[JLahrman]

Chip, I agree.  We are talking about playing before a round here, but when I actually practice putting (if I practice putting) I spend all my time between 3-10 feet and 40 feet and over.  Making the ten footers and under and not three-putting is the goal.  To me it makes little sense to practice 20 foot putts.

[Mike Wagner]

Sean,

You replied to Jordan with "Learn how to spin it" in his thread.  To me this implies you've got things absolutely nailed, and you're asking about pre-round putting routines???

[john_stiles]

Using the long shaft of my belly putter,  I make sure the cheater line is nice and straight on the golf balls. Then, I check my batteries, and shoot the distance, and putt a couple of long putts. Then to the first tee.

Otherwise, I hit in order about a 30 footer, then 20, then 10 and then repeat in reverse a 10, 20, 30 and  repeat with my 35 year old Ping.  Then I putt about a half dozen 3 and 6 footers.  Also always hit a few short putts that break right, or slice, for me.  A putt that bothers me at times.  About 15 minutes.

[Brent Hutto]

I don't believe in practicing before a round, putting or full swing. If I'm going to work on something, it's either after the round is over or at home. Before the round the goal is to warm up. My handicap is 22. Now that I've got that off my chest...

I roll two or three putts in each direction the length of the practice green to get a feel for speed. If possible I also hit a  couple of putts from the fringe to a spot on the practice green to get a feel for the fringe. I also try to find at least one or two big-breaking putts of about 20 feet to get a fell for combining line and pace.

Then I put a tee in the ground and hit it with two or three straight 18" putts to get myself in the habit of aiming at a small target.

Then I go play. If I have time to kill before teeing off I'd rather chip at the chipping green than hang around putting for more than 10 minutes or so. As Sean mentioned, too much bending over the putter is murder on my low back.

[Jay Flemma]

16 handicap.

I do the "circle of death" where I find the cup with the most severe slope, place six balls in a circle two putter-lengths away, and go around and around and around...usually for 30 minutes.

Then I hit some looooooong ones.

[Dan Moore]

My putting improved quite a bit when I focused my practice and warm-up mostly on making 3-5 footers.  I feel if my aim and alignment is right on those it will be right from longer away too.  To warm up for a round I'll hit 25-30 in the 3-5 foot range until I'm consistently making them--good for the confidence.  Then I hit  a few longer putts, enough to get a good feel for the speed and distance.  Then I go back to a few short ones to recalibrate aim and alignment and I'm ready for the first tee.    

[cary lichtenstein]

My practice routine almost never varies:

3-6 40 footers-I try to hit these in different directions
3-6 20 footers-ditto
3    10 footers
3      5 footers
3      3 footers

This gives me a sense of the grain and speed.

When I was younger and had a better back, I would work on my putting for 20 minutes, but age caught up with me.
 

[Bill_McBride]

We have the smaller "Do the Drill" cups cut into our practice green by the first tee, and I have found it very helpful to practice 2' and then 3' and 4' putts to that tiny hole.  I find that making putts into that mini cup make me more confident when I am on the course.

Of course that disappears after a few holes.......

[igrowgrass]

Sean,

You replied to Jordan with "Learn how to spin it" in his thread.  To me this implies you've got things absolutely nailed, and you're asking about pre-round putting routines???

Enjoy the humor when you can.

[Mike Wagner]

Got it.  

[jeffwarne]

2-3 Budweisers if I have time,
otherwise I simply press if I'm down once I've ingested the proper amount of swing oil.

I do stretch my back however.

You guys don't really spend 20 minutes practicing putting...
do you???
Do  you really read grain???

I've got so much to learn.

[Andy Doyle]

First, I'll take 2 balls and roll 2-4 putts across a fairly level part of the green. I don't putt towards a hole, but will try to stop the ball as close to the fringe as I can.  I do this to get a feel for the speed.  

Then I'll find a hole with some slope and putt a few from about 3 feet straight uphill, straight downhill, and a few from each side (left break, right break).  This helps me focus on my putting line/target.

Next I'll hit a few putts anywhere from 20-40 feet.  I like to finish with a couple more ~3 footers.  I like going to the first tee having made my last putt.

Current index is 10.0.  I would rather putt and chip before a round than hit balls on the range.  Even when I have time to hit balls, I rarely hit more than 10-15 (I'd rather save my little remaining knee cartilage for the course).  I can go through the basics of the routine above in less than 5 minutes; I'll just hit a few more of each if I have more time.

