Finally getting some warmer weather this week, only a couple more until the season starts. I'm really starting to look forward to trying some of this stuff. I think my reasonable goal is to somehow accomplish each task once during the season. (I ended last year as an 8)

Thanks again for sharing this, it's been fun to think about.

Thanks - I look forward to your feedback when you get a chance to give it a shot! If you're an 8, you should be able to knock most out pretty quickly - some will be pretty easy, some will be difficult, but then you know what areas to focus on when you practice!

Good luck - let me know what you think when you try it!

warming up here too. tons of flooding to come unfortunately.

anyway, i have read that the difference between guys who can really play (pga and nationwide for argument's sake) and the 10's of thousands of guys who look awesome hitting balls on the range is consistency of hand position. i think these drills will really help with that (maybe in conjunction with lessons at the same time)

I made 25 of 25 3 footers and 25 20 footers inside 3 feet (actually 2 feet) last night, easy game. This was on carpet of course :P

I failed miserably trying to hit 25 3-footers in a row. Most of my misses are to the left (I am right-handed). I think that it might be an alignment issue. I have a hard time getting my feet, hips, shoulders all lined up on my target line. Is this common? What can I do to make sure I am lined up correctly?

Ok Listen "Rob' or whatever your name is....you can take your &%%&% practice routine and shove it str8 u know where....

Strutted out onto the putting green with the confidence of a champion today as my club opened to 70 degree weather....Didn't care about the aeration holes either because i was feeling it..

25 3 footers were just money....so sick. I am just the greatest ever.

Lags from 20 feet? Please...No problem on the first try.

Lags from 30 feet? Bricked a few tries then ran great on the 4th attempt....yawn. Already preparing for the chips....

Lags from 45 feet? What's an extra 15 feet anyway?... missed # 4, then missed #16, then Missed #11.. then missed #17...then had to rest because my back was hurting...then missed #9, then missed #4....then wife texts me "where the f are u ...u were supposed to be home 30 mins ago..." Then I turn off phone....missed #15....thenn # 11...Then went...18/18.....and....rolled one off the green.

Hope you die really.

fdasjgfjasdgfjhsgfjhsgfjksgfjsgfjsgfjsdgfjsdgjfsgd jhfsgdjkfgsdfgsdkfsgd

THIS FOR GODS SAKE KDSHFHSKFHKHSDFHSKAF

end rant/ f golf etc.

This happened to me too. I was making only about 7/10 3 footers and never got more than 15 in a row. Granted I was going around in a circle and not putting from the same spot.

fwiw I started 6 months ago and only broken 90 a couple times >20 handicap.

sheets got it right. f golf f this f-in game f

I'm assuming you're referring to hand position at impact - if so, I would agree that is a big difference between your average player & tour player. I probably wouldn't say it's the biggest difference, but the hand position of a tour player is usually further forward at impact than of that of an average player. I believe the one thing every player is searching is consistency, and, yes, the tour players have more of that than everyone else. Repetition will certainly help consistency, but it's more important to practice repetition properly!

Hopefully, the drills will give you some improvement - and, yes, I'd advise taking some lessons in the process - if you need some suggestions finding a good professional in your area, let me know!

Hey, it's still practice, right? What do you think tour players are doing in their hotel rooms at night? Keep up the good work - it will pay off this summer!

Sweet - my first death wish on this forum!

Ouch. Maybe try to do 15/20, or hit all your approaches inside 30 feet. Personally, I'd blame it on my wife texting when I'm in the middle of doing something of major importance! Spouses just don't understand we can't be bothered in these situations - dinner can wait!

Exactly.

I wouldn't stress about your alignment as much as I would focus on your putter face. If you're missing left, the putter face is aiming to the left at the point of contact. Most times I see a player missing left on putts, it's because there's a breakdown of the left wrist, usually caused by the right hand pushing too much. Try hitting 10-15 putts with your left hand only, getting the feeling that the back of the left wrist remains pretty flat & that the left arm is pulling the putter through the stroke. If you feel like you're already doing this pretty well, I'd check your ball position to make sure it's not too far forward - under your left eye is a pretty good starting point. There's a couple other things that could cause the putts to miss left consistently, but without seeing your stroke it's difficult to say if those would be the problem. Start with the face & check ball position.

If you want to work on your alignment, an easy way to match everything up is to grip your putter & stand straight up (putter will be parallel to the ground in front of your body, elbows on your side), just stand there for a couple seconds & relax - like you were talking to a friend - your shoulders, hips, & feet will naturally align - now just bow from the hips. You don't stand & talk to someone w/your shoulders/hips open, so getting into a relaxed position then bowing to the ball should help you feel more aligned.

Try it out & keep me posted. If you're still having issues, after you check the face & ball position, let me know & I'll be happy to give you some other ways to square the face.

You're off to a good start! Maybe set the threshold a little lower - go for 15/20 & work your way up to 25/25. Working your short game will go a long way for you breaking 90 consistently & reaching your potential. I can't stress how important lag putting & making the short putts that follow are to improving your score, so keep after it - it gets easier after a couple weeks of practice.

That's why golf is a 4-letter word, right?

Interesting discussion.
The concept of this routine is invaluable.

The best "lesson" I ever received was from Mike Shannon a hundred years ago when I was in college.
Went to him because I wanted to improve short game.
He watched me hit a few putts, chips, pitches, and bunker shots without comment.
I want instruction! Speak up!

