Good Putting Aids!

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Ricky1990

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Hi,

I practice golf alot, and I rather practice on the range and on the chipping area and putting green than going out on the course and doing 18 holes with nothing at stake, and social and fun golf doesent interest me. I only go on the course a few days before competition to get use to the greens and get a feel for the course!

Because I practice alot I have to make sure that I am improving every ball I hit and make sure im practicing with purpose!

Is there any good putting aids out there that every putt I hit with this aid I know im improving and will keep me interested because we all know how putting practice can become boring.

Is something as simple as this http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/product/product.asp?product_ID=1108 any good?

Cheers,
Ricky
 
D

Damon Lucas

Super Moderator
When you think about training aids like this one, you're not thinking too deeply about what you're trying to improve.

To 'fix' what this training aid purports to fix, you need to understand firstly how your shoulders work, then how your arms, hands, and putter fit, and work, in the type of stroke you wish to have.

All this type of training aid will do is compensate for the flaws your set up and shoulder motion produce.

Of course, you could ignore me, in which case two blocks of wood will do the job for 10 pounds less!!
 
D

Damon Lucas

Super Moderator
mrodock said:
The mirror enables you to check that your eyes are over the ball. Am I missing the question?
Click to expand...

No, you have it.
Do the eyes have to be over the ball though?
Is it an imperative?
What are the benefits, if so?
 
mrodock

mrodock

New
Some people are really dogmatic about it. I personally don't believe it is an imperative as there are plenty of great putters with their eyes outside the ball. I don't believe too many good putters have their eyes outside the ball however. It generally helps people line up when their eyes are directly over the target-line, the eyes in this case can actually be behind the ball as many prefer.
 
J

Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
MY training aid....

Prototype is in development. My training aid focuses on the plane of the putterhead and something else that NO OTHER putter training aid does that will significantly increase your chances of getting it in the hole.

Stay tuned for working prototypes come Spring of 2007. I will need testers and feedback. All chosen testers will have to sign confidentiality agreements

:D
 
mrodock

mrodock

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jim_0068 said:
MY training aid....

Prototype is in development. My training aid focuses on the plane of the putterhead and something else that NO OTHER putter training aid does that will significantly increase your chances of getting it in the hole.

Stay tuned for working prototypes come Spring of 2007. I will need testers and feedback. All chosen testers will have to sign confidentiality agreements

:D
Click to expand...

Put me on your list Jim.
 
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shootin4par

New
dave pelz has a good visual on his ten minutes a day to better putting about the importance of the eyes being directly over top of the ball. I have the eyeleing device and I woudl highly recommend that and dave pelz video
 
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Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
shootin4par said:
dave pelz has a good visual on his ten minutes a day to better putting about the importance of the eyes being directly over top of the ball. I have the eyeleing device and I woudl highly recommend that and dave pelz video
Click to expand...

And scotty cameron says the eyes should be just inside the ball. In reality IT DOESN'T MATTER.

You only need to do 2 things to put the ball on the line you're looking at (reading the break and speed is much harder to learn):

1) Putt on a straight plane line
2) hit the ball on the sweetspot
 
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grs

New
I don't have one but I have heard good things about the Whippy putter, I have the driver and 5-iron - bought those before I found this site, but I still use them on occasion and I can hit them better now that I undertand more about the swing. But anyway the putter seems like it would cure any chance of decelerating through the ball whichis a problem I fight when I'm not putting well.
 
J

Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
grs said:
I don't have one but I have heard good things about the Whippy putter, I have the driver and 5-iron - bought those before I found this site, but I still use them on occasion and I can hit them better now that I undertand more about the swing. But anyway the putter seems like it would cure any chance of decelerating through the ball whichis a problem I fight when I'm not putting well.
Click to expand...

GREAT PUTTING AID, highly reccomend.
 
D

Damon Lucas

Super Moderator
jim_0068 said:
And scotty cameron says the eyes should be just inside the ball. In reality IT DOESN'T MATTER.

You only need to do 2 things to put the ball on the line you're looking at (reading the break and speed is much harder to learn):

1) Putt on a straight plane line
2) hit the ball on the sweetspot
Click to expand...

