I need help. I'm probably one of the best lag putters in the world. Actually, I can't remember the last 3 putt I've had. While many golfers would kill for this, I'm a +1 handicap golfer and a great ball striker, so during the course of a normal round I usually have a great number of birdie putts (10' to 30'). My conversion rate is horrible. I waste so many chances for birdie I feel like jumping off the crappy putter suicide building. On the practice green, no problem, I'm a putting genious. Put me on the course, and I look like I've never played golf in my life. I'm at the end of my rope. Is it mental? mechanical? both? I'm self taught, and have never had a lesson. Has anyone out there had improvement from putting lessons? and from whom? Generally, I pull and push putts! I've tried belly putters, long putters, 2 ball, Cameron, etc. with no positive results. Can anyone help me?

Dear Ryan,

I'd love to help!

It seems you have a mix of mental and technical difficulty to sort out. First, stop having negative feelings about your skill on the course. You're obvioucly very talented with the putter, so you have to be more dominating on the greens. Get pissed at yourself first for your current lack of meanness on the greens and then get mean on the greens. That is, know you can do the same on the course as you do in practice, treat the course green just like a practice green, and don't really care if you miss or sink. Just do what you know needs doing, take your successful one-putt or just accept the two-putt and be patient. DOMINATE the course! and, paradoxically, let the green be your friend.

Second, if you are both pushing and pulling, it seems you are probably guiding your putts with hand action in the stroke. I would suggest that a shoulder stroke with dead hands is a lot better, with a lot fewer pushes and pulls. The trick is moving only the lead shoulder socket straight at the balls of your lead foot, down about 2-3 inches and then back up to level and then up vertically another 2-3 inches in the finish. This is a no-hands straight stroke that sends the ball away straight out of your setup consistently, so if your aiming of the face is good, your stroke will run pretty true.

There's obviously a lot more to it, and I'm more than willing to help get you on an ever-upward track, so try this for starters and get back to me.

Cheers!

Geoff Mangum
PuttingZone.com
http://puttingzone.com
Golf's most advanced and comprehensive putting instruction.

Ryan

Geoff has offered some excellent advice. Sounds like you're a darn good golfer being a +1 handicap and mostly two-putting the greens. I could be wrong about this, but in reading your post I detect and sense that you may be rushing your putting a bit! I would suggest that you slow down, relax and take more time with your putts. Len Mattiace who was Compaq's 1996 World Putting Champion and who recently tied Mike Weir at The Masters said that he would inhale, then hold just before making his putt. Some golfers like to take in a breath and hold before making their putt and others like to take in a breath, then breathe out just before making their putt. In either case, this breathing technique may help one relax and slow down a bit. Others just breathe naturally and don't think about it.

Regards,
Larry Stanley
ThePuttingEdge.com