Putting practice “expectations”

[RowingBoats]

The issue has been that I'm putting hundreds and hundreds of putts, getting to feel natural, make a bunch of putts ... and then I start at ground zero the next day and struggle to get anywhere close to the previous results. I mean 60%+ of my putts missing, frequently missing the chains entirely, wide right.

Although, the latest iteration is maybe working, finally. A basic straddle, low to high, push putt. That's finally netting repeatable results. At some point I'll have to play in wind and be sad, but I'll cross that bridge when I've crossed this one. I mostly play woods golf in NC, so it's not like I have to deal with Oklahoma where the winds come sweeping 'cross the plains.

As for things happening without thinking about them, that's not a place I can go. If I'm unfocused, I won't make anything. Probably not what you really meant, but I have to consciously focus.

If you have an effective stroke that sinks putts, I think you are farther along than you think.

Do you have something of a post-putt routine also? One of the 'putting thoughts' that I have, is a visualization of where my arm and hand will end up in my peripheral vision. I have a follow-up thought that actually holds my position for a second and I try to see where I actually ended up. This helps me just instantly know if I did something big wrong, like break my wrist to the right, or release right, etc.

 

[Waddball]

If you are constantly changing your putting stroke you are never going to gain muscle memory. Find something that feels comfortable and putt 100 times at like 10 or 12 feet. Do that for a few days and it will start to feel natural. Then push back to 15-20 and keep repeating your routine and stroke. 100 putts sounds like a lot but it really doesn't take that much time to squeeze in 100 putts in a day. I'll putt from 20ish feet about 100-200 putts a day the week or two before a tournament. By the time I play the tournament those inside the circle putts and my routine happen without me thinking about it.

I've read this advice in various forms, and while I definitely think there's merit in this while learning or changing form, I think once you have a comfortable form, it's much better to do much less repetition and many more random putts.

I guess I've bought into this (as a coach, and now coaching myself):

 

[araytx]

Yeah, Rastnav. I expect (and I am a 930-ish player) to make somewhere between 90-95% from 20 feet out. I mean it's pretty standard. If you'll pm me, I had a video go pretty viral a couple years back and I'll send you a link. I have to explain it though.