Tag Archives: Putting

Let’s Be Realistic About Your Chances of Making That Putt.

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The PGA Tour’s Strokes Gained Putting Statistic shows how often tour players make a given putt. In this graphic I’ve flipped the numbers to show how often they actually miss, hopefully to provide a fresh perspective of what you should expect of yourself on the greens.

2nd putt

Notice that the pros seldom miss a short putt of 3 to 4 feet, but the odds of them missing a 10-foot putt jump to a whopping 62%! And surprisingly they only make a 30-footer 7% of the time. I don’t want to be a downer, but if you play once a week and practice putting for 10 minutes before you tee off, your expectations should be lower than the pros who practice 8 hours a day and play golf with millions of people watching. So, don’t beat yourself up for missing most of your putts outside of 6-feet. Even the pros miss…A LOT! What they don’t do is miss the next one.

Become a Master of Your 2nd Putt.

If you want to putt your best, practice hitting your putts the correct distance. Then really hone your skills from 6 feet and in. Eliminating 3-putts is your way to shoot lower scores.

How to do this:

This is how I started practice everyday when I was a college coach. The first thing my players did when they arrived at practice was to take their driver and stick the head in one of the holes on the practice green. Then, they would place a tee in the ground at the end of the grip. They would then remove the driver. This would leave a putt of a distance somewhere between 3 and 4 feet. They would then have to make 30 of those putts in a row. Nothing else would happen at practice for them until they completed this drill.

It becomes as much a mental drill as a technical one.

As you get into the drill it become pretty easy to make the first 20 in a row. Then as you get closer to the end you start to feel your heart pump and your hands shake a little. You’ve come all this way and you know if you miss you have to start all over again. That was exactly the point of the drill…to replicate tournament pressure.

My players became so good at this drill that on the course we would almost never miss a short putt. It was the difference between winning and losing.

You don’t have to do 30 in a row. Since your playing time is limited start by making 10 or 15 in a row. Then as you get good at the short ones increase until you get up to 30 in a row. After a time my golfers would usually complete this drill in usually 5 to 10 minutes. Become good at this drill and you’ll start to see a massive difference in your score.

 

This article will also appear in the December 2017 issue of New Zealand Golf Magazine.

So, What Should You Be Practicing? Here Are Some Facts.

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One of the most common questions I get as a golf coach is, “So, what should I be practicing?” That is a great question and the answer is determined by two factors. First, I always ask, “What do you struggle with?” I’ve noticed that in my 25 years of coaching golf that most golfers avoid practicing the thing they need to practice the most. This is flawed thinking because your weaknesses will always be exposed during a round of golf, and when they are, your score goes up…a lot. So, what I like to do with my students is to attack their weakness and turn that weakness into a strength.

The second factor that should be considered is simple statistics. Numbers don’t lie. So, what is most important in golf? It’s ALL important, and all parts of the game are linked but here are some undeniable facts that will help you make the most of your practice time.

cog what should i be practicing

This graphic should be very useful in helping every individual make the most of their practice time. One note: The yellow wedge (Trouble Shots) shouldn’t be overlooked. I see many golfer make a mess of these shots which absolutely wrecks their score. I’ll write a post on those shots soon.

This article will also be featured in November issue of New Zealand Golf Magazine.

How to Make More Short Putts, Because a “Gimme” Isn’t a Real Thing.

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three footers

Short putts terrify many golfers. This is one of the main reasons, “the gimme” as become so common. Most casual golfers aren’t required by their equally scared playing partners to hole out their short putts. By the way everyone, no where in the rules of golf is the concept of a “Gimme” ever mentioned. Yes, in a match play format you can concede a putt or hole, but how many of you are playing match play? This is a sore subject with me because I am a golf purest and the entire object of the game of golf is to get the ball in the hole! When I hear someone say, “pick it up, that’s good.” I have to bite my tongue. It drives me absolutely crazy! Getting the ball in the general area of the hole is not good enough! In the rules of golf it clearly states, “In stroke play the hole is complete once the ball has been holed.” That means the ball comes to rest in the bottom of the cup.

