Putting and how to become elite level.

i had a putting league round last night that was really good, it feelt like i was at peace after the ramble here earlier.

Here is a video of my putting form, i have removed the squatting down motion from earlier feedback here and started shifting more weight back and forwards instead with a shoveling motion.

This will be my putting form for 2024 unless someone can find a major change i have to make.

I already carefully worked up a good routine and mental ques and breathing techniques so just focus on the physical part and the stroke itself.

i rarely miss left unless its really far away, usually its right side misses and low and high.

Most of the time it's low or high, since i finger pop and pitch/push.

Last night i was around 80% from 30 feet.

 
For the next couple of weeks, wanna try something hard? When you go to practice putt, get out to circle's edge, do your full routine and toss a putt. Then, you're done. One putt like everything matters. Wait an hour or two, then throw another single putt.

Perhaps you know how to putt, but practice so much that each individual putt isn't really important.
 
i had a putting league round last night that was really good, it feelt like i was at peace after the ramble here earlier.

Here is a video of my putting form, i have removed the squatting down motion from earlier feedback here and started shifting more weight back and forwards instead with a shoveling motion.

This will be my putting form for 2024 unless someone can find a major change i have to make.

I already carefully worked up a good routine and mental ques and breathing techniques so just focus on the physical part and the stroke itself.

i rarely miss left unless its really far away, usually its right side misses and low and high.

Most of the time it's low or high, since i finger pop and pitch/push

Last night i was around 80% from 30 feet.


For the next couple of weeks, wanna try something hard? When you go to practice putt, get out to circle's edge, do your full routine and toss a putt. Then, you're done. One putt like everything matters. Wait an hour or two, then throw another single putt.

Perhaps you know how to putt, but practice so much that each individual putt isn't really important.

I can try that for a week, check how it feels
 
To me I think you need to define what you mean by 'elite putting'. If you were 80% from 30' every time a 30' putt came up in a round, you'd be one of the best putters out there. To me this is a LOT different than 30' indoor with cement footing doing reps from the same spot over and over.

Not knocking it at all, its still good to drain 80% at 30' in a league setting, but is your goal to get good at that, or actual in-round putting?
 
To me I think you need to define what you mean by 'elite putting'. If you were 80% from 30' every time a 30' putt came up in a round, you'd be one of the best putters out there. To me this is a LOT different than 30' indoor with cement footing doing reps from the same spot over and over.

Not knocking it at all, its still good to drain 80% at 30' in a league setting, but is your goal to get good at that, or actual in-round putting?

This is why I teach to putt like I do with moving back and forth by 5 feet.

You'll always know where your struggle point is as you for instance bounce back and forth between 25-30 feet.

But if you keep bouncing back and forth. you'll eventually start making those 30's and bounce between 30-35.

Or you'll know if 30 is your struggle point of decent makes, but not solid.
And then you'll know that cause your bouncing between 25-35.

The whole drill I teach is setup to give you absolute confidence in the most real style of putting you can while letting you know where you struggle and provides a realistic expectation on the course, in practice and anywhere.

Plus its a game, you can always play it with yourself an dothers.

Ahh whatever.
nobody gives a fuck about the way I teach it.
Everyone wants that magic sauce.

Fuck your magic sauce.
 
Also.
Putting hack.
Attach a red dot.
 

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I keep my basket in the lower level landing area of the back porch. Beyond the straight forward putt at various distance reps I putt in to try and maintain a consistent putt I can attempt to rely on. I can set up for up and down putting, and It has a lot of limitations with width, and it can get extremely windy. At the widest I have perhaps 12' with support posts for the porch. I do putting stations with its structure, and move the basket around to create challenges and or specific shapes of flight for the putt to create different muscle memory and visualization points that make up what happens most of the time with putts anyhow. It's a woods course for all intents and purposes, and I can play around with figuring out how to putt a specific shape for an obstructed basket, or one in a place on top of something, and for going around, over, through, and Up, and down disc movement which is also a big part of 'elite' putting.
It's nice and all sinking a well executed putt using clean mechanics. But, getting the highlight reel putts on a consistent basis is also part of that.
 
I am not personally convinced that putting leagues are great practice.
They are if you're the first person there an hour early, help setup the baskets, and then have 5 putters in your hand and just blast them away non-stop until it's game time.

At least that's what I always did ;)
 
And to OP, just keep at it. It can take years, if not decades, to get better at putting. Just keep at it, just remember not to overdue it, you can develop a cumulative trauma injury from the repetitive motion of putting constantly. I keep my sessions anywhere from 30 min to an hour 5 days a week maximum, and less in the winter, and I will take days off when my body is worn out.

I used to putt way more than that, but I've found the law of diminishing returns is in play here. Also, I believe that there is definitely a correlation with physical strength and putting ability. I believe you're waaaay better off putting say 3 to 4 days a week and mixing in strength training 2 days, versus 6 days putting and zero strength training. This will also help cut down on the repetitive motion thing I talked about above, and put more power into your legs and core where you need it.
 
Having a nice clean putt (inside) where

They are if you're the first person there an hour early, help setup the baskets, and then have 5 putters in your hand and just blast them away non-stop until it's game time.

At least that's what I always did ;)
And to OP, just keep at it. It can take years, if not decades, to get better at putting. Just keep at it, just remember not to overdue it, you can develop a cumulative trauma injury from the repetitive motion of putting constantly. I keep my sessions anywhere from 30 min to an hour 5 days a week maximum, and less in the winter, and I will take days off when my body is worn out.

