Can we talk putting? Threads have been started but seem to not go anyplace. Regarding hitting down on the driver thread, does this mean you should hit down on a putt too?
I have seen Ben Crenshaw talk about his putting stroke like a chip shot so that would presume down.
Only reason I can think of that hitting down on putts is if it's a feel of hitting down and not really hitting down and that feel helps you make putts.
Spot on, Richie.... Greg, you have much to learn. There are plenty of 'mechanics' to learn, some of which are different from full swing mechanics. Bcoak, can you think of a good reason to hit down on putts?
The unknown aspect for many, is the relationships between touch, stroke, aim and green reading!
Reading your take on putting is interesting in the fact that when you got more serious about mechanics you screwed up everything. You wonder if that applies to the full swing mechanics or just putting, food for thought. Is there a point where if you go too far into the mechanics it all breaks down from overload? I think it's an interesting and also frustrating problem.
Can we talk putting? Threads have been started but seem to not go anyplace. Regarding hitting down on the driver thread, does this mean you should hit down on a putt too?
I have seen Ben Crenshaw talk about his putting stroke like a chip shot so that would presume down.
I was one of the most "mechanical putters" in the world. I've read every putting book I could find and I got worse and worse with every new book. I'll bet if you asked Brian he would agree that I was a total wreck. He said one of the funniest things I've ever heard at a golf lesson. I was hitting a few putts for him to see what I do when I putt and I actually made several. I said, "well that's not what I usually do". Almost apologizing for making a putt. He didn't skip a beat and replied, "Well, I'm certainly not impressed". LOL!!!!
Same story as a lot of players. Was a good putter as a kid and through college. Never thought about how I putted, or ever worried about my stroke. I didn't even practice much. I just played and made putts like it was second nature. Went to a Dave Pelz putting clinic in Austin, Texas soon after I graduated from college. Wanted to chase the dream. I never putted well again.
Every book I read and every technique I tried after that just made me less confident and more mechanical. It finally got so bad last year that I just walked away from the game. The last time I played last year, I was playing with a few friends after I blew yet another qualifier the previous weekend. I had already decided that I was quitting the game. I hadn't told anyone yet except maybe one person here on this forum. Anyway, I had a 8 foot birdie putt on the 18th hole of my final round of golf. A pretty simple uphill putt with about 4 inches of break, right to left. I was convinced that I was about to putt a golf ball for the last time in my life. I was so burned out I couldn't wait to quit. Anyway......I rolled the putt and.....I didn't even scare the hole. I knew I was done. I was relieved that I missed as that was the final sign from above that I could walk away with no regrets.
There is nothing more disheartening than putting badly. It sucks the life out of your game and it's impossible to be a good player unless you're a good putter. No matter how well you hit it from tee to green, you have to make the putt. A 300 yard drive down the middle....a pure 7 iron to 10 feet.......and miss the putt. Your playing partner hits a 50 yard off line drive, chunks a 5 iron to 80 yards short of the green, hit's his wedge to 10 feet.......and drains the putt. You both walk off with a 4. He's pumped....you're so mad you can't breathe. It finally got to the point that I hated the game. All the hours and hours of practice every day for years felt like a complete waste of time.
But......hope springs eternal I suppose. Brian blew up my putting stroke and showed me things I had never seen, read, or experienced. He recommended a longer and different style putter to further wash the old away. There's no guarantee that I'll be a better putter this time....but at least the stroke he taught me is so far from "mechanical" that I'm getting a fresh start. It was fun putting again. The ball rolls better and there is so much more "energy" in the roll. It's hard to explain...but it feels completely different.
So, the only suggestion I can ever make as far as putting goes is this:
..................don't ask me........I'm clueless.......................
I've never been a great putter. I'm starting to get better, but it's so challenging. To me it's such an art as opposed to a science. If you have a breaking putt, there are a million paths to making that putt depending on the pace. I think a consistent delivery speed is so key, you can't get aim right until you know the delivery speed, which is something Mangum is big on.