I hear all the reasons and excuses as to why people play, “gimmes”. Sorry, none of them are legit. “But it speeds up play.” “They would have made it anyway,”… blah, blah, blah. Sorry, it all amounts to one thing… you’re cheating.

This will give you a good explanation why you shoot far worse scores in tournaments than you do day in and day out. It’s because you don’t get any practice making short putts while playing under pressure. How different would your score be if you putted all the short ones? A good putters score wouldn’t change but a bad putters score would be very different.

Forgive me, I’m trying not to get to preachy, but the reward for all the hard work it took to get your ball so close to the hole is to hear the wonderful sound of the ball rattling around the bottom of the cup. Also, making the close ones are a demonstration of ones skill, nerve and focus. “How many times have you seen a major championship decided by a player making or missing a 3-foot putt? How about EVERY ONE!”

I get it though. Once confidence that you can make a short putt is gone, fear is the next emotion that dominates the mind. A mind full of doubt is obviously terrifying and most times ends in embarrassment. Because when standing over a short putt with little confidence, you know and your playing partners know you’re probably going to miss it, and sometimes you’ll miss the following putt also resulting in you raking up the ball with your putter and walking quickly off the green mumbling insults at yourself.

So, lets make more short putts. Try this easy drill:

two eyes

Get a bunch of balls and put a tee in the ground about 3-4 feet away from the hole. This way you can practice the same putt over and over to develop muscle memory and confidence.

one eye

Once over the ball and you feel you are aligned properly, close your left eye (if you are a right-handed golfer) and keep it closed while you stroke the putt. The reason you do this and I believe a big reason some people miss short putts is that it takes away peripheral vision. I believe strongly that seeing the hole out of the corner of ones eye is the distraction that prevents golfers from being able to focus on making a quality stroke. I have found that if I take peripheral vision away, a golfer can completely focus on watching the putter come through the stroke on a quality path and focusing completely on seeing the putter contact the ball without ones attention wandering or trying to guide the ball to the hole. As Gary Player would say, “you should LISTEN for the ball to go in the cup.”

I believe that in golf you can’t be scared of something you can’t see. If you can’t see the hole it will free you up. I’ve introduced this drill to hundreds of golfers. Some even do it while they play. This drill will help golfers focus on putting a nice roll on the ball, learn to keep the hands moving through the stroke, keep the head steady, and more importantly, calm the mind.

So, NO MORE GIMMIES!” Putt them all!

_____________________________

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Fred Fruisen is the author and illustrator of punchline‘s new book, 50 Reasons to Hate Golf and Why You Should NEVER Stop Playing! Click here to order your copy today!

A Mini Golf National Open Championship…Seriously? YES! Seriously FUN!

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Recently I read that the first New Zealand Mini Golf Open Championship was going to be played right here in Auckland. I thought, No way! I have to be a part of this!

Sure, like all of you, at first I was thinking, Come on, this can’t be serious. But everything associated with the event seemed like a big-time tournament. There was qualifying to get into the event, and there were par 2s, 3s and par 4s on the course. There is a New Zealand Mini Golf Federation, and there are even professional mini golfers! I quickly learned that this is pretty serious stuff and that competitive mini-golf is massively popular in Europe.

I couldn’t help but think to myself, What kind of weirdo is going to play in this event? Then I answered my question: ME! That’s who!

Over the next weeks I qualified and practiced enthusiastically. I’ve never played mini golf seriously before. The winner of the event would even gain automatic entry into the World Mini Golf Championship in Croatia later in the year! All the while I was thinking, This is can’t be a real thing. But at the same time I was thinking This is going to be an absolute blast!

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I showed up on the day of the event to find that around 85 golfers had registered to play in the first NZ Mini Golf Open Championship. There was even a professional mini golfer (Allan Cox) who came over from Australia to participate. He’s been a professional mini golfer for 25 years.

I was a little surprised when I showed up. I was expecting a nuttier vibe. It was just a really fun group of people. Fun, and serious! I made it a point to talk to the experienced mini golfers. I spoke to the New Zealand current women’s and men’s national champion, Lucy Geisen, and Bobby Hart. Both have participated in the World Mini Golf Championships. I had to ask them two questions: Why? and How did this happen?

