Gettin' Better . . .

[bambam]

They make contacts now for folks with astigmatism. Maybe those will help?

Yep, I've got some. I usually get through about 16 holes before my allergies make them unbearable I haven't checked the laser correction stuff lately to see if that helps astigmatism now; it didn't used to.

[mrodock]

Bucket

With regards to your eyes and putting, make sure you know which one is "dominant". This may have a bearing on your short putt concerns.

As you know N.B.III putts both ways; he worked for years to make sure his eyes are of equal strength.

Overkill,

So my dominant eye is my left, what would you recommend I do in my routine and or setting up for a putt? I've heard a couple of different theories.

Thanks!

Matt

[mrodock]

1. Learn to develop a pattern eliminating the two-way miss . . . hit more fairways.

2. Pick good SPECIFIC targets. Be aggressive when appropriate.

3. Learn to hit higher pitch shots when necessary.

4. The worst thing I say about my putting from now on is, "I'm putting good, but I'm not making as many as I would like."

5. Do some putting "compass" drills to get better on short putts.

6. Get my eyes checked.

7. "turn of the brain. turn on the game." Try easy not try hard.

8. Practice my alignment on the range and forget about it on the course.

9. Have a big enough set to "let the motion make the shot."

10. Focus ONLY on things I can control . . . not crap I can't.

11. Have fun. Play each shot as an isolated event.

12. Learn how far I hit each club.

13. Define each shot. Use images.

14. Do mechanics practice at home in net. Do "golf" simulation on range.

Is this a decent start?

#15 Manipulate your childrens so that they love golf and you can play more often

[Overkill]

Overkill,

So my dominant eye is my left, what would you recommend I do in my routine and or setting up for a putt? I've heard a couple of different theories.

Thanks!

Matt

M

Thanks for the interest, my left is also my dominant eye; which I believe is a real plus if you a putting right handed.

A couple of questions/// where are your misses and what is your ball position?

[12 piece bucket]

#15 Manipulate your childrens so that they love golf and you can play more often

I just put 'em on e-bay.

[mrodock]

M

Thanks for the interest, my left is also my dominant eye; which I believe is a real plus if you a putting right handed.

A couple of questions/// where are your misses and what is your ball position?

I have my feet about 10 inches apart and the ball about 2 inches inside the left heel. I tend to align about 4 in. to the left for every 10 feet. I have my eyes directly over the ball. In spite of aligning to the left, I will miss putts a bit to the right when I make a bad stroke. I recently switched from a face-balanced mallet to a Scotty Cameron 1.5 so I am starting to release the putter more easily.

[Overkill]

I have my feet about 10 inches apart and the ball about 2 inches inside the left heel. I tend to align about 4 in. to the left for every 10 feet. I have my eyes directly over the ball. In spite of aligning to the left, I will miss putts a bit to the right when I make a bad stroke. I recently switched from a face-balanced mallet to a Scotty Cameron 1.5 so I am starting to release the putter more easily.

M

I am not a teacher, nor do I want to be; nevertheless, for what it is worth I am happy to give you my thougths from my own experience and from what I have seen on Tour over the last 10 years.

First, I believe that putting is all about 'feel'. In reading your response my first reaction is that you may be away too mechanical. Most Pros that I know set up over the ball so they are comfortable and stance wise, that is all they are concerned about.

Two things however, that they are concerned about is that the putter face is pointed where they think it is and that there is no tention in their arms or hands (soft hands). To make sure my hands are soft, I slide my hands up and down the grip and then apply just enough pressure so that I can pick the putter up before I stroke the ball. With the putter face, have someone work with you to make sure you are pointed where you think you are.

Being left eye dominent, I like that you have the ball forward; I like to have my left eye over the ball, not my eyes. Also, My stroke tends to be mainly straight back and through and therefore I like a face balanced weapon. I use S.C.'s Red X. However, if you like a stroke which opens and closes then I believe a toe heavy putter is better.

Now, with this next statement you may think that I have really lost it; but I do not know nor do I care what my stroke really looks like. H B says I don't care because I'm a good putter; I don't want to know because I do not want to be thinking about it. All I want to think about is putting the ball into the hole; all I care about is that the ball starts on the line I intended it to. The last Tourn I played with H B, I had 11 one putts and 25 putts for the round; won my flight by 5 shots.

Here are some drills that I do which help me with 'feel'. Feel for the stroke and feel for where the putter is. Some of the best putters I know on Tour use them to tune up their strokes.

