Putting - finally a lightbulb moment?

Putting is part of my game that has often presented me with challenges and caused big swings in confidence. It often results in me changing putters, blaming the tools rather than the workman https://www.thoughtsfromthetrain.com/post/putters-there-s-been-a-few . When I think about this rationally, I know how to read greens, I know how to judge line and pace and swinging a putter is not exactly physically challenging. SAM Puttlab sessions have demonstrated I aim well and have a good putting stroke. Separately, Mike (Academy) and Adam (Auchterlonies) have both checked my putter fittings and ruled out any glaring equipment issues. Bruce Rearick (see link below) has helped me with putter fitting too! Therefore, through simple elimination, my issue has to be mental. Poor expectation management combined with poor self-talk. That's not very Stoic of me!

With short misses, my regular partners have noticed a cautious, almost whiffy stroke can creep in. I'm not going to use the "Y" word here though! I believe it's caused by simply having too noisy a mind, thinking about the score and the subsequent pressure of telling myself I "must" hole this putt (only an idiot would miss this etc.). It looks like I'm trying to steer the ball into the hole, rather than striking it with any authority. Will Zalatoris springs to mind with his often wobbly stroke with short putts.

I know how he feels (despite not playing for the US Open)

Will and I are not alone though and many professionals have struggled with putting. Lucas Glover and Bernhard Langer come to mind and some might remember Ernie Ells six putting at the Masters in 2016. Physically, it should be the easiest part of the game. Mentally, it can be torture!

So what am I going to do about it?

I can either moan and groan, practice, blame and change my putter again, or improve my mindset. Moaning might be cathartic, but too much is damaging. Negative self-talk can become self-fulfilling. Change my putter again? I already know from the SAM sessions that my putters are ok, but they've each got issues I don't really like - see below. Practice then? That's always a good option, but only if I do it correctly (see Vision54 pressure games). Most of all, what I believe this requires is a change of mindset.

Putting is the one area where we amateurs have the potential to be as good as the professionals (how's that for heaping pressure on myself). There's no physical impediment to me putting better. How often have I (or you) walked up and casually hit the ball one-handed (or backhanded, or while still walking), not thinking about it, and it's gone in? The key must be the "not thinking about it" bit. The brain has figured it out subconsciously and sequenced the right body motion. It's seen the target and hit the target without any time for self-doubt!

An insight into the neuroscience of putting

This interview with Dr Izzy Justice about the neuroscience of putting was fascinating https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-brain-booster-improve-your-mental-golf-game/id1258525394?i=1000571513738 He boils putting down to the simple act of holding a target in your mind and applying the right force to the ball. Basically, your best putting performance will come when you have a quiet mind. He has the brain scan data to back that up too! If you miss a putt he wants you to ask two simple questions:

1. Did I hold the target in my mind?

2. What was the competing thought that caused me to lose the target focus?

His thesis is that if you hold the target in your mind, the swing sequence and appropriate force will follow naturally. Most putting instruction focuses on the technicalities of the stroke. However, too many technical thoughts will cause you to lose your target focus. It's the same issue as the full swing, but magnified because putting is supposed to be "easier". This fits very well with Vision54 and I need to work extra hard on the Think Box/Play Box process with putting. I can also see the benefit of applying Izzy's two questions above to my full swing too.

The chat in the podcast reminded me of previous work I've done with Bruce Rearick of Burnt Edges Consulting. This is an interesting interview with him: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/197-putters-really-matter-bruce-rearick-interview/id874411563?i=1000636932176

Bruce and Izy want to get you away from "mechanical" or "technical" thinking and let your stroke flow naturally. Bruce's putter fitting process looks to find a putter that "naturally fits" your dominant tendencies, rather than forcing you to adapt your stroke to fit the putter you like the look of! Just because Wyndham Clark had great success with the Jailbird Versa doesn't mean it's going to work for you. I also saw an interesting interview with the guys from L.A.B. Golf talking about the number of orders they got the day after Lucas Glover won with their long putter thinking it would cure all woes.