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The answer was simple—competition—which was no different from the reason that I was participating. Bobby Hart is a soccer coach, and Lucy is an athlete who played many sports in her life, and both craved the same thing, an avenue in which to compete. AND mini golf is so much fun! Lucy and Bobby both also commented on the quality of people they have encountered through mini golf.

What I experienced as I teed off on the first hole with people watching and cameras pointed in my direction was the same first tee jitters I have felt during important golf tournaments. And over short putts, I felt the the same real nerves.

The format for the men’s division were as such: we’d play in foursomes in a 54-hole stroke-play event, played over 2 courses, with a cut after 36 holes. The ten lowest players would compete for the title in the final round. I was determined to make the cut. I didn’t think I could win, because I was immediately intimidated by the serious mini putt players. You could tell who they were by their equipment (special balls) and their outfits. Yeah, I felt like a rookie.

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The tournament was run very professionally, with Red Bull and others as sponsors. There was a scoreboard, and there were first class trophies and rules officials. You had to sign your card after the round, too… all aspects of a traditional golf tournament carried over to the Mini Golf Championship. We had fans, media coverage, cameras, and a lot of cheering. I’ve been to The Masters in Augusta many times. I’ve heard the roars from distant holes. You even had that. Yes, even the roars and groans. Many of the holes were completely surrounded with on-lookers craning to get a view of the action. When you made an important putt or a hole-in-one, there was applause. It was fun to tip the cap in acknowledgement of the spectators—who appreciated fist-pumps with even more enthusiasm. There was a lot of energy and excitement surrounding the event.

After a few holes I settled down and was playing well. At the end of the first round I was one under, and I believe only one off the lead. I had even beaten the professionals in my group.

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I started the second round slowly, missing some short putts. Hey, I admit it! I was nervous. I figured the professionals in my group would be very motivated to show their stuff in the 2nd round, and I was right. Both Alan (from Australia) and Bobby (the New Zealand Champion) came out on fire. They played well on the front nine, and I struggled. I pulled it together on the back nine and ended up even par for the round. Alan, the professional from Australia, came back strong after a disappointing first round and shot -4. Bobby played well the 2nd round, shooting under par after struggling in the first round.

We waited for about half an hour after the 2nd round while scores were being entered into the scoreboard, and we were all wondering if we’d make the cut. This time gave me a chance to get to know more about some of the hard-core mini golfers.

We were all a little nervous.

Then came the results… I was in! I made the cut! Mission accomplished. I was 4 shots out of the lead going into the last round and would need a strong showing on a tough and unforgiving course. Anyone within 5 shots of the lead had a chance. There were some tricky holes out there that could blow up your score. For example, there was a 3-tiered hole where in the first round I made a hole-in-one and the defending champ made a 5. So, anyone in the final 10 had a chance to win.

In the final round I got paired with a lad named James Turner. He is a professional rugby player from the Hamilton Chiefs. He and some of the other boys from the team who were on injured reserve came out to participate for a couple of reasons: 1) to have a laugh, and 2) to compete.

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Me and the lads from the Chiefs. James Tucker (brown jacket), big guy with a great stroke.

I struggled the last round in spite of hitting two holes-in-one. I was really disappointed! I thought I might able to win, but my nerves got to me. I missed some crucial second putts and also got some bad breaks, as you’ll tend to get in mini-golf, or any form of golf. I think I shot a 3 over par. I ended up finishing 6th, a respectable showing in my first mini putt major.

My 15 year old son also played in the youth division. He came 3rd, which was awesome.

Would I do it again? Absolutely! I already can’t wait till next year and have been contacted about joining the local professional mini putt tour.

This was some of the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I would recommend competing in the Mini Golf tournaments to everyone, golfers and non-golfers alike. I’m going to get as many friends as I can to come next year and give it a try. Anyone can do it, at any age! There are also divisions for youth, parent/child, and women.

Who doesn’t love mini-golf? Nobody. Not many other activities can lay that claim. We all have great memories of playing mini golf as a kid. Perhaps we should all do more of it, if for no other reason than to feel like a kid again.

