HELP! Need to stop leaving all my putts short:(

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By McKane K

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  • 15 Replies
  1. McKane K

    McKane K
    College station tx, TX

    this is driving me crazy 

  2. MMHarmon32

    MMHarmon32
    St Louis, MO

    Military

    McKane K said:

    this is driving me crazy 

    Leaving putts short (but on line) usually comes from a tentative stroke.  Trust that you have the line, and aim for the spot directly on the BACK of the cup, where you want the ball to lightly bounce OFF of on its way to the bottom of the cup. 

    On the practice green, start with two footers, hitting the back of the cup, and then move back to 4 feet, etc. 

  3. Chris Hatem

    Chris Hatem
    Boston

    You may be decelerating trying to "die" the ball into the hole, while that may seem nice if you're scared of pounding it past, you will wind up leaving most putts short and not making many at all. Instead take a shorter backstroke and be sure to accelerate through the ball. Try taking it back only half of what your normal stroke is, this is going to MAKE you have to accelerate through the stroke! good luck~
  4. Matt D

    Matt D
    Mahwah, NJ

    Whenever I leave putts short I always say to myself there is green behind hole (which most of the time there is.)  And I wont be afraid to pass it a foot or a foot and a half bye.

  5. Chris C

    Chris C
    Durham, NC

    i saw a drill on GC from Michael Breed that was great. it was just taking the putter with no backstroke and pushing the ball like a broom to the hole.

  6. Brandon B

    Brandon B
    Greenfield, MA

    Try picking a target about a foot behind the hole. Pretend like you are putting to that target and the hole will get in the way. Also, trust your stroke. If you are not sure about your stroke you will tend to leave it short. Also, practice on speed instead of line on putting green. it will help you align both together.

  7. Matt P

    Matt P
    Dublin, OH

    I take lessons from Crag Shankland, 2013-2014 Top 20 Teacher.  On putting he told me that the reason why my speed was inconsistent was because my putting stroke was the same for every length of putt.  Make sure that you are adjusting the length of your stroke for the length of the putt.  Will 100% make you more consistent.  Good luck!!

  8. Len J

    Len J
    Los Gatos, CA

    Leaving it short is frustrating for sure. The only way to get it dialed in is practice. I have heard some people split it up, 6 feet and in, then 20 plus - nothing in between. I think lag putting, long ones, medium ones. mix it up. I also like to do it with just 1 ball. Hitting it in the center of the clubface will give you a consistent roll. practice hitting it in the center by using just 1 ball and then going through your whole routine every shot. I think you'll get more out of that than hitting 10 in a row from one spot. If you change the shot every time, then you have to get the feel for longer or shorter - and you'll start reducing the ones left short too.

  9. John L

    John L
    Cumming, GA

    stick a tee parallel to the ground in the back of the cup and try to get the ball to hit that tee as it goes in

  10. Kali F

    Kali F
    Napa, CA

    I have a drill that I do: go to your practice green and set an alignment rod 3 ft past the hole. Putt 10 balls with the aim of getting Every ball past the hole. If you come up short with one ball, start again. If any ball goes over the rod, start again. Do this from different distances. Next, try this drill from greens of different speeds. This will give you the feel for pace. Lots of practice. Number one - never be afraid of going past the hole!! Confidence.
  11. Bomber3

    Bomber3
    Lake St Louis, MO

    Military

    McKane K said:

    this is driving me crazy 

    I think putting is what drives most of us crazy....

    Distance Control....what is the best way to get that feel.  Certainly all of the tips that have been posted so far can help and you may find that one of the drills listed works very well for you and that is the key, what works for you.  Like you, I struggled with distance control for a long time (long and short).  I finally came up with a way of practicing that works for me and that transfers to the course very well...I just practice with one ball and try to put every putt in the +/- 1 ft range (not always perfect, but a good target).  I don't hit the same putt twice and I hit putts that vary in length and break each time.  I also make the second putt regardless of the length.  Granted, I still have long & short days, but nothing like I had in the past.  I also find that being on the practice green alone helps (no distractions).  Actually, I was out this morning practicing....practice green all to myself!

  12. Jim H

    Jim H
    Fenton, MO

    Lots of good advice, which can be difficult to sort through and choose where to begin. There is one reply that makes the most sense to me....accelerate your through stroke...but there is also an element of trust you may have to overcome, that being the length of your backstroke on all putts....using the advice provided by the same person stating acceleration is key and varying your practice putt lengths will help you develop more trust as you see more and more putts drop....some people are very good at dying the ball at the hole but their read, and line, has to be perfect in most instances or the ball dies short...accelerating the stroke is some insurance against preventing that from occurring but trusting the length of your backstroke is critical to the correct amount of acceleration required to get the ball to the hole...otherwise you will likely decelerate and leave it short....so, let me suggest you first work on the amount of backswing in your stroke to gain confidence in the correct amount of acceleration...finally, light grip pressure, very light perhaps, creates improved feel for both the back and through swing...try lighter grip pressure too.
  13. Jonathan K

    Jonathan K
    Advance, NC

    I use the same idea with putting as with chipping. Estimate the amount of rollout and pick a specific target to land your ball on. If you concentrate on the hole it's almost impossible to get your speed correct. For instance if you have a 10 footer downhill, determine your line and expect some rollout (depending on the speed of the greens) and putt to that point which could be 2-3 feet short. Same goes for uphill putts; pick an point past the hole depending on the speed and slope of the green. Hope this helps.
  14. David T

    David T
    Grosse Pointe Farms, MI

    I know its "mechanical" but what works for me is to get on a flat part of the practice green and hit some putts where the putter goes from toe to toe. Do it from both directions a couple of times. This is now your "core" distance. Longer putts swing longer - shorter - swing shorter. As you look at the putt from the other side of the hole you can easily pace off the distance.

    I find when I do this for the 1st few holes distance control become automatic after a while.

  15. Sam R

    Sam R
    Swindon, Wiltshire

    I had a putting lesson this summer and the pro i went to has a putting stroke monitor (think trackman but for your putter with sensors that you attach to the face and shaft) and i learnt so much about my stroke it was unbelievable.

    One thing I learnt which reinforces what a lot of the guys have said is that your stroke should have a 2:1 tempo, with the through stroke being twice the speed of your back stroke.

  16. Guhbookie

    Guhbookie
    NJ

    I try to think of all my putts as par saving putts (including birdie looks) and that usually helps me get the ball past the hole. I don't like to think too much about mechanics or anything when I'm out on the course playing... so typically after I make my read, I just tell myself that this is to save par and that works for me. 

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