4 weeks though, and will have to put a 2-Thumbs grip on it sideways.

I am a plumb bobber. There are a couple of things to keep in mind if you use this method (in addition to what Steve and Robert F. mention).
One, you need to find the actual point on a level surface maybe at home standing on your flloor or back portch while holding your putter to find it's actual perfect bob. Holding the putter by the grip with only two fingers(your index and thumb) let it dangle straight down in front of you while it aligns with a vertical view of one of the house wall edges. Depending on weather your shaft to head is center balanced or not, it might not hang with the shaft completely 90* verticle. Gentle turn it until you find that 100% 90* hang that parallels the wall. Remember that point of where you are holding the putter in relation with the putter head and always use it in that position when plumb bobbing.
Secondly, as Gary Player emphasises in one of his lessons on measuring break, it's the last three to eight feet of a putt that matter most on break because that is when the pace is slowing down and gravity has it's most powerful effect. (* notice how many of our putts tail off or into the cup as they approach the cup? That is a combination of gravity, slowing pace and the donut effect).
So my point is if you have say a 25 foot putt you not only want to see how much it appears to break from behind that 25 feet but at 10-15 and from 3-8 feet and at the cup. That is why you'll see many great putters checking conditions and the break along with the grain by and at the cup.
All this sounds complicated by but you can still play fairly quickly and get all this done in a reasonable amount of time if you quietly start well ahead of your turn. I normally have most of it figured out long before it's my turn to putt. That always baffles me why golfers wait until their "turn" to start figuring out their putt. Maybe it's because many pros operate the same stupid way causing slow play.
Finally, I would add that for me it is important to stick with what ever I figure out before I stroke the putt and not waver or change my mind once I am beside the ball. I am a spot putter and if I make a last split second change and stroke it over a different speck/spot I will normally miss it and curse myself for not staying with my original read.

I am not the best putter.  Two things have helped.  First and foremost I hit the putt in the center of the club face.  If the club face is 1 1/2 incheas wide, I mark the spot 3/4 inches from the left end and right end and concentrate on hitting dead center.

I do the same thing for all my clubs and always try to hit all shots in the dead middle of the club face and find  I am striking the ball better.  The really good players always hit in the center and the better you are as a golfer probably the better you are at hitting your shots in the center of the club.  This is especially important in putting.  Inconsistant hits arise when not striking the ball in the center and the good golfers are much more consistant.

The second thing I do in putting is I now use a 3 count, rather than a 1 - 2 count.  When I go one and two I sometimes jerk the putter and strike the ball two hard.  With a one, two and three count I never jerk my club and the ball goes a much better distance and it seems to go where I am aiming.

Steve:  I really like your way of thinking :-))  Last year I also quit putting at a hole during practice and started using the "dime" method.  Works much better and as you said, I have no negative putting thoughts to carry onto the course.  If I can consistently ROLL the ball near the dime at any distance, I'm a happy camper.  Hit 'em straight!  R2

What is this winter rules you mentioned?  I looked in my rule book and couldn't find any mention of it.   LOL LOL LOL LOL

The good news is that they are in the golf channels primary coverage slot (as are Tiger and his group) so it at least increases the likelyhood that they may show DJ a little more than usual. They'll likely be on their 7th or 8th hole when actual live coverage starts at noon. (3pm eastern time)
Their holes 1-7 should get some potential review during the 11:30-12:00 pregame.

 I concur, from personal past experience. Not a fan of plumb bobbing. As you say, some swear by it, some swear at it. I'm somewhere in the middle. 

As I've said Terry, I've had a fair amount of sucess with it so far. What I fight irregardlesss of which putter I use is a tendency to pull the ball left of target ever so slightly but enough to miss. I have been working on finishing with my putterhead going down the line verses left at finish. One thing it may take you a little time to adjusting to with the Hindsight is the forward lean of the shaft. I'm gradually getting more comfortable now. Too I will likely change the grip soon. Perhaps tomorrow morning. Not sure if I'll go with the 2- Thumber or another choice:)

Speaking of the alignment mark, I use a tool to make the line and use it all the way through the green. During these winter rules time of year, I can align my ball everytime for every shot. I rely on the alignment mark when putting and it  has definitely helped with my aim when putting.

A friend of mine commented on my putting stroke the other day and I actually heard him when he said it. He said I seemed to be checking or stopping my follow through when putting. I had to do a double take because I didn't realize I was doing this. I was hitting the ball with my putter rather then following through and getting the ball on a nice roll. Great tip and one I thought I'd pass along. Head still, follow through! Thanks Surge for all you do.

Greg C
Director of League Operations for www.bcgolfpages.com/meetup

HA HA HA HA HA
(for those that were offended by LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL)  just being considerate

Dick, that was funny I don't care who you are!

DJ--Great job this weekend!  As usual, no tv coverage (except you taking the ball out of the cup after a birdie on 18).  Keep up the great work and we'll be looking for you to lift a trophy or two this year.  I'm certain many of us in Surgeville are wishing you continued low rounds in your next tournament.
Regards,
Ray

That young lady has a great looking rotational swing. I would say she could clear the change out of peoples pockets if they did not watch it.

Way to much turning for me though I would last a couple of rounds turning that much.

 Individual packaged wet wipes, handy and sanitary. They glide nicely over your balls, and leave them smelling of a nice scent. 

T Medley--I've been using the ring on the golf ball to line up putts, but I found that I was too careless when I did this.  Lately, I have been trying to be more accurate in lining up the ring with the line I wanted to putt.  I used some geometry formulas and made the following calculations relating to an error in lining up the ring.  An error of one degree will still inersect the cup within the diameter of the cup on a flat green, but an error of 1.01 degrees will miss the center of the cup by 2.14", just outside the radius of the cup. 

