|
|
Post by cwdlaw223 on Jul 3, 2012 9:25:25 GMT -5
Why is it that our brains generally want to cause us to hit straight putts even if there is break? It's like our brain can't just let go and trust the break. We chronically underestimate breaks and it seems that our natural tendency is to see everything straight. It's hard to judge the speed on a big curler when our brains wants/sees the putt as straight.
Curious if there are any theories out there on this issue.
|
|
|
|
Post by Richie3Jack on Jul 3, 2012 10:05:46 GMT -5
I think part of the issue is that golfers instinctively aim at the apex of breaking putts. So this effectively makes the putt straighter than they actually are. And then we start ramming putts to take out the break since we haven’t played enough break to begin with. Then after hitting too many putts past the cup, we then start hitting them too softly and miss short.
The other part I think is when we see a putt go straight and we played for break, we have a hard time accepting that than if we played a straight putt and watched it break on us. Kind of a ‘KISS principle’ thing.
And it doesn’t help when announcers keep talking about how ‘ramming it in’ to take out the break is the way the Tour players do it. Well, the bad putting Tour players do.
3JACK
|
|
|
|
Post by cwdlaw223 on Jul 3, 2012 11:52:40 GMT -5
Tiger rams them in. I think he's a great putter. Is he just average from a statistical perspective? Phil jams them in as well. I think there's something in our brains that makes us "see" straight putts and not trust the break unless it's massive (>6% slope).
|
|
|
|
Post by Richie3Jack on Jul 3, 2012 11:57:13 GMT -5
Phil struggled with his putting until this year when he stopped ramming them in because Stockton started to understand capture speed.
I don't think Tiger rams them in nearly as much as people think. I would label him as being aggressive, but not super aggressive. From 3 to 5 feet, Tiger may be the best ever.
3JACK
|
|
|
|
Post by cwdlaw223 on Jul 3, 2012 12:22:40 GMT -5
Didn't Tiger make 900+ putts straight from 3-5 feet? There's some crazy stat about him and these length putts.
|
|
|
|
Post by Richie3Jack on Jul 3, 2012 12:56:44 GMT -5
I just looked at Tiger's make % over the years from 3 to 5 feet. I don't think he's the best ever, but he's a great putter from this distance nonetheless.
Year………..% Made……….Rank
2012………..91.90……………..13
2009………..93.26………….….3
2007………..89.31…………...41
2006………..88.62…………...51
2005………..91.48…………...30
2004………..91.67…………...28
2003………..93.63……………..3
2002………..94.59…………...11
What I tell the Tour players I work with when it comes to putting is to improve their % made from 3 to 5 feet, first. Then move onto 5-10 feet and then 10-15 feet. History shows that most of the good putters are good from 3-5 feet. As well as the players who tend to improve their putting start by improving their make % from 3-5 feet. And if they stuggle elsewhere, because we have so many 3-5 footers in a round of golf, if you can keep the make % from 3-5 feet high, you are more likely to make cuts and finish well, but winning or getting in the top-5 may be a little different story. Still, you make money and hopefully down the line you can get some putts outside of 5 feet to fall and if you strike it pretty well, then you can win a tournament.
IMO, the 3-5 footers are important because of the frequency of attempts, how they hurt or help a player's confidence and if you are good from 3-5 feet, your fundamentals of putting are probably fairly sound.
3JACK
|
|
|
|
Post by cwdlaw223 on Jul 3, 2012 13:09:19 GMT -5
So how do you improve the make percentage from 3-5'? The best answer I can think of is better ball placement on the green near the zero line and has nothing to do with the stroke itself. I believe that most people don't have very bad strokes (there are some), but they do have horrible ball placement and can't read a green to save their life. I think growing up on a course with horrible greens helps one develop a bad stroke because you have to "hit" the putt. Just my opinion.
|
|
|
|
Post by Richie3Jack on Jul 3, 2012 14:05:24 GMT -5
having a putt uphill helps. When I played MetroWest on Sunday, on the 13th hole I hit a great flop shot to 3-feet, but it was a downhill putt. I think that thing broke roughly 3 inches. Tough to convince yourself that short will break that much.
I think making those putts comes down to good aim, good speed, and good face contact.
3JACK
|
|
|
|
Post by iacas on Jul 3, 2012 18:47:57 GMT -5
Why is it that our brains generally want to cause us to hit straight putts even if there is break? It's like our brain can't just let go and trust the break. We chronically underestimate breaks and it seems that our natural tendency is to see everything straight. It's hard to judge the speed on a big curler when our brains wants/sees the putt as straight. Curious if there are any theories out there on this issue. I'm not trying to be snarky here: I don't see it that way at all. Then again, I grew up playing greens built in the 50s (average speed was, what, 5?) and when they get north of 10, 11, or even 12 you can't overplay the break. Even from a few feet.  So I don't think I've ever seen putts as straight. In fact, I sometimes get caught up in what Richie talks about - not trusting that I have a straight putt as often as I do (straight aim). Tiger rams them in. I think he's a great putter. Is he just average from a statistical perspective? Phil jams them in as well. I think there's something in our brains that makes us "see" straight putts and not trust the break unless it's massive (>6% slope). Sometimes he does. Those are typically the ones inside of three feet. Look at the par putt he made on, what, 17? The five or six footer? It drips into the hole. Phil would have rammed that one a bit more (historically). I think that's part of the problem Tiger had earlier this year. He was reading putts at one speed (the 3-ish footers) and hitting them a different speed. Reading "drip" speed break and playing "firm" leads to lip-outs or misses, even from three feet. |
|
|
|
Post by cwdlaw223 on Jul 4, 2012 0:27:59 GMT -5
Don't you think newer players "see" very little break on putts except for extremes. Why? The putting stroke itself is simple without any pressure involved (then it breaks down considerably). I'm just curious how our brain work in this area. You don't need 10,000 hours to become a great putter.
No snarkiness perceived at all and appreciate different opinions on this topic.
|
|