Finally he says, "Here's what I want you to do. Every day, make 50 3footers in a row, 10 6footers in a row. Chip until you hole one. Pitch until you hole one. And then hit bunker shots until you hole one. Come back to me in a week and let's re-evaluate."

He called it a production schedule!

After doing this a while I had more confidence in my short game than ever before. Had a different perspective on the shots, and my scores were much better.

I would recommend, however, tweaking it to fit your needs and time constraints.
Things I learned from it:
It greatly adds purpose and pressure to your practice, which is great.
Hitting putt after putt from same spot is bad on the back and the green.
Confidence soars on the course when you can think,"I made xx in a row" .
When you hit a 100 bunker shots with one goal, to hole it, guess what will be going through your mind when you have a bunker shot during the round?

Tweak it.
I prefer shorter goals, done more often.
For short putts, I like to put 4 tees surrounding the hole at 2 ft., 3 ft., and 4 ft. Start by making all 4 2 footers (confidence builder), then 3 ft. and 4 ft.
If you miss start over.
Very simple, but adds the variation of break, keeps you moving, and I can do it once or a dozen times depending on how much practice time I have.

Mix it up.
Have a mini-routine with goals before a round (maybe 3 successful lags, 3 wedges on green, one chip in from as easy a chip as you can find, and three 3 footers in a row.
And have a marathon routine for days you want to push your will to the limit.

One other thing I found important:
once you make a bunker shot, stop. Move on to something else. Leave that image in your mind.
Quoting my Dad, "Never leave the gym unless you've made your last shot."

Achieve and leave!

Jtrout,

Thanks for the feedback/comments! Where did you play in college? I've known & worked with Mike for years - met him when he was at Old Waverly & then reconnected when he was at Montgomery CC & I was in B'ham. I see him a couple times/year now when I'm at Sea Island.

Tried this for the first time the other day. Sunk my first 11 from 3 feet before missing. My thought process the whole time was "there's no way I'll make 25, I'm going to miss one of these" lol. The more I practice the sooner this mentality will go away though, which is kinda the point.

Then I started over and missed #7, then some dad came on the green with 3 kids under age 5 who were loud so I gave up and tried lag putting and seemed to do better at this. I think I made 12 in a row then my 13th I hit way too soft and it went maybe 12 feet lol. Kids were still running around the place so I gave up and went and hit balls.

I, too, was only missing my short putts to the left so I probably am using too strong of a right hand. Also I may need to hit the ball a bit harder and some of these left turns at the end might not have a chance of happening.

On a 3'-0" putt, how far past the hole should you aim for? 6"-12" ? I want to hit them firm enough.

Am playing 18 today in 90 minutes at one of the nicest public courses in the area. Super excited, will be playing with my 60 year old dad. I wish I wasn't a hack.

Yep, soon it will be - I can't believe I missed one!

Yeah, check the face, to make sure it's not closing too fast. Another good drill is to hit some putts from inside 2 feet without taking a backswing - if you're closing the face too fast you'll definitely see & feel it! Try to roll the ball into the hole keeping the face square. Don't go beyond 2 - 2 1/2 feet though.

Try to get it to hit the back of the cup & fall in on an uphill putt - on a downhill putt, try to roll it over the front edge - don't think about how far past - that means you're thinking about missing - not making it!

You're so lucky! I'd give anything in the world to play one more round w/my Dad. He died when I was in college, and never got to see me turn pro. I think about our rounds together everyday. I'd probably shoot 150 & take 6 1/2 hours to play just to make it last. Enjoy a great day w/your dad & I hope you play great!

played at ole miss.
First met Mike when he was at Tupelo CC, then Old Waverly.
Went over to visit him at Montgomery CC, and he showed me what he was doing with putting fitting. Haven't seen him in long time.
Great guy, and he helped me out many times when I was in H.S., college, and afterward.

I was afraid you were going to say Ole Miss - what years? I did time in Starkville '92-94. I teach a very talented girl who just committed to Ole Miss. I'm excited for her, but I joke that I won't wear the hat she gave me until she wins an AJGA or a college event - & then I'll only wear it for a very short time!

I'll tell Mike you said "Hello" - btw, what's your name?

Lan Gooch, class of '88

Nice - just missed you. I'm assuming you were there w/Chip Sullivan? I see him at some Taylormade events each year, and I know he was a Rebel around the same time.

Tried the 3 footers 2 more times and hit about 200 each time. Was making 22-23/25 but never was able to string 20+ together. I stepped way closer to the ball after reading that the ball placement should be under the left eye and I think it definitely helped with alignments for short putts. The lag putts weren't too bad for me since I was hitting from the same spot but the chippng was a whole different story

That's some great improvement in a short time! I believe you said you just picked up the game recently, so getting 22/25 putts will really help lower your score! Spend a little time on the chipping next time you practice, and if you need any advice/help with the technique, let me know! I can't wait to see your post with a new career low score soon!

Golf is cruel....

Went back for more punishment sat and picked up where I left off with the 45 foot lagtards...

MADE 4 out of the first 15 hahahahaha...Then bricked the 16th 10 feet short, but gave myself extra credit for the 4 makes and considered it completed. (cheater tho!).

Forgot the order so I went to the bunker...10/10 out no problem, but 6/10 inside flag stick wasnt happening...so I called it a day....

and the golf gods speak....it has been snowing all morning hahahahahah.

Hey, anyone you can recommend around Boston?