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I have noticed over and over again how LPGA pros miss putts of similar length on PGA tournaments that the guys dont miss.

I am gradually coming to the conclusion that the PGA pros are in general better putters than the LPGA pros.

I dont want to start a firestorm of controversy but that is what it appears to be to me.

what do ya think?

It's hard to say. I'd imagine the PGA plays better, truer greens than the LPGA. That may have something to do with it. I just checked th erelative stats on this and the men do have a slight edge on putts per GIR, but it is pretty small. There seems to be around a .04 difference as in 1.74 per GIR vs. 1.78 per GIR, for example.

Men and Women are simply different.....not bad or good but different....that is why there is a PGA and a LPGA.

Men may be physically stronger, in general, but that does not account for one gender dominating in short putts (say ten feet and less) on faster greens than the other gender.

PGA greens appear to be far tougher than LPGA greens in terms of speed and lay out.

I used to think that men would not be better than women at putting because I thought men are a little less meticulous than women in reading a green.

I don't know if men are better putters, but I have noticed that the greens on which the PGA players play on versus those on the LGPA tour seem to be in better shape. From what I've seen, It seems that women tend to be better ball strikers (seems to be true in tennis and other sports as well). While men, seem to develop a greater versatility in array of shots, etc. Perhaps this is due to the fact that as men, we can typically muscle or mask some of our swing flaws and get away with it. Additionally, having greater physical strength and being able to generate faster clubhead speed allows us to hit a greater variety of shots, particularly around the green. Any other thoughts out there?

That could be true. I also think that the female players tend to be a little more obsessed with distance and ball striking, and their short games tend to take a back seat. Annika, Se Ri, Karie Webb, Natalie Gulbis, etc. are all good examples of this. Annika's biggest weakness (if there is one) is her short game. She's so deadly accurate with her ball striking (driver, irons) that her scrambling, pitching, chipping, putting, bunker shots, etc. is rarely exposed. Plus, the course set up for the ladies tournaments presents no problem for her. However, when you see her compete against the men during Skins competition where the course is set up for men, her lack of versatility gets somewhat exposed.

The men and I dont understand why unless it is simply that the men play more difficult greens than the ladies.

I mean is there a tournament on the LPGA that even has greens that come close to Augusta? I think not.

My theory is that women would probably putt just as well as men if they were exposed to equally challenging greens. For some strange reason, the greens they play are not as tough and so in a competition between the genders as to who putts better, it would be the PGA guys.

I mean look at the flawless putting of that Swede who won Muirfield. THose greens were fffast!!!!! He was consistently sinking ten footers. I dont know how many times i have watched LPGA tournaments and watched Annika and the rest miss the cup.

Check out the golf courses around you. Golfers are still over 80% male. It stands to reason that the best of the best males would be better than the best of the best females. They're drawing from a much larger talent pool.

Nothing really. I was just stating that there is a difference....one that I am happy about!

Again waz has it right. If you can't putt, you aren't even going to make it on the Nationwide tour. Everyone on the PGA tour is a good putter, or else they wouldn't be out there. Most are great putters.

Compare the Futures tour and the Nationwide tour stats, and I bet the difference would be even greater. The numbers and talent level to play on the mens' tours means you have to be better at all aspects of the game.

This gap will grow smaller as the LPGA and Futures tour get bigger, but they will never be as big as the PGA and Nationwide tours.

You are correct, but you missed my point -- the lpga pros, as evidenced by what you see out there every week, don't seem to have the short game that can compare to that of the PGA pros. One of the factors, I believe, is that they seem to focus so much on ball-striking with drivers, woods, and irons, that a lot of the around the green shots, as well as putting, seem to take a back seat. I mean, what's with lpga players having their caddies line up behind them to check their alignment? Additionally, have you noticed how much caddie involvement there is on the greens with many of the lpga players? Most of the male pros, particularly the new crop of pros, can outright club the ball tee to green, whether their strokes are flawed or not. I just think that having the 'luxury' of physical strength to fall back on as it pertains to distance allows them the time to dedicate to other parts of their game -- putting, chipping, bunker play, etc. to name a few. What results is a men's game that clearly exhibits a wider array of shot-making than that on display with the LPGA.

Think about what's happened in the ladies tennis game. Until Martina Hingis decided to rejoin the tour this year, we'd all forgotten what it looked like to see points actually constructed (what a concept) in this new age of boom boom tennis. The same can be said about Roger Federer who works every angle of the game. Many of today's tennis players have no volleying capability nor understand how to work a point. It's just smash mouth tennis.

Men's golf has been heading that way now for a few years, and the ladies, beginning with Michelle Wie seems headed that way as well. So much emphasis is on distance and ball striking. Unfortunately, putting, and the around the green game seems to take a back seat in the ladies game.

The men would win - plain and simple. But if you had a driving contest for accuracy, who would win? Likely the women.

I believe there have been studies showing that men generally have better depth perception and hand-eye coordination than women. Our male ancestors had to be able to throw a rock or spear accurately from some distance to be a successful hunter/warrior. Women were noticing which fruit was ripe, what plants were good to eat, tending crops, etc. which enhanced their ability to notice details and remember EVERYTHING!

So, men can putt better, and women can nag better! (Oh boy! Now I've done it!)

Anyway, I'll see if I can find some of the studies I remember reading, or anything else to back up what many may consider my "sexist" attitudes!

I wouldn't bet the house on it. Remember, the ladies play more generous fairways generally and don't hit it nearly as far. Distance magnifies inaccuracy.

This is one of the more ridiculous threads on this site, folks. You making excuses for wee little Wie? Oui? She stunk up the greens, had a bad day, and most likely choked...just like regular humans, even like men.

Putting is not gender-specific.