Something is getting lost in the translation

[Midnightbiker]

I don't know why, but I can putt great at the practice field with my basket, but when I get on the course, my putting falls apart. Tournaments are the worst. I know I can putt, because I hit 80% with my own basket, but when I get to the course, it drops to 50%.

Can you guys give me some advice on how to relax when you make you putts and have more confidence?

 

[Trashthrasher]

Get the lightest putter you can find & put a bunch of high power magnets in it. Other than that I don't know. I actually putt better on the course than I do at home... weird.

 

[Midnightbiker]

I think I get nervous because I really want to make the putt, and I end up losing my concentration.

 

[optidiscic]

Seems the stress is messing you up. Someone on here mentioned before that when they practice putts they mimic pressure by making themselves make 10 in a row from given spot before quiting......this forces focus.....so when your out there banging 80% you will need to hit 100% of ten in a row and the pressure will build as you get to 6 of 6 and Pawn Stars is about to start on TV and you have to nail 4 more to be done. Teaches you to focus and handle stress.

 

[Midnightbiker]

Seems the stress is messing you up. Someone on here mentioned before that when they practice putts they mimic pressure by making themselves make 10 in a row from given spot before quiting......this forces focus.....so when your out there banging 80% you will need to hit 100% of ten in a row and the pressure will build as you get to 6 of 6 and Pawn Stars is about to start on TV and you have to nail 4 more to be done. Teaches you to focus and handle stress.

Thanks I will give that a try

 

[mike shoys]

i think its the increased importance of each putt because it affects your (my) overall score and has more riding on it. if it wasn't important maybe you'd be having less fun. nervousness in this case speaks for your love of the sport... that said i would think good ol experience or a shift in mental approach would be the way to improve.

 

[WillACarpenter]

I started measuring my putts at home, so when I'm at the course I can be like "well, this is only really a 20' putt, and I make like 80% of those at home"

Then I figure in wind and other considerations, distractions nearby, trees etc.

I'm not sure what your focal point is at home, but I've found that I had to make my focal point be the post, not the chains. That helps me a lot.

\/\/

 

[toothyfish]

I was watching the Climo/Feldberg Fundementals video. ONe of the tips Dave gave was in practice, to actually replicate a tourney putt. go through the entire motion. Throw a disc close to where you want to putt from. Mark the spot, pickup the other discs, make the putt, pick up the mini, go get your putter, blah, blah, blah. Interesting idea, that way the whole routine is second nature.

Replication of the game time situation is often lost in practice. I used to take penalty kicks in soccer. Even in practice, I went through my entire routine, exactly like I did in a game. It works...suddenly, there was no difference...

 

[optidiscic]

I was a 80% free throw shooter in HS and I agree it is best to do the same routine...for me it was 4 dribbles to relax and then focus and shoot. definetely something to the the MMR but putts are often from different distances and angles unlike free throws andpenalty kicks....but I do believe theres something to what your saying...especially for putts within a certain range. If I could hit 80% from 30 ft Id be happy as a hot dog in a pretzel sandwich.

 

[LStephens]

Two questions for ya:

1. What kind of practice basket are you using....The Traveler baskets with the black mesh are easy as hell to putt on...because of the dark background you are putting into...when you get on the course and yours eyes see trees and bushes swaying behind the chains...you lose focus.

2. Where are you missing your putts?....are you missing low....right or left....or just a general 'I'm all over the place'?

 

[bikinjack]

Sometimes, if I get nervous about something, I just remember to breath. Like focusing on your breath, in a kind of Shaolin way. It helps me to relax, gets me down to the basics. Inhale as you wind up, exhale as your release.

 

[33tango]

My newest putting mantra "throw it like a frisbee, because that's what it is". I heard a local legend that goes by Hopp say that for the last putt in our members tournament foursome, right before nailing a 40 footer.

 

[mashnut]

I was watching the Climo/Feldberg Fundementals video. ONe of the tips Dave gave was in practice, to actually replicate a tourney putt. go through the entire motion. Throw a disc close to where you want to putt from. Mark the spot, pickup the other discs, make the putt, pick up the mini, go get your putter, blah, blah, blah. Interesting idea, that way the whole routine is second nature.

Replication of the game time situation is often lost in practice. I used to take penalty kicks in soccer. Even in practice, I went through my entire routine, exactly like I did in a game. It works...suddenly, there was no difference...

I don't go quite that far, but it has helped my game tremendously to work at making my practice putts the same as my putts during a round. I make sure to take the same amount of time, and do the same preparation for every putt, no matter the situation. I've seen a lot of people practicing by rapid firing a stack of putters at the basket, but most of the time that's not how they putt on the course so it doesn't transfer as well.

 

[FallenOak]

I think this is a problem a lot of golfers deal with, I know I do. I've been trying to work on not only the physical routine of the putt but also a mental one. I figure if I know what I'm going to think before stepping over a putt, that one less variable to deal with. It's the only one I get to control.

I start by figuring out what line I'm going to take, and what wind I'm dealing with, then I start going down a checklist . I have a set of technique cues that I go through; pull the pipe, flat release, reach for the basket, thumb up. As I'm going down this list, I'm focusing in on the window that I'm gong to hit. When I'm finished going down the list, I just clear my mind and execute.

To carry this over to the course, I add to my "mantra" that the putt to win the tournament is the same putt in the backyard. I'm hoping that when I'm over a "pressure putt", that thought will cross my mind and I can relax a bit. Like someone said, it's just throwing a Frisbee.

 

[radsnowsurfer]

I'll echo the call of establishing a consistent routine, when I was struggling in the MA2 ranks I would always putt very quickly in practice then in tournaments I would stand over a putt forever, or on the flip side sometimes I would try and counter that by putting too fast in tournaments. Now over every putt in any casual round or tournament I do the same two pumps then putt, and if it feels like something might mess up my rhythm or I start to think that "I'm going to miss this putt" I'll step off the lie and start over. Another strategy is to not stand right by your disc while others are putting, I'll stand well away from my disc and only start to line up the puttin my mind once it is my turn to putt.

 

[GLong]

i think the last three posts really hit it. you gotta get the routine down, whatever works for you, and PRACTICE THE CRAP OUT OF IT. I just started doing it. That way whether you are putting at home, your local course, a tournament,or a course youve never played, THE PUTT IS ALWAYS THE SAME. Your shot/odds are different but the mental approach is identical. thats the only way to really get consistent.

Like fallenoak said, the list of technique cues is very helpful. i go through a similar list and then focus only on the release.

 

[zenbot]

During practice have someone fire a gun over your head. During a real round you will feel much less stressed.

 

[zenbot]

It's good to try and visualize a great putt you've made in the past walking up to your disc. Just knowing that it's in you helps.

 

[bcr123psu]

As long as it's a friendly pickup round (and everyone playing is cool with it), I'll usually putt three or four discs on every putt (only counting the first one). Just like all the other replies that stress putting from the same spot 5-10 times (including the Discraft Putting Confidence video), this on-the-course practice technique has greatly helped my short game...especially on long, tricky, or unique putting situations.

I emptied my bag doing exactly this on the last hole I played this morning.

 

[zenbot]

Have you played Perfect Putt 360 yet?