I want more BIRDIES!!?

Question

Lets face it... unless you can hit birdies or better the best game you will ever get is par even. And you dont get birdies unless you are a good putter.

Yes I can get greens in regulations... but what can I do to be able to sink more putts on the first try?

I am fairly good at reading the green and getting the ball within a couple of feet within the hole but thats just not good enough unless the ball goes in.

Are there any other secrets to putting? How do you choose the best line? More lag less lag? How can someone like TWoods make it look so easy? Is he using a special ball (aka cheating)? Do expensive putters really make a difference?

What are your thoughts?

Answer 1

Practice, Practice, Practice.  

Speed is the most important aspect.  Get the right speed (4 to 7 inches past the cup is about optimal) and you have 4 1/4 inches of cup for the ball to fall into.

No special golf balls, but I suggest finding a ball that you like and exclusively using it in practice and play.  Part of what makes  Tour players so good is the consistency of feel and performance from the ball they use.

Also, get fit for the right length and maybe lie angle of putter.  When setting up to the ball your eyes should be directly over the ball and your arms should hang freely.  You want to putt like Tiger?  Mimic his set up.

Relax, trust your read and feel, and Practice, Practice, Practice!

Answer 2

Shorter putts should increase your chances of making putts.  So now that you can get on greens in regulation, start keeping track of how far away you are from the pin.  You need to get more accurate with your approach shots, and that will improve your scores.  Pelz has a good putting book if you want to focus on putting instead of approach shots.

Answer 3

lessons and practice will get you all the birdies in the world

Answer 4

This is a very interesting topic and lots of discussion boards have filled up talking about GIR and putts per round. Dave Pelz, who takes a very scientific approach to golf (former areonautical engineer) wrote an article about this where he combines both GIR and putts per round to show where your score will end up.

To lower your score or get more birdies, you need to get closer to the hole on the approach. If you get the ball within 10' of the hole your chances are much better of one putt than if you were 30' from the hole. Even the pros get a lot of these longer putts which they hardly ever sink.

The other side of this is confidence in sinking putts. The more successes you have at sinking long putts the more confidence you will have that the ball is going in from a distance. This is gained only through practice. Spend lots of time on the practice greens.

There are basically two different schools on putting with regards to lag. The lag putters will ususally get just the right distance to the hole while the more aggressive putters are trying to have the ball roll no more than 18" past the hole if they miss. I believe that this is something that only you can determine. It is difficult for anybody to try to change it. But knowing it will help you determine what the best line will be. If you are an aggressive putter your line is going to be different than if you are a lag putter. That line is still going to be determined by reading the indivdual green.

If you want to sink more putts I suggest you pick up a copy of Scott Mayers book "Breakthrough Putting Secrets" (link below). In his book he breaks down putting into easy steps so that you can understand distance, speed, and line and how it works for your game.

Answer 5

Greens in reg. are important, but out of 18 holes how many birdie putts less than 15 feet do you have?  I think these are realistic birdie possibilities.  If you only have 1 or 2 in a round, work on your short game to give you more opportunities.  This is my particular weakness as I probably have 14 GIR in a round but very few birdie chances.

All of golf is mental and positive thoughts make birdies.  The last thing you want to think of when you have a birdie putt is to leave it close for an easy par.  You have to really want the birdie and to h**l with the par.  Don't think about the next putt.  Spend more time on short putts to build you confidence on come back putts for par.  Then you can free wheel your birdie efforts and probably make more of them.

This is what I like about a scramble or stapleford....because of the premium on birdies.

Answer 6

I envy you. I have trouble with GIR but manage to score well due to my putting. The secret to putting in my opinion, all rest with your confidence. If you have decent stroke and the balls are not dropping, it's a confidence factor.

Tiger makes his putts because he believes he can make the putts. And I believe that to be true. There are many tools and that will help with your putting game, but confidence is something you cannot buy. You need to trust your stroke, your line and belief that you'll make the putt. Trust me, this works!

Answer 7

The only way to improve putting is by more practice, and more confidence.  Try hitting your putts firmer and play less break.  This will get more putts to the hole, and since you won't be giving away the hole as often more will go in.  On the practice green see how hard you can hit a two footer into the back of the hole before it pops out.  You'll be surprised how hard you can hit it and it will still go in.  When you have that knowledge and confidence you will hit more putts with authority and more will go in.

Expensive putters do help if you are a really good putter to begin with.  The balance and feel of a Cameron studio is unlike any other, but you can make a lot of birdies with a cheap putter if you have the pure stroke.

Answer 8

Since 36 strokes of 72 are allotted ffor putting one should use 50% of practice around the greens. Tiger is good because he practices and works on his putting daily. To birdie a whole you have to get the ball to the hole so less lag

Answer 9

Practice makes perfect.  The only way to get good at putting is to practice.  I practice every day just about.  You don't have to go to a golf club or have your very own putting green.  You can work on the putting stroke in your home.  You said you are a good reader of greens so all you need is to work on your stroke.  Practice on keeping your head still and taking the putter straight back and straight forward.  Let's put it in real perspective.  There are 18 holes in golf and no one has ever birdied every hole.  PGA record for low score is 59.  To birdie every hole you would have to shoot 54 on a par 72(52 on a par 70).  To get better you have to be confident that you can make every putt.

Answer 10

so do I...