I want to hear if some of our better putters relate to what I'm about to say, and as always, I want to help out those of you that may be struggling with "finishing the hole". For me, putting has always been the easy part. The teebox is where things get sketchy. I joke sometimes that in doubles, I have my partner handle the first 90% of the hole and I'll handle the last 10% of it.
So what do we know about putting that we can all agree on?
1.) Its bad to just stare at the target as a whole. Aim big = miss big. You need to aim small, so that if you do miss, you miss small. I think this one is really just about making yourself focus on what is in front of you. If you focus in, you won't even see that dog running by or hear somebody's phone going off.
2.) Routines are good. It doesn't matter if you rock back and forth, get perfectly still, or scratch your ear. If you find a good routine, stick with it and develop that consistent rhythm.
3.) Balance is everything. If you can't control yourself, you can't control the disc. Always do your very best to get good footing and achieve a strong athletic position to putt from.
4.) Let the last one go. You missed, get over it. We all miss. Don't be an idiot. Don't yell; kick your bag, or any other form of getting "Frumpy" TM. It's done, move on. Dwelling on that miss will cause you to miss the next one. Let it go.
5.) Its just golf. Don't press. The reason why they say some guys have ice water in their veins is because they putt for the win, just like they putted #38 out of 50 in warm-ups. It doesn't matter what is riding on it. You have to trust your technique and execute exactly like you practiced. Trying too hard, or trying to do too much will make you miss.
I'm sure there are dozens more, but most of us can agree on these.
Today I wanted to ask if any of you think that sometimes we go too far with our focus. I have found that if I stare too long at the target before I putt, I will miss. The last year or so I have also gone from aiming at a single link.
to just using the lower middle section of the pole as a target.
My single link was always just right of center because I spin putt with Wizards. I've had more success by doing what Ken Climo told us at his putting clinic recently. By just aiming at the pole, I am having less spit outs and left/right misses and my confidence is soaring. By just using the lower middle section of the pole I am also missing high less thus reducing blow-bys. Aiming at a bigger target seems counter-intuitive to the aim small = miss small that we've heard preached for years, but for me, the proof is in the pudding. What do you think? Do we try to make things too hard by overthinking them? Where is your focus target area at when you are putting? And if you did make an adjustment from point A to point B like I have, how has it worked out for you?
So what do we know about putting that we can all agree on?
1.) Its bad to just stare at the target as a whole. Aim big = miss big. You need to aim small, so that if you do miss, you miss small. I think this one is really just about making yourself focus on what is in front of you. If you focus in, you won't even see that dog running by or hear somebody's phone going off.
2.) Routines are good. It doesn't matter if you rock back and forth, get perfectly still, or scratch your ear. If you find a good routine, stick with it and develop that consistent rhythm.
3.) Balance is everything. If you can't control yourself, you can't control the disc. Always do your very best to get good footing and achieve a strong athletic position to putt from.
4.) Let the last one go. You missed, get over it. We all miss. Don't be an idiot. Don't yell; kick your bag, or any other form of getting "Frumpy" TM. It's done, move on. Dwelling on that miss will cause you to miss the next one. Let it go.
5.) Its just golf. Don't press. The reason why they say some guys have ice water in their veins is because they putt for the win, just like they putted #38 out of 50 in warm-ups. It doesn't matter what is riding on it. You have to trust your technique and execute exactly like you practiced. Trying too hard, or trying to do too much will make you miss.
I'm sure there are dozens more, but most of us can agree on these.
Today I wanted to ask if any of you think that sometimes we go too far with our focus. I have found that if I stare too long at the target before I putt, I will miss. The last year or so I have also gone from aiming at a single link.
to just using the lower middle section of the pole as a target.
My single link was always just right of center because I spin putt with Wizards. I've had more success by doing what Ken Climo told us at his putting clinic recently. By just aiming at the pole, I am having less spit outs and left/right misses and my confidence is soaring. By just using the lower middle section of the pole I am also missing high less thus reducing blow-bys. Aiming at a bigger target seems counter-intuitive to the aim small = miss small that we've heard preached for years, but for me, the proof is in the pudding. What do you think? Do we try to make things too hard by overthinking them? Where is your focus target area at when you are putting? And if you did make an adjustment from point A to point B like I have, how has it worked out for you?
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