Photo by coclel at flickr.com

Putting Game Consistency And Success - Nick Bayley at Consistent Golf tells us, "The very first thing you must do to become a great putter is you MUST learn to love and enjoy putting. If you don't find out how to love and enjoy putting then you'll never become a great putter."

Labels: Golf Blogs, Putting

Last month I finally achieved my goal of breaking through a 3.0 index after getting stuck here several times before. I'm now down to 2.5! This progress continues a trend of cutting my index by about one half in each of my three years playing. I got down under 9 my first year, 4 my second year, and am now approaching 2. The key has been getting up and down more frequently and making more 4-8 foot putts. I'm now averaging slightly more than 2 birdies per round. But what continues to plague me are 2-3 footers!


Career Handicap Index, March 2005 to June 2008

In the last 5 weeks I've played 15 rounds, breaking 75 in nearly half of those rounds and failing to break 80 only twice. Amazingly, I missed 4 putts within 2-3 feet in 4 of these rounds - and still shot 74 each time! Perhaps I need to copy Phil and sink 100 3-footers on the practice green before each round. I probably won't do that, but I do need to find a way to overcome this ongoing challenge.

On longer putts, I've gotten much better at reading the break and committing to the line I've chosen, then trusting my ability to stroke the ball down that line. There is very little tension in my grip or in my putting stroke. In fact, I feel like I'm barely holding on to the putter. But on short putts, I can't seem to commit. Sometimes I can't decide whether to be bold and ram the ball into the back of the hole or finesse it in with a gentle stroke. Other times I just can't decide where to aim. When I stand over those short putts, I can't seem to see the line like I can on longer putts. Perhaps I miss most of my short putts simply due to peeking early to see if it went in. Whatever the reason, I could use some help.

As I was writing this post, I made my way over to The Wedge Guy blog, and as I expected, I found some great advice on Avoiding Three Putts. Terry suggests the following 3 steps to avoid missing short second putts. I'll certainly give these a try later this week!

1. Lighten your grip - We tend to squeeze the putter too tightly when faced with a short putt. Particularly lighten the pressure in your thumbs and forefingers, as that is where tension sets in first. Feel the putter in the last three fingers of each hand.

2. Slow down - Make your practice strokes very s-l-o-w-l-y. This sets up a good tempo – it’s a stroke, not a hit ! I see golfers make these quick back and forth practice strokes – what kind of tempo is that setting up ?

3. Stare down the hole - Your eyes are the key to putting, so pick a small target at the back of the hole (for a straight putt) or on either side (if a little break is to be allowed) and focus intently on that spot.


Rainbow by adrians_art at flickr

If anyone has some additional advice on how to sink those short ones - which for me would be a little like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - please leave me a comment and enlighten me! I'm pretty confident that I can get down to 2 and finally break through that elusive score of 70 when I start making the 'gimmes'.

Labels: About, Progress, Putting

My golf game is very influenced by hockey. I'm often told that it looks like I'm taking a slap shot when I drive the ball. There's no doubt that my natural ability to hit down on the ball with my irons comes from my artful slap shot. I'm even known for bringing out my Happy Gilmore swing every few rounds when faced with a wide range-like fairway. I like to end my practice sessions on the range hitting drives like Happy. I make good contact just about every time, but unlike Adam Sandler in the movie, the ball really doesn't go any further! Anyway, when I recently learned about a new Hockey Stick Putter designed by David Graham, I spent my birthday money and bought one.



In 2003, Graham wanted to get his dad and brother a hockey stick putter for Christmas. He searched the Internet for days and couldn't find anything close to what he wanted. Christmas that year came and went but he couldn't get the concept out of his head. It was at that time that he started to carve a putter out of a hunk of wood in my brother's basement that resembled a hockey stick. After finishing the wooden Hockey Stick Putter, he found that although it looked like a Hockey Stick Putter, it wasn't functional.

