Apr
23
2008
Do you remember that one day that you had the best round of your life? Remember that day? Remember that day that you played and didn’t think about your score for the first 12 holes and then realized that you were on pace to have the best round of your life?
Of course you do, everyone remembers that one great round. But do you remember what you did to have that great round? If you don’t you should try to use a journal.
Many pros have used journaling after practice sessions, played rounds, and tournaments for a long time. That is one of the things that separates them from amateurs. They keep track of every little thing. Wind, temperature, playing conditions, feelings, equipment, they keep track of everything. When they have a good round they can look back and see why they had that good round. When they are in a slump they can look at their journal and see what they were doing before to get out of it. When they want to analyze their game they have a manual to do so.
If you want to get better you should get a journal too. Write down what you have done in your round. Write down what you have done for practice. How did you feel, what were the conditions, what is the shape of your equipment, what ball did you use, everything. Just journal everything at first, you will figure out what to write and what not to write before too long.
If you want to know what a journal can do for you check out the most famous journal in golf, Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf
. The story goes that he had a red notebook with him everywhere he went. He wrote down every teaching and practice session that he had, and out of it came not only some of the greatest golfers in history such as Tom Kite, and Ben Crenshaw, but an insightful commentary on golf and life. It is a great read and you can get it here.
It does not take long to do so give it a try. What do you have to lose?
Apr
16
2008
“Putting is more mental than physical. Good Putting is mental balance where you make a decision that is not guessing. Feel at ease, lack worry, and no guessing as you hit the ball.”
Walter Hagen - American Golfer Magazine 1929
Walter Hagen our first inductee into the Good Putting Hall of Fame. I am sure if he were hear to accept the award he would be highly honored.
We can teach you all the physical parts of putting, but none of it matters unless you get the mental side down. A well struck putt after a lot of planning can still miss if the stroke is not a confident one.
I am convinced that all the putts that I make that are of any significant length are made because I know without a doubt exactly how to hit the putt and how to aim it.
On the other side I am convinced that every putt I miss I am not totally convinced and at ease that I know exactly what is going to happen.
There are a lot of putts that all golfers take that are a bit of an educated guess. I think that if you talk to poor putters they would say that most putts are an educated guess, and the pros make a lot because they are lucky. Pros do not make most of their putts because they are lucky. They make them because they make an educated decision and make a confident stroke.
What can you take from this? Practicing will make you a more confident putter. With practice you will gain confidence in your reads, and in your putting motion.
Once you get on the green take a simple stroke, and just trust yourself. You are probably already a better putter than you think.
Apr
09
2008
The key to good putting is not making 3 foot putts but making 6 foot putts. This will be a theme repeated here many times. You have to be very good at 6 foot putts to be a good putter.
Why?
Lets start with short putts. If you concentrate on making 3 foot putts then what happens outside of three feet? It feels like a completely different putt doesn’t it. Well it did for me. So I decided to practice making 4 foot putts. Then 5 foot putts. Then 6 foot putts.
With putts that are 6 foot and under 85% of the time you can simply line them up and putt inside the hole. By that I mean that most likely there is not a break that will cause you to line your putt up so that you are aiming outside the hole. All putts should aim for the inside of the hole. At 6 foot if you have to hit the ball harder to power through a break and miss you will not be left with a long putt.
Medium putts. With the confidence of being able to make 6 foot putts you can be more aggressive. I have seen many players with a 15 foot putt that lag it up there because they are afraid of having a longer than 3 foot putt. But if you are good at 6 foot putts then who cares if you miss a 15 footer. You will always be able to make the comeback. If you are worried about 3 foot putts then you are worried about missing a 15 footer by too much.
Long putts. Lagging a 30 foot putt to within 3 feet is difficult, even for good putters. Again being confident with 6 foot putts lets you be more aggressive with long putts. I would not expect to make more than 10% of putts that are 25 feet or longer, but at least you can give them a chance.
See Around the World 6 foot drill for a good way to practice 6 foot putts.
http://www.goodputting.com/blog/2008/03/26/around-the-world-6-feet/
Coach Kip
Apr
02
2008
Difficulty Level: Pro
So are you ready to get out and play yet. April 15th always seemed to be the day that we started playing in Northern Michigan. For most of you in the US you are already playing and battling through those spring conditions.
Here is another great drill that I do all year long to help my game. Again it is a little putting drill that not only gets you to groove your putting stroke, but it also puts pressure on you. It is a very simple drill.
You will need 10 balls.
I start with the first ball about 3 feet from the hole. After that line up each ball in a straight line about 1 and a half to two feet apart. I like to line them up far enough apart so that the next ball does not interfere with the putting stroke.
Doing this will put you about 20 feet from the hole.
Here is the drill. Putt each ball into the hole one after another. If you miss one, then take all the balls out of the hole and start again.
Have you ever had a 20 foot putt to win a hole? How about a 20 foot putt to win a match? How about a 20 foot putt just to make bogie? How do you know that you can make it?
Use this drill and you will see that a 20 foot putt is not impossible to make. Make sure that you have some time set aside for this drill. Sometimes it can take a little while to finish.
Good luck and Good Putting.
Coach Kip