My rationale?  Putting is speed and line, and the first two things helps me with each of those components (somewhat separately).  The longer putts then puts those two things together.  With my iron play, I have a lot of 25-40 foot putts and I focus on keeping the ball close enough to avoid 3-putts.  Lastly, I like going to the first tee with the positive reinforcement of the ball going into the hole.  I putt with two balls because I like the instant reinforcement of being able to hit a good putt if you've hit the first one poorly.

I do like having a systematic approach instead of aimlessly putting at various holes on the practice green.

AD

[Bob Jenkins]

Firstly, I am very happy if I have time to practice putting before the adventure begins.

Secondly, I have often thought, while standing on the practice green, that if I asked Tiger Woods what was the toughest putt to make, his answer would be the "dead straight 3-4 foot putt". Make those and you can make anything. That makes sense to me. If I can consistently sink the straight 3-4 footers, only then could I hit something with a bend. Hence, I find a flat spot and do what I can to keep sinking those shorties.

The other approach, if I have not had time to go to the range, is to take some very long putts, just to get the feel.

I realize this has nothing to do with golf architecture but all of us who love golf architecture appreciate the approach to the practice green, so I thank Sean Leary for starting this thread. Only you could pull it off!

Regards, I am off to San Francisco tomorrow with my family, prepared to beg for time on the course. I am convinced that if I get up at 5 and get to a course by 6, return by 10, at the worst I will have missed breakfast. That will have to do.

 

[Richard Boult]

Handicap: 4

I try to get up and down from just off the green a few times with one ball, then try to 2-putt from distance with one ball. After I sink each putt, I might try a 3-4 footer.  I keep it random, like every round of golf.

[igrowgrass]

Sean;
I subscribe to the Dave Pelz putting philosophy which is that the pros make so few putts outside of 6-8 feet. As a result, your scoring improves by how many you successfully lag. My drill also requires me to make the short putts and if for some reason I leave one 6 feet short, which I tend to do at least once every 18 "holes", I get that practice in as well. What I also like about the drill is that it puts much more pressure on than just regular practice. When I get on the course during a match, I'm much more prepared to hit the putt than if I practiced without any pressure.

That is interesting becuase Mickelson (hes the biggest Pelz guy) is one of the people I created this theory from.  He tries to make 100 3 footers in a row while practicing and a bunch (not sure of the exact number) of putts from that distance before teeing off.

[ChipRoyce]

Sean;
I subscribe to the Dave Pelz putting philosophy which is that the pros make so few putts outside of 6-8 feet. As a result, your scoring improves by how many you successfully lag. My drill also requires me to make the short putts and if for some reason I leave one 6 feet short, which I tend to do at least once every 18 "holes", I get that practice in as well. What I also like about the drill is that it puts much more pressure on than just regular practice. When I get on the course during a match, I'm much more prepared to hit the putt than if I practiced without any pressure.

That is interesting becuase Mickelson (hes the biggest Pelz guy) is one of the people I created this theory from.  He tries to make 100 3 footers in a row while practicing and a bunch (not sure of the exact number) of putts from that distance before teeing off.

A couple comments:
1) Pelz would say that you need to sink 95-100% of these putts to be competitive as a pro golfer. As a 10 handicap, I am fairly comfortable with these short putts and if you think about my drill, 50% of my putts (assuming I don't make them) are short putts under real world conditions (hit after a longer putt).
2) I think Mickelson's been doing this drill for years - only been with Pelz for a couple years, I believe.
3) Have you seen Lefty putt 3 footers under pressure? Needs all the help he can get.
4) Have you seen Lefty putt 3 footers under pressure? I can't say that this drill has been all that helpful

[Kalen Braley]

I focus on the 5-10 foot putts as I'm very comfortable with putts that are 4 feet and less.

Its those 5-10 footers that you have during the round when you are trying to scramble to save par that will make or break you IMO...

[Dan Kelly]

I mostly lag from 20-40 feet -- to find the speed.

I might hit a few from 5-15 feet, if there's time.

I never hit any shorter putts before a round. Since I went cross-handed about 10 years ago, I feel very confident of my short-putt stroke -- and don't miss many unless I misread them or they're speed putts with a bunch of break. Therefore, I feel pretty confident in my short putts. So the only thing that could happen if I practiced them before the round would be for me to miss a few and interfere with the confidence I have. (And I would, too, because I'm a major Head Case!)

Index 6.6.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Sean,

The 100 putts thing? He got it from Jackie Burke.

Mark

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