SOOO much fun!! Give it a try if you can.

The Littlest Shots Make the Biggest Difference

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If you’re like most golfers, you spend most of your practice time on the range, and finish up with a few quick minutes on the practice green. I believe everyone should reverse that and spend the majority on your practice or warm up time on the practice greens and less time beating balls. If you look around your club you’ll notice that the best players hang out around the practice greens a lot. If you want to be one of the best players at your club I would suggest you do the same.

COG 11 Ball Drill

At least half of your shots during a round come from on or around the green. Most of the time it’s the quality of the Little Shots that determine the quality of your score. You could improve half of your game simply and quickly by improving your skills around the green—without going through swing changes or investing money in lessons or equipment!

Many years ago, my wife and I spent our honeymoon in Scotland, the birthplace of golf. We drove from town to town seeing the sites and enjoying the Scottish culture. Almost every evening, almost everywhere we went, we noticed townspeople of all ages practicing putting and chipping.

COG 11 Ball Drill

Practicing your short game is a great after-dinner activity. I find it very relaxing. Late afternoon and evening is the most beautiful time of day, and there usually aren’t many people around to distract you so you can get in some quality practice.

It beats sitting on the couch, or trying to squeeze in a quick nine and being frustrated by poor play. Try investing time instead of spending time.

Here are two great drills that will help your short game. You only need a dozen balls and if you spend an hour or two a week doing these drills you’ll see real results.

I know these drills will help you score better and enjoy your rounds more.

Creepers! Ugh!

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As a coach, one thing I can’t stand is seeing shots come up short. But it is the norm for most golfers on most shots—irons, pitches, chips and putts. It drives me batty! In this lesson we’ll deal with the putts that come up short. I call them Creepers.

How many times have you played a round where hole after hole you hit putts that were right in the jaws but came up just short? I see it all the time. You had a chance to shoot your best score and you couldn’t get the ball to the hole! Frustrating, isn’t it? I know why it happens and I know how to fix it.

Next time you go to the course, watch the people warming up on the practice green. Most have either three balls or a single ball, and each person is putting to a specific hole. As each golfer putts, the ball rolls up short of the hole by about a foot or so. The golfer rolls putt after putt and the same thing happens. If a ball does drop it goes in by a dimple. If that doesn’t describe the scenario on your practice green, I’ll eat a bug.

I believe that the first 20 swings of the day with any club are the most important. Each time you warm up you are teaching your body what you want it to do each day. So, by coming up short time after time on the practice green, you are programming your eyes, brain and hands to come up short on the course. That’s why, when you come up short on putts hole after hole during a round, it seems no matter how hard you try, you keep coming up short.

Creepers! Ugh! I hate them! CREEPERS!!!

What I have my players do when they first get on the practice green is hit the first 10 putts or so well past the hole, by 3 to 5 feet. It may look silly, but it serves a great purpose. This practice drill will help you hole more putts for many reasons:

1. Your eyes see the ball getting to and going past the hole. You have to teach your eyes that this is a good thing. It’ll then tell the brain and hands that it’s o.k. It’s what you want to happen.

2. It helps ensure a nice long follow-through. If you tend to come up short, many times its because you stop your follow-through a little short. Mostly this happens because of fear of hitting a putt too hard. It’s interesting, isn’t it? A golfer can hit 9 putts out of ten short. Yet he fears the one that went long instead of the nine that came up short. Weird. Especially since the one that went by the hole was the only one that had a chance to go in!

3. You’ll make some of them! You’ll hear that awesome sound of the ball hitting the bottom of the cup. Even if your playing partners aren’t watching, they’ll hear it, too.

I believe that once your body gets used to hitting the ball past the hole, it is easy to throttle back a little. Then your pace on the green will be perfect all day. Conversely, it’s very tough once you’ve taught your self to come up short to make the adjustment to judge pace consistently. But one thing’s for sure: if you teach your ball to come up short during your warm-up, it’s gonna’ come up short all day long.

The lesson is this: “No Creepers!” My team hears me say this every day on the practice green. “Don’t teach yourself to come up short!”

