How you should practice Putting

[@paulhorrocks4868]

Thank you Simon, you made me reflect on my putting practice prior to a round (and sometimes the lack of it). I will give it structure as you have suggested, in the hope that I improve. I will let you know how I get on👍🏻. PS. You suit your beard🧔🏻👍🏻

[@thehairygolfer]

If you are confident over 4 feet it changes all the pressures around the green Paul. Hope it works out for you.

[@nevillehubbard7347]

Yes, thanks to your advice i do now do this, and it seems to work pretty well. We're lucky though, as our practice green is treated exactly like all the other greens on the course by our greenkeepers, so is the same speed as all of our proper greens. Judging by quite a lot of the away courses that I've played this year, that's unusual! The aspect that you touched on, that is important, is the psychological effect of holing putts. The confidence that gives you, when you get on the course, and start doing it for real, is huge!

[@thehairygolfer]

That is unusual. Minchinhampton has a great and huge putting green. I don't use it. If you do your first putt on the first green will be 8 or 9 feet short. To that end their practice green is useless. Rattle, rattle, rattle is the best noise in golf. Confidence round the hole is paramount. Cheers

[@ZaxDrumsGolfandMore]

Something I think a lot of people don't do enough. But I usually practice a bit of putting each time I am the course!! Definitely short putts are important!!

[@thehairygolfer]

I think it's not how often you do it but doing it with purpose rather than juts batting a couple of balls about. Cheers

[@ZaxDrumsGolfandMore]

@@thehairygolfer good point!! 🏌⛳

[@thehairygolfer]

@@ZaxDrumsGolfandMore I find these days I no longer have to practice so much. I put the hours in years ago and you don't lose it.

[@ZaxDrumsGolfandMore]

@@thehairygolfer I ways I agree with you but in my case since I don't play as much I find it helpful to practice a bit before I go out!!

[@thehairygolfer]

@@ZaxDrumsGolfandMore I never go out without doing at least the 4 footers and half a dozen chips to see how the ball is bouncing today. How soft or hard the green is. That's just basic information you need.

[@davidwalters313]

Very good advice Simon. Thanks

[@thehairygolfer]

And all for free!

[@alangoudie2299]

Thank you for a helpful video. The practice putting greens on some courses are more like cut fairways & even good putters have no chance to putt well.

[@thehairygolfer]

Worst one I know is like putting on marble then you get out on the course and you're 10 foot short on the first green. 3 jab it. I just don't know why they do it. Bizarre. Cheers.

[@tryptych7399]

​@thehairygolfer time and money. If you put a poll together for the members of the club to sign it might make hem consider it of importance?

[@alangoudie2299]

Good idea.

[@thehairygolfer]

@@tryptych7399 Fortunately it's not my course that has that green. Plus it's overpriced so wont be visiting on the channel. Last time there in 2019 I won a very big tournament and never used the green before I played. Maybe gave me an edge?

[@philbridges1723]

Great video Simon I really struggle with the 4 footers I'm definitely going to start practicing this way I'll let you know how it goes

[@thehairygolfer]

Hello Phil, I used to get nervous over them years ago. Miss a lot just through being a bit twitchty mentally. Now I think if I get it up by the flag I've got this. It's easy. Only practice makes it easy, confidence is everything.

[@stuartcaldwell2262]

Alright, you have convinced me. I keep my beard.

[@thehairygolfer]

Too hot in Thailand for face fungus. Got to have a haircut too. You would think I would get a discount now there is less to cut???

[@BAD_GolfHawaii]

I should be practicing my putting more, it is the area I could use the most improvement.

[@thehairygolfer]

Practice holing out and then there is no pressure on longer ones.

[@BAD_GolfHawaii]

@@thehairygolfer I like that

[@metalheads-golf]

Yeps guilty I am. Chipping has all ... or at least most attention. 😂🤘🏻😎🤘🏻

[@thehairygolfer]

Do something more useful. Time is precious. Cheers

[@metalheads-golf]

@@thehairygolfer 🤘🏻😎🤘🏻

[@golfinginthailand]

Your razor finally arrived in the mail.

[@thehairygolfer]

I was advised the first time I went to Thailand "You shave beard off, you be hansum man" by the Lady looking after the breakfast room and she asked me every day. "How many for breakfast?" "1"

[@stuartjames2483]

I agree hitting balls at hole is pointless, much like the driving range and aimlessly hitting one ball after another. For me there is a major difference in practice and warm up putting. warm up putting, I only look for my stroke to set the ball off on the path i choose and then play with what you've got on the day. As you say the pace on practice putting greens and on course greens is never the same, so pointless to assess. When practice putting I use a 3ft putting lag circle for distance/chipping and putting mirror to make sure my shoulders line up square and to get the feel for when they are. Good vid don't often see these types off the course vids, it seems to promote much discussion. Do people hit balls before they go out and play or maybe just stretch?

