Putting Distance Control

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Anyone else struggle with this or have any tips?

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I'm not going to assume anything and ask you the same question I ask my friends who complain about their putting?

Do you practice putting?

Look up “ladder drill”

It takes practice to dial in distance control.

The other thing is random practice may help more than hitting the same 25 ft putt 3 times in a row.

I try not to take the same putt twice, but some putting greens can get crowded.

Find an area on the putting green without a hole. Walk off 25 ft. Set tees at 20, 25, and 30 feet from where you are starting. Set 3 tees at that end 5 ft apart. Try to putt first ball between second and third tee, and so forth varying your distance with each stroke.

I struggling with an involuntary yip right now so I am not as good as I once was.

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any tips?

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make sure you're hitting the sweet spot on the face

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Are there voluntary yips?

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Of course not, but one of my friends is like, “just strike it and don’t flip the wrist.”

I know that, but there is some lesion in my brain that just wants to throw my right hand at the ball.

I’m suffering. The saw grip has helped some, but man it is like a seizure when it happens.

It’s brutal.

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Of course not, but one of my friends is like, “just strike it and don’t flip the wrist.”

I know that, but there is some lesion in my brain that just wants to throw my right hand at the ball.

I’m suffering. The saw grip has helped some, but man it is like a seizure when it happens.

It’s brutal.

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I feel this. On short puts I'm good, but I've recently gotten the yips on longer putts to the point where the clubface opens and closes multiple times throughout my stroke and I either pull it long and 10 feet left or leave the face wide open and miss short and right.

I've switched to the saw grip for only my longer putts and it's helped tremendously. Just took a while to get the speed right.

Apparently switching your grip is like a hard reset for your brain, so I'd keep on using the saw grip or try others and see if that helps at all.

Scott Parel of all people walked over to me on the putting green, said “are you ok?” and then showed me the saw/claw and told me “lots of guys go through this. Don’t give up the game.”

What a Nice guy!

It’s helping, but I’ve got more work to do. He also reminded me that I don’t make a living playing golf and just understand that once the stroke is made- it’s ok whatever the result.

Hopefully, “this too shall pass.”

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I can teach you a technique that will eliminate most all 3 putts. Simple to learn and understand.

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My no fail way to never three putt -

Miss the green. Chip it close. Two putt. Done

Best putters look at the hole 90% of the time while they are over the ball. Most amateurs are over the ball and spend the majority of the time looking down and quickly glancing at the hole.

Think about that. When you are shooting a basketball, you look at the rim - not at the ball.

Make sure you are looking at the hole the majority of the time and let your brain take over and you’ll be surprised how your control improves. Again, a good consistent stroke is a big part as well.

Ok here is the technique. Shown to me by a teaching pro when I lived in Nashville:

If you don’t have an alignment mirror get one.

Set up, eyes over ball, hips and shoulders square to your start line.

Feet should be shoulder width apart.

This set up should never change going forward.

Get a tape measurer and lay it on the green( or practice mat. Another must have).

Place a ball on level line preferably without grain or at the least, into the grain. ( if you don’t know how to read greens for grain, learn to)at 4’, 8’ and 12’

Step up to first ball at 4’. Set up square to start line with ball just forward of center.

Take putter back to the instep of your back foot and smoothly accelerate to instep of front foot. The whole stroke should be in tempo and smooth. On a level surface with no grain in greens that run at around 12, the ball will roll 4’ give or take a few inches.

Repeat set up for the next ball at 8’. Take putter back as describe above but this time, stop at big toe of back foot and stop at big toe of front foot. The ball will roll approximately 8’ give or take a few inches.

Repeat for 12’, same setup and take putter back to middle of toes back foot and stop at middle of toes of front foot.

Now as you practice this drill, grain will affect the rollout accordingly. So if you have an 8’ putt into grain, using the stroke for a 12’ putt or in between the 2 will give you the speed needed.

Conversely, an 8’ down grain, will be like a 4’ flat putt.

Again, this technique like everyone has said demands practice and commitment.

You must learn to read slope and grain to be an excellent putter.

But I promise you that if you implement what I have described here, your speed control will never be a weakness.

Speed+Grain+Slope = start line

Personal testimony which let to my encounter with the teaching pro that helped me.

Playing my home course in Nashville and I had arguably the best ball striking day ever. Hit 95% fairways and every green in regulation.

I shot an 81 with 42 putts.

My putt now average between 28-30 putts a round.

Report back after you try this.

Good luck!

Almost nobody I see does what I do on the practice green.

How many times on the golf course do you get to take 3 or 4 chances to make it?

I’ll drop 3 to putt from 3-4 feet when I start. Like everyone it takes a couple to get loose. After the first 3, 1 ball. Vary distance and break, approach it just like you do every putt on the course. I especially try and do a few from 30-50 feet to try and get a feel for distance.