I used to putt way more than that, but I've found the law of diminishing returns is in play here. Also, I believe that there is definitely a correlation with physical strength and putting ability. I believe you're waaaay better off putting say 3 to 4 days a week and mixing in strength training 2 days, versus 6 days putting and zero strength training. This will also help cut down on the repetitive motion thing I talked about above, and put more power into your legs and core where you need it.

im always early and setup the baskets to get reps, its almost like you know who i am irl.

I have a optimized training regime.

Im currently running this every week

2 field work sessions
4 strenght and mobility sessions
1-2 high intensity intervall training. (4x4)
2 putting leagues
4-7 putting sessions
I play weeklys and play rounds by myself to throw multiple shoots.
Every 6 weeks i change programs and take a week with just low intensity training to recover.

Hopefully i will make it one day, thanks for the advice.
 
Good stuff, thanks.

Golf is not a game of perfect has helped me alot with the mental aspect. (Sound book, bob rotella)

The only thing that worries me is the thought of training really hard with a putting stroke that might not be the right one.

How do i know i have the correct one for me?

Maybe there lies my problem right now.
Amazing book, my favorite book on sports psychology and I built a big part of my game around it.

I wouldn't worry too much about training hard with the wrong stroke, but it's definitely worth it to video tape yourself and see what you're doing and compare it to pros. If there seem to be glaring issues work on fixing them, just don't get too crazy with it and demand perfection - you want to be loose and fluid and swing free, bold and confident and realize you have your own quirks in your stroke too.

The most common thing I see is that people tend to get their weight moving too far forward over their front foot in an effort to get as close to the basket as possible and lose power this way. Grips as well can sometimes be funky, like people don't get as clean of a release as they should. But don't let perfect be the enemy of good, just keep banging away and you'll naturally just get better with insistence, become and embrace Sisyphus.
 
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i had a putting league round last night that was really good, it feelt like i was at peace after the ramble here earlier.

Here is a video of my putting form, i have removed the squatting down motion from earlier feedback here and started shifting more weight back and forwards instead with a shoveling motion.

This will be my putting form for 2024 unless someone can find a major change i have to make.

I already carefully worked up a good routine and mental ques and breathing techniques so just focus on the physical part and the stroke itself.

i rarely miss left unless its really far away, usually its right side misses and low and high.

Most of the time it's low or high, since i finger pop and pitch/push

Last night i was around 80% from 30 feet.




I can try that for a week, check how it feels

80% at 30 feet is great! I am struggling to get to 50% consistently from 30 feet.
 
im always early and setup the baskets to get reps, its almost like you know who i am irl.

I have a optimized training regime.

Im currently running this every week

2 field work sessions
4 strenght and mobility sessions
1-2 high intensity intervall training. (4x4)
2 putting leagues
4-7 putting sessions
I play weeklys and play rounds by myself to throw multiple shoots.
Every 6 weeks i change programs and take a week with just low intensity training to recover.

Hopefully i will make it one day, thanks for the advice.
Wow! I think that much work would kill me!
 
This is why I teach to putt like I do with moving back and forth by 5 feet.

You'll always know where your struggle point is as you for instance bounce back and forth between 25-30 feet.

But if you keep bouncing back and forth. you'll eventually start making those 30's and bounce between 30-35.

Or you'll know if 30 is your struggle point of decent makes, but not solid.
And then you'll know that cause your bouncing between 25-35.

The whole drill I teach is setup to give you absolute confidence in the most real style of putting you can while letting you know where you struggle and provides a realistic expectation on the course, in practice and anywhere.

Plus its a game, you can always play it with yourself an dothers.

Ahh whatever.
nobody gives a fuck about the way I teach it.
Everyone wants that magic sauce.

Fuck your magic sauce.
We listen. We like your input. No magic sauce. 🙂
 
4 strenght and mobility sessions
Sorry for going a little off topic here, but what do you do in the way of mobility and strength? What do you focus on, what do you want to achieve with the exercises? Any specific exercises that you can recommend? Im trying to build a mobility routine with some strength/stability and interested to hear what others are doing.
 
So ive trained like crazy and my putting has improved but at times it still feels random.

In our club we have discussed that there is no blueprint or style, you just have to do whatever feels good for you and get reps.

I think if you have the foundation correct with a decent swing towards the pole you should be fine most of the time.

Ive tried many changes the last 4 years.

Wrist or no wrist action, finger pop, push,spin,pitch,hybrids. No elbow or elbow.

Different grips, tucket littlefinger etc.

Ive tried putting like marwede,corey,mcbeth,ricky,eagle,calvin.

in our putting league im like third this year and i also joined another club to join another putting league to get more practice.

I need some opinions on how to move forward, my putting stroke is fine right now but how do i get it to be top 2-3%?

Give me some advice and pointers, thanks.
The thing that ended up helping me the most was to quit putting at a basket and start putting at micro targets. Tried the front door knob from 20' or so for practice. When I go out and am warming up, I pick a sapling and aim for a knob on it. Go micro. When tee'ing up a putt on the course, aim at a single chain link and not the pole. You'll feel yourself "lock in" when you get in the groove. That single chain link will become the size of a dinner plate.
 
Good stuff, thanks.

Golf is not a game of perfect has helped me alot with the mental aspect. (Sound book, bob rotella)

The only thing that worries me is the thought of training really hard with a putting stroke that might not be the right one.

How do i know i have the correct one for me?

Maybe there lies my problem right now.
I think the key is to not worry about your stroke being "the right one" just make sure it's one that you have confidence in. The very best putters in the world are constantly changing their putt. McBeth, Wysocki, Cale, Nikko and others seem to always be adapting. If something isn't working, don't be afraid to change things up.
 
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