He then began designing the Hockey Stick Putter that's now available - a real precision weighted putter. He took no short cuts, wanting the putter to be something you could actually use on the golf course. The putter has a compression molded graphite shaft with a cast aluminum head. The weight and balance is that of a real golf putter.

Although the putter is not USGA approved due to it's wide shaft, it's really easy to putt with. I took it out and played 9 holes yesterday right after it arrived from UPS. I found it very easy to line up short putts and even found myself lagging long putts to tap-in range.

Part of my reason for buying this putter was to remind myself to just have fun playing golf. It's hard to take yourself too seriously when you're putting with an Anaheim Ducks hockey stick! However, I'm thinking my opponents won't take me seriously either, until I take their money on the 18th.

Labels: Hockey, Hockey Stick Putter, Putting

Within 21 hours, I experienced my worst and my best golf on the same course. In my Tuesday night 9-hole men's league, I continued a slide in performance over the past 2 weeks with a whopping score of 51 to loose my match! 21 hours later, I shot 34 on the same front nine, followed by a 37 on the back to tie my career best 71 at Monarch Dunes Golf Club (70.7/135).


Monarch Dunes 13th by Aidan Bradley

After a run of scores in the 70's in 11 out of 13 rounds, I'd failed to break 80 in my past 7 rounds! In a few of these rounds I was flairing my drives out of bounds to the right. In other rounds I'd shank or scald my wedges. Failure to get out of sand traps with any success and my common 3-putts plagued me in most of these rounds.

I then decided I needed some practice. I'd gotten back in the habit of playing instead of practicing when some time opened up to head to the course.

On the range, I made some minor adjustments to my posture - butt out and chin up. I had recently purchased a book on golf fitness and got the impression from browsing it's photos that I needed to make this adjustment. It seemed to work on the range, however, I learned after my round of 51 on Tuesday night, that lifting my chin up was probably responsible for all my scalded wedge shots. In yesterday's career round, I kept my butt out, but let my head return to its more comfortable position, more in line with my spine angle. That worked!

More importantly, I made a rather obvious discovery when I was practicing my putting last Sunday. It's something most golfers already do, but I never tried it. I've always tried to keep an image in my mind of the desired path the ball will travel when I putt. I'm a path putter and go by feel once I'm over the ball. But with the hole as the eventual target, I think I unconsciously start the ball on a line more towards the hole instead of the path's apex.

Instead, after reading a putt, I'm now picking a very specific spot on the green or blade of grass that is located in line with the apex and is just before or past the hole based on slope or speed. Now when I putt, I let go entirely of where the hole is and simply maintain an image of that spot in my mind and commit to it when I take the putter back. I then succeed in starting the ball on the correct line, and assuming I read the break correctly, the ball just drops in the hole!

I know what you're thinking, "duh, you could have figured that out a long time ago if you'd just take a lesson!" I guess I'm just stubborn and like to experiment and figure it out the hard way!

Anyway, I really concentrated yesterday on just trusting my ability to putt to a very specific spot on the green and to let go of any attachment to making the putt. On all 18 greens, I putted exactly where I intended to, I just happened to misread a few breaks by a small amount.

I finished each nine with only 12 putts!

This is quite a breakthrough for me since I rarely come in with less than 34 putts. I'm the only 4 handicapper I know who putts more like a beginner! I depend entirely on hitting fairways and greens. If I miss a green, I nearly always 2-putt for bogie. If I hit a green, I usually 2-putt for par, but often 3-putt for bogie. An occasional lucky birdie is required to keep my score under control.

Yesterday, I only hit 6 fairways and 8 greens in regulation and managed 3 birdies with my 24 putts! The last time I shot 71 on this course - nearly 8 months ago - I hit 15 greens and 12 fairways with 4 birdies and a whopping 34 putts!

