Side Saddle Putting

[Richie3Jack]

I've been a good putter for the most part since I was 16 years old. I've tried other techniques, even side saddle. Cannot make anything any other way than the traditional style. Terrible at left hand low. Outrageously bad with the long putter. Belly putter? Forgetaboutit.




3JACK

 

[PuttMaster67]

some comments on here refer to sidesaddle being difficult on long putts. i don't find this to be the case as long as you keep the sidesaddle putting golden rule in mind; that is to treat the shaft as if it were a ball in the fingers, and that your 'bowling/rolling' the ball to the hole.

this may seem odd, but you have to think as if you're rolling a ball from your fingers into the hole for all sidesaddle putts.

once you start to do this, you will immediately start to make better putts, the stroke becomes fluid and you simply 'bowl' the shaft down your target line. to do it most effectively look at the target not the ball! You have to experience it to believe it.

go on ebay and buy a putter to try it, you can get them for around 50 bucks or so, you don't have to pay 100's of dollars like some people like to charge. you can also get good priced clubs from sidesaddleputters.com

 

[jimmydean]

My late father putted sidesaddle for a long time and was the best putter at his club for years!
Jimmy

 

[ParHunter]

Thanks for the feedback puttmad. I've been striking the ball well lately and can't score for sh$$ because I can't putt. Yesterday, 8 ft for birdie on 1 and miss, number 2 5 ft for birdie and miss, two three putts, it goes on and on.

I'm not even hitting the holes on some of these putts, just awful.

I'm pretty desperate, and the sidesaddle sounds interesting, just don't know if I can take the hazing I'll get from my buddies. Although if it works, the hazing will stop quickly.

I was pretty bad with putting as well (going up to 42 putts per round). I've tried a broom handle putter for a while which worked (again only for a while). With the broom handle I've used the side saddle as well but only for longer putts. On short ones I wasn't very good with it but my distance control was very good with that.

My putting changed around after going to a putting seminar. The pro stressed the importance of keeping stats of your putting. This helps you a) to identify where your problems are and b) help building up your confidence when you see the stats improving. The more confident you are with putts the better you get with putting (unfortunately the opposite holds true as well). I've changed my putter back to a traditional one, changed from straight back, straight through to a rounded putting stroke and started recording my putts.
I actually wrote an iPhone application to record my putting stats (see link below).

That all helped me. My average is now 32.5 putts per round (still nowhere near pro level but a lot better then it used to be). My best putting round was 26 putts! (But I guess that was due to my good chipping as well that day)

So my advice. If you used straight back- straight through try a rounded swing (and the other way round). Make sure your putter fits your stroke (heel vs centre weighted).
Start to record your stats, it will help you build up your confidence and if they are detailed enough enable you to figure out where you are having problems (do you miss more left to right putts than the other way round, do you miss on the low or high side, from what distance are you likely to 3 putt etc).

 

[PuttMaster67]

another thing about going sidesaddle, you have to commit, the results will come. i understand that can be hard if you play a lot of tournament golf. it feels odd at first, and yet somehow it seems right?

when i first started putting i was a conventional putter like everybody else, i was initially quite bad. i would slam putts past the hole, leave them short, completely miss my aim line, stub the putter into the ground etc.. over time and practice i got better and getting my ball rolling and toward the target.

that is my point, if you try sidesaddle at first you might miss your line, hit the ground with the club head, cus you're looking at the hole, roll the ball to far, etc. but after a while it will all become natural and all those early mistakes from trying something new will disappear, and what you will be left with is the most simple putting stroke and method that works!

give it a go, but make an honest commitment, pick up a putter and try it, get one that is reverse shafted; and like I've mentioned previously you can get the for around 50bucks or less.