The Guru's Putting and Short Game Tips - TW 13

[kickingguru]

With the struggles in the short game everyone either has or have had... I have compiled a list of tips I have come up with through play and discussions with others who play.

Putt Preview - This can be misunderstood by a newer Tiger player or even a veteran who has not played the game in the past.. I have run across a couple of people already who did not understand this important tool.

First, please understand that you need to line up the aiming marker first, before hitting the putt preview. This sounds basic, but trust me, several guys are hitting the putt preview before touching the aim. This will leave you with reads that are miles off and the adjustment is impossible on anything outside a short str8 putt. If it says 5 in up, move the marker forward what you think would equate to 5 in (Maybe half a box). Same thing on putts that say 5 in down (Short putts). On the down hill putts, the effect is greater on the putt so what ever distance you think is 5 inches when you go up hill... play 7-8 in down hill... Go ahead and line up right to left what you think the break is... Then, hit your putt preview. At this point adjust accordingly (or not at all if it is going in the cup) and swing your putt.

The putt Preview is assuming a Perfect/perfect swing. If you normally overswing with a fast tempo.. you are gonna have to play less break than the preview is telling. Opposite if you underswing/slow.

If you are struggling with putting yet are one of the stubborn people who will only play Tour Pro with it off. Turning it on for a few rounds will help you understand the break better, get a better feel for ball action, and improve you r stroke with out the preview... Bottom line.. If you struggling, use it in Career or Legacy as practice

Putt Swing - Obviously, we are all struggling to hit the elusive Perfect/Perfect on putts... I can get them, but am not totally consistent yet... Here is how I try....

1st method.... Pull all the way back on the stick, but transition forward much earlier than you think. It does seem that if you try to transition when it hits the line, you always hit in the red... It almost feels like there is a slight delay there.. On the transition, do so very smoothly... not the quick motion most of us are used to in Tigers of old or how we swing our full swings.... I get a lot of slight overswings with perfect tempo on this method... makes putts more manageable..

2nd method.... Pull back slowly, never bringing the stick all the way back... As you near the line, again transition very smoothly, do not slam the stick forward... The drawback is you could get the Under/Slow but hey, that would be an improvement over 30 ft away on the other side of the green.....

The trick is to find a stroke and alignment that gets you into at least 2 putt territory and then you will start dropping some longer ones in the process... anything beyond 15 ft.. I want my stroke to ensure an easy swing swing 2ftr that a over/fast wont matter on...

Once you have your stroke, play the break appropriately.. if you are always a tad fast or over... put the putt preview on the outside of the cup and "know" it will break less because of the speed...

I am consistent enough to post -15 to -18 on 18 holes in pro... not enough however to give a stroke or 3 away on any given rd... I can put up a clunker too if I stop paying attention....

Chipping/Pitching/Short Game - My best advice is to treat the swing the same way you swing a putt. If you use your full swing technique it will always be fast on the tempo and mostly will be an over swing... then the ball lands around the cup and rolls another 30 ft to begin your grand putting adventures in to double bogey.

Also, try to either play the ball forward in your stance, shorter than the meter tells you, or with the shot meter at the bottom of the ball. The idea is to hit the shot higher, land softer, and minimize the penalty for the overswing/fast tempo. Even rolling up to 5 ft. short is better than 40 ft. off the back of the green.

Final tip - Always out of the rough or bunker, play the shot meter low on the ball. You will be more consistent to the green with better trajectory. If you have not used the shot meter much... It really is your friend to reduce the impact of bad Overswing/Tempo....

Tell me if that makes sense or helps in any way.... Any other ideas are definitely welcome and the OS Tiger community will appreciate the advice...

The Guru

[lnin0]

On some short shots I am seeing triangles behind the aim marker. Sometimes it is one triangle, sometimes two. What do those mean?

[kickingguru]

When the aiming marker is set up first... it only has the one... when you move the aiming marker with either loft on the club or the shot meter, the first one stays where it was to give you an idea of where you were aimed before, and the 2nd one moves with the aiming marker... It is a representation of where the ball should end up after the shot with no wind, no elevation, normal greens, with no breaks. The aiming marker is where the ball would land under the same conditions.

Again, the first one will remain in its original place when you put loft or de loft or use the shot meter...

I think that made sense....

The Guru

[JaymeeAwesome]

The inches are equivalent to feet within the game. So if it's 5 inches uphill, move the marker roughly 5 feet up. That's a good starting point. It's not 100% accurate but the adjustments you have to make afterwards are minimal.

[kerosene31]

Quote: Originally Posted by kickingguru

2nd method.... Pull back slowly, never bringing the stick all the way back... As you near the line, again transition very smoothly, do not slam the stick forward... The drawback is you could get the Under/Slow but hey, that would be an improvement over 30 ft away on the other side of the green.....

This is exactly the way I started finally having some success with putting. Although it is still too easy to slam the stick forward.

For chipping I would add that by default the aiming point shows where the ball will land. Most of the time, where the game aims you by default on a chip is way too close to the flag for a chip. I was actually going to post here about the backswing meter being broken, until it hit me. Move your aim back... way back.

[Hollywood88]

Quote: Originally Posted by kickingguru

When the aiming marker is set up first... it only has the one... when you move the aiming marker with either loft on the club or the shot meter, the first one stays where it was to give you an idea of where you were aimed before, and the 2nd one moves with the aiming marker... It is a representation of where the ball should end up after the shot with no wind, no elevation, normal greens, with no breaks. The aiming marker is where the ball would land under the same conditions. Again, the first one will remain in its original place when you put loft or de loft or use the shot meter... I think that made sense.... The Guru

What about when you put draw/fade on the ball. I could have sworn I saw three triangles? Am I wrong?

[kickingguru]

I think you are correct on that as well..... I just have not played enough draws and fades to remember correctly.... It would fit in with the stance and shot meter.....

[Broncos86]

Another tip that helped me sink putts: Don't just flick the stick forward. When you bring it forward, hold it at the top. By doing so, I negated a lot of flaws in stick movement and my consistency for accurate putts went up 100-fold.

I use the "second method." I try to use a steady, smooth movement for putting. For chipping, I always strike the ball at the very bottom and aim short. I'd rather run it up to the hole. It's much easier for me to overswing. Essentially when starting a new golfer, the "bump and run" method of chipping will work very well.