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I wanted to see what some of you might think about this. Putting has always been a downfall to my game. I take great care in lining up putts, figuring the break, all that stuff. But, I can't even come close to hitting the ball the direction I want it to go. My problem is that as hard as I try, and I have tried all sorts of things, I cannot make the putter go back straight. As soon as it leaves the ground it either goes away from me or towards me. It's like it has a mind of it's own. Recently I have began to putt by not letting the putter touch the ground EVER! I just hold it slightly above the green and when I move it back it goes pretty straight and the same with the forward motion. My putting has improved at least 50 to 60 percent the past couple of weeks. I have sunk several putts where I was only trying to lag up close to the hole. It has really made a big difference. Does this sound like a good thing? Should I just keep putting this way, or should I be doing something else to try and correct the problem.

Also, I was wondering if anyone has ever purchased Dave Pelz's "10 minutes a day to better putting" video, and if so what did you think. I was going to buy it until this not grounding the putter started working for me. I don't know if this is going to last though. Thanks for any information, it is greatly appreciated.

Jim

Well if it seems to be working for you go ahead and keep doing it. I personally am on a strict training regiment for putting. I do 100 3 footers a day all in a row, sometimes 200 if I miss a day. I also set a tee behind the club to make sure I don't go back too far and make good stroke. No matter how you putt, if you put it on the ground or not you should definatly try this drill.

Pingplayr

Thanks for the input pingplayr, that tee behind the club sounds like a really good idea. I am for sure going to try that. The more I think about it, the better an idea it sounds. Can't wait to give it a try. Again, thanks very much. Good luck to you.

Jim

Putting is really a matter of preference so if you putt better by not ever letting the putter touch the ground, go with it. You can also experiment with different grips. I have a friend who broke his wrist and during rehab, he HAD to practice golf so he practiced his putting. He went with his left hand low and that helped so much he stuck with it after his wrist healed.

I also like to practice a bunch of 3 footers. I find it helps get my putting stroke down and it really gives me confidence on the course if I make them in practice.

I do the 3 tee drill i set up tees at 3,6, and 10 feet and use 3 balls and hole all three of the three footers and make my way back and if I mess up I start again at the three footer. Also maybe if your having trouble W/ your stoke try a new putting Grip ie, lead hand low or claw

i'd say there are two parts to putting. speed and direction. i actually think speed is much more important than direction because you'll never be off by much on your putt if you have the right speed. you should try practicing straight 3 or 4 footers. if you can't hit those, you definitely have a problem with your direction but if you are, then speed is what you have to work on. being able to read the speed of a putt really just takes practice and experience.

Try this article from Golf Digest, it really helped me lower my putting strokes.

http://www.golfdigest.com/instructio...1quieteye.html

Ok..heres my opinion...so try to understand ...let me start by saying that I happen to be a very good putter...rest of my game....well I'm no scratch player that's for sure.

Putting is ALL feel....you can work on your stroke and hit 3 footers all day, but when you step out to the course everything changes, that is what you need to work on.
First: Pick a routine before you putt and do it EVERY single time before putting..whether you on the putting green or the course.
Second: try to get a feel for the speed of the greens before you tee off...this is important because if you 3 jack the first green you probably putt bad the rest of the way.
Third: Sounds crazy, but imagine the line that the ball will actually travel all the way to the hole based on the speed of the greens.
Finally: Stroke the ball swinging only your shoulders, and keep your head down...DO NOT move your hips while you putt. The way you take the putter back really doesn't matter as long as you can square it at impact (look at Billy Mayfair)

These are the things I focus on..the best advice I can give you is not to strain yourself thinking about the mechanics and work more on feeling out the putt.

Hope this helps...if not, Doh!

I would also say, putting (as is the rest of golf) is a matter of confidence. If you're scared you'll miss, you probably will. The best way to get your confidence back is to hit the practice range and make a bunch of 3 footers like many have already recommended here.

Thing that fixed it for me was picking up the "putterball" at Pro Golf discount for $20.

Its a normal TT shafted putter but instead of a flat face it has a ball the size of a golf ball on the end of it. If you have a hard time hitting a consistent straight put, using this thing for practice will fix it. If your stroke is off, the ball will go **** near everwhere but straight.