That all sounds great but how do you hold a target in your mind?

It takes practice, focus and a shift in expectations. Going back to Vision54 and the Izzy Justice podcast, the key to holding a target appears to be making it as small and precise as possible and doing it in the Think Box. Izzy uses a fascinating example from the work he's done with prosthetics and how they worked better when he got users to think more precisely about how they were using them. The brain just finds it easier to focus on precision to the exclusion of other "noise". I've been working hard on target focus with the Think Box / Play Box process in the long game. It's time to apply it to putting.

I'm not going to manage this every time, and I have to remind myself that's ok! I've always been far too hard on myself with putting. But if I miss a short one, it's not the end of the world! It's early days but focusing on Izzy's questions is helping. If I've held the target in my mind and made a decent swing then it's just Sod's Law! I'm reminded of the time I used the Perfect Putt on the practice green at the academy. You expect all the balls to roll the same, but they didn't. Putting, like life, can be random!

On short putts, I'm finding it helpful to focus on a precise spot at the back of the cup and imagine the ball hitting it. I can't apply that to long putts though, so I still trace the shot in my mind to find my start line, then focus on a spot close to the hole to get my distance/pace. I was finding that focusing on an interim point saw me hit the ball close to that, rather than getting close to the hole. It's a work in progress.

Expectation management

The second element to better putting has to be expectation management. Last season I remember reading Lou Stagner's analysis of PGA Tour putting statistics and it was illuminating. Real life is not what we see on SkyTV! These players miss a lot more than you think and in fact, from 8ft they only make 50%. So why am I self-flagellating when I miss? I need to get a grip and remember my Stoic philosophy. I can't change what has happened, I can only control how I react, so stop being so hard on myself.

Will there be more equipment changes?

In truth, there already has been a change of putter. I know, I know, it truly is a sickness. Despite the evidence from SAM, I didn't have full confidence in either club. For long putts, I liked the TriHot Three and for short putts, I liked the Toulon Atlanta, but I never felt comfortable with either for both! What I wanted to try was a hybrid of the two and I think I've found that in an old Taylormade KiaMa TP Maranello I bought on eBay. It's not as intimidating as the TriHot Three, and it's more compact than the Atlanta mallet. It's a nice combination that also complements what Bruce recommended based on my profile in his fitting process. I've played five rounds with it so far and like it enough that I plan to sell the other two when I next get an eBay fee offer! I don't like having old putters tempting me to use them again.

I've also been persuaded by Adam at Auchterlonies to book a session to try the new L.A.B DF3 putter when it's released next month. I can't say I'm a fan of the way they look but Adam is a massive fan of them, uses one himself and has been evangelical in his praise. I'll report back when I've done the fitting, but I'm going to take some convincing.

What about my practice plan?

I intend to follow the routines set out in Vision54, factoring in some of the input from my lesson with Mike https://www.thoughtsfromthetrain.com/post/putting-lesson-with-mike-lander without getting too mechanical. This means having more games and incorporating more pressure practice. A par 2 challenge round the putting green with one ball. A ladder drill - straight line and spiral versions. Setting up several 3ft to 10ft putts on different lines and not moving on until I've holed them all. All are designed to get an element of competition and jeopardy to build pressure and test myself. My problem range has been 10ft and under so there will be an extra focus on that. I've still got exercises recommended by Ross MacLeod Putting from when I had a lesson with him a few years ago too. If I can't get down to the putting green then I'll use the mat in the garage and try to do at least 10 mins a day. Every little helps.

Conclusion

I remember an interview with Seve where he said that when he was putting well, he felt he could get out of any situation once he got on the green. His point was that good putting took the pressure off the rest of his game. Writing this post has allowed me to peel back the layers of my putting and helped me identify where I think my issues lie. It's time to let go of my negative mentality, focus on the target and let it flow.