Hit the first few putts of the day on the practice green well by past the hole. You’ll make more putts on the course.

Putting with Loft

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It seems the Bump-and-Run shot has been forgotten for the most part but my golfers find it easy to learn and wildly effective in tournament play. I had Hall-of-Fame college coach Ed Cottrell teach it to me my first year coaching. I always wished I had known about it when I was a college golfer. I considered myself to be very good around the greens but if I had had this shot in my arsenal I would have been amazing! B&R addressHe called it, “putting with loft.” It’s so easy and effective that all of my golfers see their up-and-in percentage go way up almost instantly after learning it. They think it’s magic. Once you learn how to play the bump and run and learn your distances with each club, you’ll be amazed at how many more shots you make from off the green and how much more often you leave yourself a tap-in. The beauty of this shot is that you learn one shot and use it for multiple clubs. I require all of my golfers to learn how to play this shot with everything from their lob wedge down to their 6 iron.

Note: the Bump-and-Run is intended to be played when you are 2-6 paces off the putting surface with nothing between you and the green.

Here’s how you do it:

B&R set up down lineSet-Up:

Feet are very close together if not touching. Ball is placed off of back foot, weight is mostly on the front foot. Sternum is ahead of the ball. This will position the hands ahead of the ball and give forward lean in the shaft. Notice how the lead wrist is perfectly flat and there is a straight line extending all the way from the shoulder to the clubhead. Also notice how close he stands to the ball – his hands just about touching his thigh.

B&R back

Backswing:

With little to no wrist-hinge take the club back. The lower body should remain quiet. The hands should go no farther than the back edge of your leg. The distance of your backswing will determine how far the ball will go. You need to be consistent with this position to get consistent results. It will feel like a very short stroke at first but after a little practice you should have no problem finishing your backswing here.

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Follow-through:

B&R through down lineFinish with the clubhead low. Notice the wrist remains straight. The butt-end of the club is in alignment with the sternum indicating that the there is no “flipping”of the clubhead. Another sign that you have not “flipped” the clubhead through the shot is by checking the position of the clubhead. The face should be “looking” right at the target.

If you have questions about this shot please leave your comments and I will be glad to respond.

Are you a Chump or a Champ ?

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Here’s a situation that I have seen a million times over the years that can save or ruin a round.

A player has short–sided himself as shown by the yellow X in the lower left. The pin is tucked on the left side of the green with just a few paces from the left edge of the green. In this situation a golfer needs to decide, am I going to be a Chump or a Champ?

I have found most amateur golfers fall into the trap that they need to fit the ball in the very small area between the edge of the green and the hole. He wants to like the Pros. The player then of course tries to get too cute or doesn’t commit to the shot or swing hard enough or the club gets caught up in the rough. He more or less duffs it and ends up hitting again from the same situation or even worse. He’s what I call a CHUMP and his day is about to take an ugly turn.


The second attempt ends up where the first should have, and instead of making a bogie at worst, he ends up with a double or higher. Which most times leads to another mistake being made on one of the very next holes. The round is beginning to unravel.

When you are short sided, there is almost always a mile of green on the other side of the pin! Hence the term, “short-sided.” The only way you can look or feel stupid is by coming up short of the green. Yet most do. I don’t get it! You’d have about a 400% better chance of success if you go past the pin. And you’ll take the big mistake, and number, out of the equation.

The more experienced players on my team always make the smart play. They make sure that the shot gets past the pin. They understand that this is not a time to play aggressively and to take their medicine and if they do lose a shot they’ll have a chance later in the round to make up for it. Over the long run they know it will save them a ton of strokes.

One of the benefits of getting the ball past the pin is that if you miss-hit the shot or decelerate through it, that the shot will still end up on the green.

I always like to think that Johnny Miller is doing play-by-play on me when I’m in those situations. If I hit it past the pin he’d say on air, “that’s really all he had.” If I left it short, Johnny would lay into me saying something like, “Wow, that was really dumb. What was he thinking? Now he’s left with nothing and probably lost the tournament.”

I never want Johnny Miller laying into me.