Putting Practice - A Methodical Approach

[TheBeardedFatGuy]

I had an idea on how to do a putting practice regimen some time ago and now I'm ready to implement it. I picked up 100' of clothesline at the store and some duct tape. First I'll kidnap Paul McBeth, tie him up with the clothesline and duct tape, and force him to teach me how to putt like a pro. Just kidding. I'll use the tape to mark off 5' increments on the line labeling it with white paint (5', 10', 15', etc. pobably up to 80'). To use it, I'll fasten the rope to the base of the practice basket pole, stretch it out taught and stake the other end in the ground. Using 3 putters, I'll start at 5' from the hole. If I sink all three putters, I'll move out 5'. As long as I keep making all three shots, the distance from the basket will increase in 5' increments. If, at any time, I miss a shot, I'll have to reduce my distance by 5', make 3 shots from that distance, then move out 5' again.

I think this method will have a few benefits, not the least of which is training myself to be able to judge actual distance from the basket and what I need to do to sink a putt from that distance. By starting in close to the basket and having to move back in when I miss a shot I will be practicing a wide range of distances. I've also been thinking of ways to use the Disc Caddy 2 app to help track my progress by manually creating a fake 16 hole course, each hole representing a distance from the basket. I can record how many of the 3 shots each hole I missed (missing all 3 would be +3 over par). That way I can monitor my averages at each distance using the app. I could also create different courses for upwind and downwind.

What do you think? Overkill or a good idea?

 

[Halcón]

If all that makes you a better putter, then it's not overkill. The whole point is to put the biscuit in the basket.

 

[The Last DJ]

I've done something similar. Instead of tape, I tied a knot in a rope every five feet (out to 50'). Depending on how much you want to practice, grab a stack of putters. Two-five are good numbers. From there it goes like this...

Drain them all? - Move back a station
Miss one or two? - Stay where you are and try again.
Miss more than one or two? - Move up a station.

I wish I could take credit for this one. Our local putting legend Johnny Sias showed me this game. I think he calls it "climbing the ladder." I do something similar except he uses two putters at each station and putts out to 70'.

 

[jtencer]

My experience has been that 5 ft is probably too big a jump for that type of practice session. I usually go with 1-2 ft which helps maintain the continuity. If you make the jumps too big it can get frustrating.

 

[joecoin]

That's a good plan, until you get to the course and are faced with a 13 foot putt.

 

[mhough]

I was taught a similar practice routine, and it's how I prefer to practice putting. I take a stack of minis and walk five steps out from the basket, about 15 feet. Place a mini there and then another one each step outward about three feet part. You'll have minis at about 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, etc. It doesn't have to be perfect. You can also just use sticks, rocks or whatever to mark the spots.

I use two putters, but three would be OK. If you make them all, move back to the next spot. If you miss one, step forward. Repeat and repeat some more. This causes you to spend most of your putting practice near the outer limits of your comfortable putting range. With practice you extend your range and increase your confidence greatly inside the circle.

 

[Agricolae]

Seems you'll get an overabundance of practice with easy putts and little to none with harder/longer putts.
Also, you'll train yourself to incrementally dial up putting power. When faced with a 30-footer on the course you don't get to make multiples from 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 beforehand.
If you need to convince your mind that you CAN putt, your system may work.

 

[Bamm]

Similar to this I created a few years back. It helped my putting immensely. The added step I put in place here was the "clutch" points. The more putts you hit in a row, the more "Hot Streak" bonus points you get to tack onto your score at the end.

 

[sidewinder22]

This is how you putt like a pro:

 

[TYVEK]

Mr. Fat Guy with a beard, that sounds like very decent plan. I do something extremely similar as what you are planning, except I have 4 practice discs. There is something that I have learned from doing this a while now, that is that it became all too easy to take my regular set up time for the first put and the next puts were shot in quick succession. That is not good. by doing that it threw off my routine when I actually step up to a put in a round.

So my advice for you is to MAKE SURE that you take your normal set up time(routine) that you would while playing a actual round for each disc when you are practicing. it will slow things down, but it will assure you that your routine will stay the same between practice and actual rounds.

 

[DiscFifty]

That's a fun game to play and I think most people have done something similar. One variation is making a circle while moving in 5ft increments so you end putting in all wind directions. Now days during my 15 minute serious putting sessions I just focus on 10,20,30 lengths. I always end the session with a few putts from 50,60,70+. If I just hit metal on those putts I'm happy. lol..

 

[Kutueh]

y'all are better DGers than I, but for the sake of muscle memory i think focusing on one disc at a time would help you improve more efficiently. Hit 5 at one tape with the same disc then move back to the next mark. once you get back a good ways, switch discs and then rinse and repeat.

but that's just IMO

 

[captain jack]

You should never make more than one throw from a spot.
You only get one shot in the game, no "do overs", so why practice this way ?
One toss, change position, reset, shoot, move.
This is the only way to practice putting.

Shade............................ Go!

 

[Putt for D'oh]

You should never make more than one throw from a spot.
You only get one shot in the game, no "do overs", so why practice this way ?
One toss, change position, reset, shoot, move.
This is the only way to practice putting.

Shade............................ Go!

That's kinda like saying a basketball player shouldn't throe 100s of free throws because you only ever get one or two in a row depending on the foul.
It is wrong approach to any sport. Repetition is a huge factor in success muscle memory and mental confidence both.

 

[rhatton1]

You should never make more than one throw from a spot.
You only get one shot in the game, no "do overs", so why practice this way ?
One toss, change position, reset, shoot, move.
This is the only way to practice putting.

Shade............................ Go!

The way I do the Finnish Putting game is to take a shot on the line then step to the left take the next then back to the center, then step to the right then last on the center line again.

Forces you to reset and rethink about each putt rather than just get into an unnatural rapid fire putt from the same spot which isn't replicated on the course.

although Sidewinder has posted to the two best putting videos on the web, Lamar knows guys. Rumour has it McBeth spent a summer in a teepee at a hidden location with him back in 2009 . They bonded spiritually and mentally and Lamar passed on the higher putting knowledge whilst tripping on peyote.

True story.

McBeth needs to get back in that Teepee man.

 

[flowinowen]

This sounds similar to the Nate Sexton putting approach. Two discs, make both move back one step etc. I like to do two separate putting stances to add variance.

 

[Bamm]

I always reset before each putt when practicing.

 

[luckless_pedestrian]

I did a similar thing with twine marked with painters tape. I like the Finnish game because you get more putts at longer distance.

 

[runningDoc]

You should never make more than one throw from a spot.
You only get one shot in the game, no "do overs", so why practice this way ?
One toss, change position, reset, shoot, move.
This is the only way to practice putting.

Shade............................ Go!

and lastly:




It would be beneficial to practice from other areas, stances, uphill, downhill, off one knee, elevated, etc.

But putting multiples from certain areas, learning what works, the form, and what it feels like to hit putts in the course of 2-10 (or however many) putts using multiple putters has to beneficial in the long run.

 

[MiketheGoalie]

So why invent a game when it already exists in multiple forms?

360 Perfect Putt

1025 Ap