otto6457
New
OK.......
I don't expect to get any sympathy or even any solution......but I have got to vent.
My putting is driving me insane!!!
It's a tale of woe worthy of a Charles Dickens novel. It all started a long time ago while playing in college. I was a decent putter when I was in my teens and 20's. Not great....but not bad. In college I managed to keep putts per round in the 28-30 range, depending on how many greens I missed. I three putted once every 33 holes or so. Not ready for prime time, but like I said.....I wasn't throwing up on my shoes.
Then Dave Pelz happened........
I went to a Pelz short game school in Austin Tx at Lakeway CC. He had just started making some big noise in the 1980's and was going to scientifically fix my putting and short game. I signed up anticipating finally being a really good putter. I bought into SBST with all my heart.....purchased a truck load of putting tracks and gadgets.......committed to serious practice.......and got worse. A LOT worse. To make matters worse, I couldn't remember how I used to putt.
I muddled along for years trying left hand low, open stance, closed stance, forward press, long putter......all with short lived success.
Finally went and saw Pat O'Brien in Dallas in 2005. He moved the grip more to the fingers, and proclaimed my stroke good enough to be a damn fine putter. Had a short lived honeymoon and then back to the normal 34-37 putts a round with at least 1 three putt a round.
I was told that Stan Utley was the roo of goo and I snatched up his book, bought his training arc, a Scotty Cameron Newport at 35.5 inches pushed 2 degrees flat, and learned to fold the elbows. Worked for awhile. I had a couple of 24 putt rounds. Slowly, the 3 putts came back and the putts per round was back at 34-36. I struggled starting the ball online since the arc was so extreme it required perfect ball position.
I was lead to Geoff Mangum's website. Bought the book, got me a short little face balanced Yes putter at 33", bent upright to 72 degrees, hung my arms straight down, and tried to let gravity rule my stroke. Couldn't do it. Couldn't hit the sweet spot of the putter 30% of the time. Total failure and I got so disgusted I picked up a belly putter. It was like an alien invention in my hands. I was WORSE inside of 10 feet than I had ever been before and everyone told me a belly putter was pure money inside of 10 feet. I decided that all my playing partners were just a bunch of liars that liked to watch me weep.
Then I was sent to Mike Shannon's webpage. The compact stroke was the salvation. Arms held tight to the torso, rock the shoulders, BAM!! In the hole.......except...it wasn't. Distance control with such a compact stroke is apparently beyond my ability.
So today....a beautiful winter day on the high plains of Texas. Crystal clear, 52 degrees, a breeze that kept falling all day until the flags hung straight down on the pins. 38 putts after hitting 15 greens. I 3 putted 4 times with one of them from 12 feet. Distance control was non existent and I couldn't start a ball on line all day. I pulled them...I blocked them. I missed them high....I missed them low. I missed them long......I missed them short. I was so frustrated I wanted to scream because it is happening more and more. The final straw was on #18. Par 5, 562 yds. Second shot all over water, 185 yds. Hit it to 15 feet. Uphill putt for eagle, two balls outside left. Missed it 2 feet right and 4 feet past. I stuck a tee in the green where I putted from....dumped all the balls in my bag next to the tee (12 balls) and proceeded to try and make the putt. 0 for 13 trys. Didn't make a single one. Only scared the hole a couple of times.
Guys.......I have never been this angry in my life. I have literally tried every method, stance, grip, and putter known to man. I have read every Rotella and Pia Nilsson book and I've even had mental training with Dr. John Pates of the European Ryder Cup training staff because I thought I might be mentally damaged. None of it has a made a long term difference in my putting.
My putting has kept me out of trying to qualify for the State Am the last couple of years and I will probably NOT try again this year. I just can't face this kind of failure in real competition. It wouldn't be so bad if I had never been a decent putter. But I remember what it felt like to be confident over a putt and feel like I was going to knock it in. I haven't had any confidence in my putting for a VERY long time and the memories of good putting are getting fainter and fainter.
There is one shining light in all this misery. I can demonstrate each teacher's method so well that my playing partners can call out the teacher's name as soon as I stroke a putt. I am a walking demo machine.