First, putt 3'rs with your sand wedge until you can make at least 5 (10 is better) in a row. Hold it like a putter and stroke the ball with the leading edge. This will take any 'hit' that you may have out of your stroke.

Second, using your putter, putt 4'rs with your eyes closed and call your putts; push, pull or straight. When you consistantly call them right, then you have a feel for where the putter face is at impact. You will soon get to like how good the straight ones 'feel'.

Now, find a five foot putt that is straight and with 5 balls start stroking sets of 5 until you can make at least 90 out of 100. This will give flow to your stroke and chase away any tension. If you miss more than two in a row go back the sand wedge.

In a former life, I played semi-pro basketball and I like to relate putting to free throws. You looked at the rim and you let it go, if mechanics got in the way, you were done.

Have fun

[mrodock]

M

I am not a teacher, nor do I want to be; nevertheless, for what it is worth I am happy to give you my thougths from my own experience and from what I have seen on Tour over the last 10 years.

First, I believe that putting is all about 'feel'. In reading your response my first reaction is that you may be away too mechanical. Most Pros that I know set up over the ball so they are comfortable and stance wise, that is all they are concerned about.

Two things however, that they are concerned about is that the putter face is pointed where they think it is and that there is no tention in their arms or hands (soft hands). To make sure my hands are soft, I slide my hands up and down the grip and then apply just enough pressure so that I can pick the putter up before I stroke the ball. With the putter face, have someone work with you to make sure you are pointed where you think you are.

Being left eye dominent, I like that you have the ball forward; I like to have my left eye over the ball, not my eyes. Also, My stroke tends to be mainly straight back and through and therefore I like a face balanced weapon. I use S.C.'s Red X. However, if you like a stroke which opens and closes then I believe a toe heavy putter is better.

Now, with this next statement you may think that I have really lost it; but I do not know nor do I care what my stroke really looks like. H B says I don't care because I'm a good putter; I don't want to know because I do not want to be thinking about it. All I want to think about is putting the ball into the hole; all I care about is that the ball starts on the line I intended it to. The last Tourn I played with H B, I had 11 one putts and 25 putts for the round; won my flight by 5 shots.

Here are some drills that I do which help me with 'feel'. Feel for the stroke and feel for where the putter is. Some of the best putters I know on Tour use them to tune up their strokes.

First, putt 3'rs with your sand wedge until you can make at least 5 (10 is better) in a row. Hold it like a putter and stroke the ball with the leading edge. This will take any 'hit' that you may have out of your stroke.

Second, using your putter, putt 4'rs with your eyes closed and call your putts; push, pull or straight. When you consistantly call them right, then you have a feel for where the putter face is at impact. You will soon get to like how good the straight ones 'feel'.

Now, find a five foot putt that is straight and with 5 balls start stroking sets of 5 until you can make at least 90 out of 100. This will give flow to your stroke and chase away any tension. If you miss more than two in a row go back the sand wedge.

In a former life, I played semi-pro basketball and I like to relate putting to free throws. You looked at the rim and you let it go, if mechanics got in the way, you were done.

Have fun

You are too cool Overkill, thanks so much this is extremely helpful! I am now glad my question was so vague, because you went far beyond what I was trying to ask: what is your opinion in how to use your dominant eye to align the putter.

Thanks again,

Matt

[mrodock]

Hey Bucket,

I know you aren't a hack, but there might be a lot we can learn from a guy that was a hack and shot 70 after a year: www.scratchtoscratch.com

[Overkill]

You are too cool Overkill, thanks so much this is extremely helpful! I am now glad my question was so vague, because you went far beyond what I was trying to ask: what is your opinion in how to use your dominant eye to align the putter.

Thanks again,

Matt

M

I think the most important thing is that you know. I also believe that those of us who are left eye dominant, putt right handed and are 'spot' putters, which I am, have a huge advantage. I pick a spot a foot or two in front of the ball that I want to roll the ball over; set up with my left eye over the ball and align the putter face with that spot. Even on short putts I don't just look at the cup, I pick a blade of grass, ball mark or other small mark between the ball and the cup.

I believe H B has already covered the importance of selecting a definitive target.

I also took note of something else about my putting while I was playing this morning. All these questions were making me think too much//////(not really); what I noticed is that once I align the putter face to my spot, I don't look up again (move my head). I have a picture of the putt in my head, I align the putter to my spot and I let it go. I believe that, once you are set, if you turn your head to look at the line or the hole, the tendency will be to open the putter face.

This can be real problem for right eye dominant people because they have to turn their heads much more than we do to see the line.