It was simply an amazing round. I had four quality birdie opportunities inside 10 feet and only missed one. I only failed to get up and down for par on 2 holes. I hit 2 extraordinary lob shots to within tap-in distance. One was a blind shot over a mound to the upper tier of a downhill sloping green. I heard others in my foursome sigh after my ball reached the green. I thought their reaction was because I'd almost succeeded in keeping the ball on the upper tier - a nearly impossible outcome - but that it barely rolled down to the bottom tier, 4 feet below. When I walked towards the green, I learned I'd nearly holed the shot, finding the ball inches from the hole!

After birdies on 5, 6, and 11 and a single bogie on 9, I walked up to the 16th tee only 2-under. One of the guys in my foursome - a major league baseball pitcher who recently retired after returning too quickly to play after elbow surgery - asked me if I knew I was currently 2-under. I did of course know, but had succeeded in paying little attention to my score up to this point. His comment inadvertantly removed me from the "zone" I was in and I double-bogied the easy 16th. I immediately realized what had happened and got back to my detached shot-at-a-time routine and nearly birdied 17, barely misreading the putt. Then on 18 I came up a little short on my approach, but nearly holed my chip. Pars on 17 and 18 gave me my career tying round of 71!

I was seriously close to putting the clubs away for a month or two after Tuesday night, but had already committed to playing the next day. As a friend shared after the round, "the Golf Gods suckered me back in big time."

Labels: Monarch Dunes, Putting, Rounds, Self Coaching

My perseverance with putting paid off yesterday. I shot my first par round ever at Monarch Dunes Golf Course!


Monarch Dunes 15th by Aidan Bradley

As I shared last week, I've struggled with my putting over the past few weeks and have felt that my putting really hasn't improved since I started playing golf. I decided it was time to take action.

I spent time putting in my living room last week and immediately became aware that I was thinking too much. Instead of focusing only on the target and intended path, as I do before striking the ball, I realized I was thinking about things like taking the putter back slowly, taking the putter back on a straight line, and following through down the line I'd chosen. I also noticed that I decelerated through the ball when I was indecisive about the break, or when I lost my focus on the hole due to letting my mind think about the mechanics of the putting stroke.

It occurred to me then that I should try putting the way I take a snapshot in hockey, taking the club or stick back a short distance and then accelerating through the shot. I gave it a try. I focused on the hole, took the putter back slowly, then confidently stroked the ball down the line towards the hole. Right away I noticed a difference. Everything about my stroke felt better. I became confident with this putting stroke after only a little practice.

As if life was confirming my newfound (and rather obvious) discovery, I then received a comment to my recent post about my putting struggles from a reader, Alexis, who shared what she had learned in a lesson that helped her improve. She was instructed to "make sure your backswing is shorter than the follow-through. You should tell the ball where to go, by hitting it, instead of letting the putter head fall on the ball."

I got a chance to try out her advice over the weekend in my monthly Men's Club tournament. I noticed a vast improvement. Although I made a couple poor lag putts down the stretch due to some competitive pressure, I didn't miss a single short putt. I even made a 40-foot putt for eagle on the par 5 ninth! I finished with a respectable 5-over 77.

Yesterday, I got another chance to try out my new "snapshot" putt. My weekend golf partner had the day off work and asked if I'd play. I invited another friend who I play with during the week to join us. This was the first time I'd played a round with both my weekend and weekday partners, and the first time they'd met.

The windy round got off to a good start with 4 straight pars and a birdie on the par 3 fifth. My ball striking and putting felt solid. On the par 5 sixth, I missed my only fairway of the round, landing in a eucalyptus grove along the right side of the fairway. My only feasible shot was to aim between two large trees and try to carry a large lake to get back to the fairway. This would leave me an easy approach to get on in three. I hit a perfect 5-wood through the trees and carried the lake with 10 yards to spare. My wedge from 105 yards in landed about 15 feet past the hole. I made the putt for my second birdie in a row.