I already use a slight forward press/lean, so I do not think that part will bother me. My previous putter to the Nike Method was the original Rife Two Bar which also had the grooved face style. I probably have used a good dozen or more putters in the last several years and will continue to give other innovations a try, no doubt.

On another note. Just finished watching 7 Days In Utopia. I highly recommend it to all. A very good film for any age or gender interested in golf or just life in general.

PMG SFT

What you want is to always hit the ball on the sweet spot of the club, which may not be the center of the face (for most clubs, in fact, it probably isn't). If you do a search for "Finding the Sweet Spot" you should find a daily video from last year where you can see how to determine the actual sweet spot of any club, including your putter.

 I also use a 3 count to put, but  smooth out my stroke even more by using the words " slow,slow, slow " for everything but short fast downhillers,  For them I say to myself " very slow, very slow,  very slow ".  The first count is for a slight forward press and the other two counts are for BUS and FUS with the ball just getting in the way of the stroke.  All of this really helps the tempo of the stroke.

Because I don't want to be too ball bound in any part of the game I had to come up with a different kind of way to ensure a steady head when putting.  My theory is that head movement  is often a result of a poor putting stroke.  The movement of the head may not only be caused by the player being overanxious to see the result.

If you want to see what a putting stroke feels like with a rock steady head ,try the following visualization while making your complete putting stroke. Imagine that you have a pierced right ear lobe with a small hook in it and someone else is holding the other end of it.  Any movement of your head during the backstroke or follow through will cause you some pain.  This simple visualization changed my whole putting stroke for the better last year.

You are 100% right on not looking up I'm really working hard on that Don. The rest of your advice is right on.

 I use the long white plastic Tee's. I often just stick one of them into the ground in an unoccupied area of the practice green. I have used coins in the past also, but find the long white Tee's easier to focus on for longer practice putts.

PS, These are the best Tee's I have ever used. Discovered them a few years ago. They are more costly, initially, but they last and last. Many of my friends have switched to them after trying one from me.
http://www.golfsmith.com/produ...

TM:  Small world!!!  I started using Epoch tees last year and agree with you 110% lol. I've never played a better tee - they just feel so stable and solid.  Good to hear that someone else plays them too.  They are the most durable tee I've ever used.  I will try your method of using one on the practice green; sounds easier than picking up a dime. :-))  As always, hit 'em straight!  R2

No.

Hi, I remember pro golfers would place the putter vertically above the ball and the principle was that they would somehow sight the shaft towards the hole to give the correct line in. Does anyone know how this works? i.e. I guess one eye is shut but how does the eye/shaft/ball/hole relationship give the line? If you can help then -Thank you.

 Surge Nation

A while back I saw a tip from someone to lay a golf pencil sideways behind the ball when you practice putting.  The idea is to miss the pencil when you hit the ball.  It has helped me to keep my putter from dragging on the ground.  I also find that if I don't let my head or eyes follow the ball until I can see the pencil after my putter has passed over it, that helps me do what Surge was talking about.  This little drill has helped me strike the ball with a bit of an up stroke.  It gets the ball rolling cleanly without hopping.

I got the long Odyssey putter about a month ago, and am using FOP.  I love it and it is really coming together for me.  It has taken the problem of dominate eye and alignment out of my putting.  The guys I play with laughed a lot at me when I first started putting like that, but they are not laughing now.  I can't even remember the last time I had a 3 putt.  That right there is worth everything I spent on this putter.  I would rather drive my cart into a lake than 3 putt.  It makes me crazy to take more strokes on the green than I took to get to the green.

Robert is so right when he says we should worry more about our putter than our driver.  I have always felt like that.  I only swing the driver 14 times, at most, in a round.  You have all heard the old saying, "drive for show, putt for $."  It is so true.

Sorry Doc, but I have to steal your line, and modify it to fit today's topic.

Remember, better golf is just a putt away,
Dick

That's how I putt too Gil. At least that's the goal each time:)

Winter rules applied all last summer at my local course. We had so much rain that even drives were plugging routinely, and it literally went on all year. Without being able to lift and clean and place the ball out of the craters, it would have been unbearable.

 I started using these tees awhile ago, and try to use nothing else. I also find them durable. They are easy to find after the drive, and they come in several lengths. When ever I find one on the tee box, I get excited, kinda like when I find a new ProV.

 The trick is, There is no penny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

You're talking about plumb bobbing, which is used to help determine if there are any slopes which might be hard to detect, or just generally get a clearer picture of how much slope there is. Since the shaft of the putter will hang vertically thanks to gravity, it gives you a known line to use to compare the slopes of the green against. It takes a good bit of practice to do so effectively and know just how far a given amount of slope may move the ball during the putt.

 Doc

Out here in the real world some guys use "Mulligans" too.  I think with winter rules, you can lift you ball from one patch of ice or snow to another one without penalty.

Dick

The putter I am now using kinda strokes up for me because of the 3* face roundness. Even with the pre angled forward shaft lean I still get the 3* loft through the stroke (not "hit" like you say). Actually like the term roll best. Also like the term "collect" rather than hit too.

Anika Sorenson said the best tip she ever got was from Dave Stockton. He said look at a spot directly in front of the ball. She said it transformed her putting for the better. Just thought I'd pass it on.

I guess I didn't make my point clear enough. At first, I was rather casual in lining up the ring.  Then I began to notice that if I was just slightly off, the error could be rather big at 10 feet. As I posted, an error of 1.01 degrees caused the false line to be 2.14" off from the center of the cup on a flat greenm since I then would put tje line indicated by the ring.