I disagree with the absolute nature of your statement, Jim.
It does matter where your eyes are. It matters more that you have a straight gaze.

Why is it SO important to putt on a straight plane line? Especially with center shafted putters.
Did Bobby Locke? Crenshaw? Mickelson? Loren Roberts?
Is it because TGM says it's an imperative? Your own study of thousands of putters?
 
B

Brian Manzella

Administrator
Damon, remember, Jimmy plays for good guys ;)

Damon Lucas (homerson), a talented player and teacher, and a student and great friend of mine—as is Jim—is a great PUTTING instructor and a friend and an associate of Geoff Mangum' of PuttingZone.com

Tom Bartlett and myself, met and spent time with Geoff at last years PGA Show and he is a great putting teacher.

So guys, play nice, you play for the same team:

The Itallian Stallion Army.
 
J

Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
homersson said:
I disagree with the absolute nature of your statement, Jim.
It does matter where your eyes are. It matters more that you have a straight gaze.

Why is it SO important to putt on a straight plane line? Especially with center shafted putters.
Did Bobby Locke? Crenshaw? Mickelson? Loren Roberts?
Is it because TGM says it's an imperative? Your own study of thousands of putters?
Click to expand...

couple things:

1) I believe the plane line has to be straight to be a consistently great putter. Now that "straight line" can be pointing 10-20-30* right/left of a "square" plane line. That i don't care about. But If you want to put the ball on the line you intend to start the ball on there really is no reason why you shouldn't putt on a straight plane line. Now let me define what i mean by putting on a straight plane line: By this i mean to always have the sweet spot of the putter pointing to the plane line. I visually view this via using a laser attached to the putter shaft and point it to a straight line.

As an example, i could stand square but putt on an inside/out 30* plane line (that is straight) and make sure the face is closed enough at impact to negate that 30* inside/out path and the ball will still go on your intended line and still go in the hole. Same idea with an open stance.

2) Hitting the ball on the sweetspot is vital because the research i have read (and on my own and with students) you have a higher chance of still getting the ball on your intended line with the proper speed with a slightly "bent" plane line hitting the sweet spot that you do with a perfectly straight plane line and consistently hitting it all over the face. What i'm saying is that you can have more margin for error in your "path" than your "sweetspot contact" than the other way around and still "get away with it" so to speak.

So i guess you could say that your deviation from the line that you are trying to start the ball on will be more with a "perfect path" and "less sweetspot contact" and your deviation from the line will be less with a "slightly bent plane line" (path) but "perfect sweetspot contact.

3) Now let me go back and clarify what i mean by saying where the eyes look is not important. It does matter a lot when you are setting up to your putts because it will effect what you "see" and therefore your stroke will be manipulated because you are looking incorrectly at the ball. For instance i have a student who putts with an outside/in path with a closed face because he sets up with open shoulders and leans a bit left so his eyes make his vision of his path different. So where he is putting his eyes makes a huge difference for him.

Now the funny thing is that i could change his setup and get him more in a neutral position (which i like to see) and putt much more on a normal plane with more normal stroke through the ball but would he necessarily putt better? It's possible but it would take a whole lot of practice to learn that. If he was willing to do that i would but he isn't. So i am getting him to putt better but manipulating his setup so he can stroke it the same but the ball goes on the intended target line. So by slightly altering his aim (due to his faulty eye position) i am still allowing him to drop many putts.

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I guess what i should say is that when you have proper eye position for your setup/stroke whether or not they are "over the ball" or "slightly inside the ball" is irrevelant.

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As for center shafted putters it is still valid to putt on a straight plane line. The shaft is still at an angle and the clubhead will still travel in an arc so you will always want that sweet spot pointing at the plane line.

Now students always ask me about straight back and straight through putting style. this is also very valid way to putt but the problem is you need a putter SETUP to putt this way. Ideally it is very short and very upright so your "arc" the putter head travels on much much less. I have talked to many students who have gone to Pelz putting schools and they all teach straight back and straight through with very short and very upright putters to eliminate the amount of arc the putter head travels on. Some people end up liking it and some people don't.

Whew...long post lol

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homersson...i'd love to hear your comments on the above. Let's keep this post on point and informational for all to read.

Thanks
 
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