My good fortune ended on the par 4 seventh. I hit a good drive, but it faded slightly and a strong crosswind carried the ball over the fairway into a large tree. The ball luckily bounced 90 degrees left back into the fairway, loosing only distance. My approach from there landed the green about 15 feet from the pin, leaving me a decent chance for my third birdie in a row. I got the putt to the hole, but it ran about 2-3 feet past. I was left with a breaking downhill putt for par. I hit it firm to take out the break, but lipped out and ended up 4 feet below the hole. I missed the return putt and ended up 4-putting for double bogie. Instead of getting to 3-under, I was back to even. I learned a valuable lesson though - to aim inside the cup on a firm putt within 3 feet. I had aimed right at the edge of the cup, thinking it would at least break a fraction of an inch. A costly lesson.

I put it behind me and made a good par on eight and bogied nine to end the front 1-over. Even though I recorded 18 putts on the front, I putted well other than the 4-putt on seven. The ninth was the first green I missed in regulation. I landed the front of the green from 175 yards out, but it still rolled off the back.

I saved par on the long par 4 tenth, playing especially hard yesterday into a strong wind off the coast. I then parred the next 4 holes as well. On fourteen, I duffed my 3-wood off the tee, but hit it far enough to land the beginning of the fairway, leaving me 200 yards out. I hit my hybrid to about 12 feet and sunk the putt for my first birdie on the back. I was back to even!

After another par on fifteen, I hit a 300 yard drive on the short sixteenth to 50 yards out and made par. I followed that with my best drive of the day on the 480 yard par 5 seventeenth to 170 yards out - a 310 yard drive! I then struck a 6-iron to the edge of the green and rolled up left of the pin and 2-putted for birdie. Now 2-under on the back, I teed up on eighteen at 1-under for the round, my best ever round after seventeen.

I hit decent drive and left myself inside a full sand wedge to the green. But I duffed the approach shot so badly, the ball only traveled about 10 yards! I got on with one more try and nearly sank a 15 footer for par, but ended with bogie. I had shot my first-ever even par round at Monarch Dunes, lowering my index to an all-time low of 3.7!

This was not only one of my best ever rounds striking the ball, it was without doubt one of my strongest rounds putting. I made 4 birdie putts and only missed one short putt, which lipped out. For the first time I can remember, I felt relaxed and confident over every putt. What a breakthrough!

Thanks again to those of you who shared your valuable putting tips in my previous post!

Labels: Awareness, Disciplines, Monarch Dunes, Perseverance, Putting, Rounds

My recent progress in lowering my index-to 4 is largely a result of improved putting. My scores are getting lower and more consistent - I've scored between 77 and 79 in my last 7 rounds at my home course - even though many parts of my game remain inconsistent at times. Making more putts has increased my number of birdies which help offset those ongoing double or triple bogies, and has helped me save countless pars and bogies. This new confidence with my putting keeps me open to the possibility that I can score good rounds even after shooting a string of poor shots.



Fred Shoemaker in Extraordinary Putting says to consider "that the way you are in putting is the way you are in chipping, is the way you are in your full swing, is the way you are with your family, in your business, in life… Imagine that putting can show us our relationship to learning, how our actions and behavior are shaped by our point of view, how we view and relate to our body, and how the depth of our awareness is the only thing that will develop us. Putting can show us the assumptions and beliefs that we have come to take for granted. It can reveal the interference - the doubt and fear that stop us everywhere in life. It can also show the genius of our body and provide a pathway to performance and enjoyment that we can take to any part of the game, or to any situation in life... Consider the possibility that you may be far more able than you think and that when you let go of self-interference and increase your awareness, you will see exceptional ability emerge."

I've definitely found evidence that my strengths and weaknesses on the green are similar to ones I'm aware of in other parts of my life. Time will tell if my efforts to address these putting weaknesses and to find my own body's "inner genius" - to open up this pathway to performance and enjoyment through increased awareness - will translate to the rest of my game, and life.

Regardless, my increased awareness, resulting from being focused in the present moment, has transformed my putting from the worst part of my game into a part I am confident in and can depend on. I can actually now say that I love putting!

Labels: Awareness, Books, Extraordinary Putting, Fred Shoemaker, Putting