I don't expect to get any sympathy or even any solution......but I have got to vent.
My putting is driving me insane!!!
It's a tale of woe worthy of a Charles Dickens novel. It all started a long time ago while playing in college. I was a decent putter when I was in my teens and 20's. Not great....but not bad. In college I managed to keep putts per round in the 28-30 range, depending on how many greens I missed. I three putted once every 33 holes or so. Not ready for prime time, but like I said.....I wasn't throwing up on my shoes.
Then Dave Pelz happened........
I went to a Pelz short game school in Austin Tx at Lakeway CC. He had just started making some big noise in the 1980's and was going to scientifically fix my putting and short game. I signed up anticipating finally being a really good putter. I bought into SBST with all my heart.....purchased a truck load of putting tracks and gadgets.......committed to serious practice.......and got worse. A LOT worse. To make matters worse, I couldn't remember how I used to putt.
I muddled along for years trying left hand low, open stance, closed stance, forward press, long putter......all with short lived success.
Finally went and saw Pat O'Brien in Dallas in 2005. He moved the grip more to the fingers, and proclaimed my stroke good enough to be a damn fine putter. Had a short lived honeymoon and then back to the normal 34-37 putts a round with at least 1 three putt a round.
I was told that Stan Utley was the roo of goo and I snatched up his book, bought his training arc, a Scotty Cameron Newport at 35.5 inches pushed 2 degrees flat, and learned to fold the elbows. Worked for awhile. I had a couple of 24 putt rounds. Slowly, the 3 putts came back and the putts per round was back at 34-36. I struggled starting the ball online since the arc was so extreme it required perfect ball position.
I was lead to Geoff Mangum's website. Bought the book, got me a short little face balanced Yes putter at 33", bent upright to 72 degrees, hung my arms straight down, and tried to let gravity rule my stroke. Couldn't do it. Couldn't hit the sweet spot of the putter 30% of the time. Total failure and I got so disgusted I picked up a belly putter. It was like an alien invention in my hands. I was WORSE inside of 10 feet than I had ever been before and everyone told me a belly putter was pure money inside of 10 feet. I decided that all my playing partners were just a bunch of liars that liked to watch me weep.
Then I was sent to Mike Shannon's webpage. The compact stroke was the salvation. Arms held tight to the torso, rock the shoulders, BAM!! In the hole.......except...it wasn't. Distance control with such a compact stroke is apparently beyond my ability.
So today....a beautiful winter day on the high plains of Texas. Crystal clear, 52 degrees, a breeze that kept falling all day until the flags hung straight down on the pins. 38 putts after hitting 15 greens. I 3 putted 4 times with one of them from 12 feet. Distance control was non existent and I couldn't start a ball on line all day. I pulled them...I blocked them. I missed them high....I missed them low. I missed them long......I missed them short. I was so frustrated I wanted to scream because it is happening more and more. The final straw was on #18. Par 5, 562 yds. Second shot all over water, 185 yds. Hit it to 15 feet. Uphill putt for eagle, two balls outside left. Missed it 2 feet right and 4 feet past. I stuck a tee in the green where I putted from....dumped all the balls in my bag next to the tee (12 balls) and proceeded to try and make the putt. 0 for 13 trys. Didn't make a single one. Only scared the hole a couple of times.
Guys.......I have never been this angry in my life. I have literally tried every method, stance, grip, and putter known to man. I have read every Rotella and Pia Nilsson book and I've even had mental training with Dr. John Pates of the European Ryder Cup training staff because I thought I might be mentally damaged. None of it has a made a long term difference in my putting.
My putting has kept me out of trying to qualify for the State Am the last couple of years and I will probably NOT try again this year. I just can't face this kind of failure in real competition. It wouldn't be so bad if I had never been a decent putter. But I remember what it felt like to be confident over a putt and feel like I was going to knock it in. I haven't had any confidence in my putting for a VERY long time and the memories of good putting are getting fainter and fainter.
There is one shining light in all this misery. I can demonstrate each teacher's method so well that my playing partners can call out the teacher's name as soon as I stroke a putt. I am a walking demo machine.