Here is a link http://www.golfclubreview.com/putterball.htm or you can search google for Putterball. First thing I did though, is put a new grip on it (same one I use on my real putter).

I used to have the same problem, but I found that instead of looking at the ball or wherever I was looking I would watch the line on the putter to make sure it went back straight. And about the dave pels 10 minute thing, its ok iv tried it, but if you really want improvment take the real class its very good and will help you immensly on basically youur whole short game.

Seems to me that the first essential thing in putting is being able to hit the ball along the line your'e aiming, if you can't do that then it doesn't matter how confident you are you won't hole many putts. Most golfers are bad putters, they simply won't admit it, and most pros subscribe to the "it's all feel", "it's all about confidence", "it's a personal thing". That's great if you CAN putt, but what if you can't ?.
Putting frustrated the **** out of me for 30 years until I really understood what Pelz was on about in his book "The Putting Bible". The in-line stroke makes sense, the difficulty is rocking the shoulders in a VERTICAL motion, most people rotate the shoulders like a mini golf swing with the blade rotating through impact Another thing is that many golfers don't know what a square stroke looks like ( I didn't) as the normal action is inside to square to inside, a proper in-line stroke looks very strange at first, ( putt along a wall by rocking your shoulders and you'll get some idea). The real key to the in-line stroke is posture, bend from the waist and have the back more horizontal, arms hanging down and maybe have an inch or two off your putter. As for having the putter raised above the ground, absolutely !.

Putting is very personal and different for everybody, but here's some drills I do.........

* Always take the little flag out - I find it easier to relate to the "on-course" experience if I see the hole as I would on the course.

DISTANCE

* Putt balls to various distances, standing in the same place. Sometimes, I focus on how far BACK I take the putter (6" behind right foot, 3" behind right foot, 3" in front of right foot, etc. etc. all the way down to only 3" behind the ball)
* Focus on pendulum motion (same distance back/thru)
* Place 5-6 balls spaced approx 3' from the hole (3', 6', 9', 12', etc. etc.), and putt all the balls to the hole.

TECHNIQUE
* "Push" the ball towards the hole with the putterface. Don't make a stroke, but rather use the putterface to push the ball. Helps alignment.

* String drill. I use two chopsticks with an ~8' string tied to each one. Place one chopstick ~4" behind the hold, align the string through the hole. When you place the ball under the string and are setup, the string should bisect the ball, and align with your alignment mark on your putter. Stroke putts into the hole, this will help your ability for short putts tremendously. From above, it should look something like this:

* Chopstick
- String
O Hole
@ Ball

*----O--------@-------*

* Scatter 5-6 balls approx. 4' from the hole, all around the hole. Putt each one in the hole. This helps your confidence on short putts, as well as your ability to read greens for those shorter putts.

* Left Hand Only - putt with left hand only. Helps your stability tremendously, and grooves your stroke.

* Right Hand only - putt with right hand only. Smooths your stroke out.

these are all I can think of for the moment. I'm sure I'll think of more later, but they all help me!

I went to a 1/2 day instruction at one of the local golf academies this past Saturday. It was a 3 hr. affair with two hours devoted to putting and chipping, and one hour to "full" shots. It was followed by a 9 hole playing lesson. Second lesson I've ever taken in 40+ years (first one cured my sh--k).

The putting part was very informative. The instructor showed us many drills, including the 3-foot drill recommended by many forum members above. He said he spends almost an hour per day on this drill.

The instructor also said he thought most peoples' putters were too long for them. He said by getting into "perfect posture" and letting your arms drop straight down, would determine where to grip the putter. There should be no arm bend or tension he said.

I've some times had problems scuffing my putts, and this seems to help. Also, my putter was 36", and he said I really only needed a 33" putter. (I've since shortened my putter to 34" as a compromise and it feels pretty good.)

Of course this was their process they taught. I've read other instructions that might contradict this.

Good advice from sbrentt. Actually great advice.
As for the video I have never heard of it.Probably because I'm down under the rst of the world.
I used to be a terrible putter. Now I could almost putt on the tour no kidding.
Best video that changed my golf game - Ben Crenshaws "The Art of Putting"
Best advice from it "speed determines the lone of any putt"

go sink some.