[@thehairygolfer]

Hello Stuart, got to agree warm up is different to practice. I just want people to practice with a purpose, doesn't really matter what they do. If rolling 20 footers stone dead is it then fine but I wont do it. I like to see balls go in. I've never used a mirror or a tool for putting, perhaps I should? Although I've been doing it since I was 7, not sure if I learn much. Might go down a rabbit hole I can't get out of. The only tip I ever got was to put my elbows on my belly which for some reason is a little easier these days.... Do people hit balls? No. Less than 5%. If there are nets it's a bit higher.

[@stuartjames2483]

@@thehairygolfer absolutely practice with purpose definitely. Not enough golf videos on that subject. I was sceptical about training aids as well until I used one and found it helped, I agree you definitely have to be careful, but I think if you consider your game and find it's weaknesses like you do in your score card method it can help you improve in those areas you need to work on....can only help enjoy the game more...

[@thehairygolfer]

@@stuartjames2483 I'm very much whatever works works. Doesn't matter what it is and each of us have a different brain so there are no wrong answers. Kicking it out of the rough works well too.......

[@stuartjames2483]

​@@thehairygolfer❤😂 I'll try it

[@neilfarmer6609]

Would really help my score if I could make all those 4 footers!

[@thehairygolfer]

It's a matter of confidence.

[@robertcourt8593]

I'm afraid I'm going to disagree with you on this one. Hitting the same putt over and over doesn't really teach you anything. Especially if you don't go through a routine every time. Just raking a ball to the same spot and knocking in 4 footers 1 after the other is a false economy in my mind. If space allows and the green is running fairly true (the practice green at my range can be really slow) then I like to throw 5 balls at varying distances and hole them all out keeping a score as I go. I always play 1 ball at a time too. A long putt followed by a short putt that hopefully goes in. If the green is slow I just put as many balls around a hole from 2 to 5 foot as I can comfortably fit and play until I hole them all without missing. The hardest part is taking them all seriously enough and not getting complacent with them because "they don't really count"

[@thehairygolfer]

It's about repeating the stroke and gaining confidence. You can then take that to 8 footers, 12 footers, 20 footers. I'll ask you a question in return. When you go to the range do you change club for every ball and hit a different shape for every shot? Or do you hit a lot of balls with one club trying to master a move and gain muscle memory? I agree there are different ways of practicing. For chipping you can hit several balls to the same hole. Or you can hit 1 ball and then go putt it. I prefer the muscle memory route hitting a number of balls or a number of putts to the same target. Cheers

[@robertcourt8593]

Fml 3 times I've typed out a long response and every time it's been deleted before I could post it! 😂 Mind you, it was a bit of a ramble so probably for the best! Enjoyed the video, keep up the good work!

[@thehairygolfer]

@@robertcourt8593 I've been thinking. What you say is right. 1 ball is the best pressure to learn with. How about a mix of get confident around the hole and then do the 1 ball practice? Same with chipping. Get your confidence and then play 1 ball. I am always to debate a point and find a middle ground. Cheers

[@robertcourt8593]

​​@@thehairygolfer​ in all honesty, there is merit in both approaches and a mix of them both wouldn't do anyone any harm. I think if we practiced as we played more often then we'd become better at adapting as on the course we hardly ever play the same shot twice (hopefully anyway😂) I believe that the best golfers are the ones that have the biggest belief in what they do. Jack thought he was a greta putter (he was) but no one ever tries to copy his putting stroke. Furyk was one of the best golfers ever, money earned wise, but no one copies his swing. Those guys, and many others, had the utmost belief in what they did to make them shoot the lowest scores ever. People rave over moe Norman but loads of people have tried to emulate his swing and probably can't shoot as low as what you do. It wasnt moes swing that was so good it was the way his mind worked that allowed him to have unwavering belief in it. There's a whole lot of golfers who were pretty good that went chasing something and ended up fading away. Spieth, fowler, Donald, Rory even! I mean look what happened to seve when he went looking for perfection! It's such a fascinating game and I could talk with someone like yourself for hours over the nuances of the game and the human element.

[@robertcourt8593]

One of the things I've noticed I do when I practice chipping is, I go on a big practice green with a lovely mown fringe and I pitch and chip like a tour pro. I get on the course where the greens surrounded by a steep grassy bank and I've missed the green by a couple of yards and I'm in thick rough on a downslope 😂