Pacing Off Putts
 

I've added something to my putting routine that has made a HUGE difference. Basically, I pace off every putt. That way I KNOW the distance. I then say to myself on my practice swing "21 foot uphill putt" and feel that distance. I step up and make the stroke. I am FAR less interested in line -- it's all about distance for me for any putt over 12 feet.

I have been amazed at a few things. First, the number of tap in's has become incredible for me (putting has never been my game). I just rolled a 75 foot to about a foot tonight. I was confident that I would have it inside 3 feet. That would not have happened a couple of weeks ago. Second, I have rolled a few in -- you start getting the distance right and that kind of stuff just seems to happen. Third, my ability to estimate distances by looking has gotten a lot better.

just wondered if anyone else actually paces off their putts?

Have done this and taught the same for 28 years. It's amazing to me that a golfer wants to know when they are 50, 100, 150 etc. but don't seem to want the same information when they putt.
You may not hole it often from 50yds, 100yds+ but you have a real good chance on the green if you know the distance.

I have discovered when asking students how long a particular putt is, that for the most part they aren't even close.

Once you have the distance you then need to know the length of stroke to travel the desired distance (making sure the pace remains the same).

I to have been doing this for quite a while. I also do this not only for distance, but also to read the putt with my feet. I can feel quite a bit of undulation with my feet which helps with reading the putt.

I'm always amazed at how different a putt looks once you've done the full 360 stroll around it...

I know. I feel kind of silly having not done this over the years. I actually just thought of it one evening, but can't for the life of me figure out why I wouldn't have thought of long, long ago.

Most of my golf over the last few weeks has been played alone on the course. Yesterday, I played with a foursome for the first time since adding this to my routine.

It was really hard to do my pacing!

Anyone have a routine they use with when playing with a group? Pace off to the side away from putting lines?

I paced off my putts and short chips for a couple of years and had similar experiences while playing with a group. I also would translate the distance into stance width which I used to gauge my stroke length. Eventually, I became familiar with what a 10' vs. a 20' putt looked like (the stroke length between these is about one full foot WIDTH). Unfortunately, this highly mechanical process did not bode well for actually making putts. To make a VERY long story short, I can tell you that I put so much emphasis on distance control simply because it was difficult for me to control distance otherwise. One day I attended a putting lab for a couple of hours which thoroughly analyzed my stroke (my best golf lesson ever..and that includes taking lessons from some of our distinguished contributors on these pages who shall remain nameless!). I never could have imagined how much improvement in line and distance control can be achieved by actually rolling the ball. Many golfers THINK their ball rolls to the hole but, particularly in the case of someone who leaves putts short frequently, they actually "skid" the ball to the hole. Even someone who watches their putt actually rolling to the hole, will never see the first several inches of the putt immediately post impact. For me, roll is best achieved by matching the loft of my putter to the launch angle of my stroke. Combined with a lead hand guided (for me left hand) "release" of the putter head (past my hands, pendulum style so the handle always points to my belt buckle) and tracing the targetline, I have created a stroke which delivers distances which are more consistent with the distance that I "see" as opposed to what I've paced off. I still believe that, subconciously, my days of pacing putts may be at work, but I no longer find it helpful to incorporate it into my crosscheck. Interestingly, however, my chipping (using the rule of 12) still incorporates a "visual" estimate of distance in feet which I tend to measure in blocks of 10' (since I've so thoroughly ingrained this distance in my mind from my more methodical putting days). I'm not sure if this will be helpful to you, but I can say it is a lot more comforting to hear my playing partners comment on a quality stroke as opposed to them watching me walk up and down the length of my putt. This is not to say I don't read my putts from multiple perspectives (I'm actually more methodical about identifying fall line, break from 90 degrees to fall line and translating this distance up (or down) the fall line for targeting purposes)...but once I have zeroed in on my target, I just focus on a quality roll and I know as soon as the ball comes off the putterface if I will hit my target (which is NOT to say results in making 100% of my putts). My biggest problem now is green reading. I've grown overly dependent on all of the visual cues inherent in my beloved Bermuda grass greens to help me read break. Lately I've played a lot of golf in the mountain west and I find myself guessing or pacing the greens hoping to catch a clue just from the feeling of gravity below my feet. Golf is much easier back on the teebox.

Gathering information
 

When I am playing in a group, no one ever waits on me to pace off putts. Most of the time no one even knows I'm doing that. It is the first order of business when I get to a green. While others are marking their ball or repairing ball marks, I am getting the measurement. I am careful to not step in someones line and am never discourteous in the process.
Many times you have to walk past the hole to get to your ball anyway.
If it is an extremely long putt, I will walk half way.
I would no more guess or estimate the distance anymore than I would when hitting an approach into a green.
As I have told many of my students, "If you're waiting on me, you are backing up" (also it takes me less time to one or two putt than it does for you to three putt).

interesting discussion, for me putting is best as a right brain, creative, intuitive activity in the same way that lobbing someone a golf ball for them to catch is, we don't really need to know how far away they are to do it.
that said, maybe it would all be information going into the super-computer that might be be called upon somewhere down the road - i'm going to give it a try, by mentally noting the distance prior to the usual routine.

For those who pace off putts, do you do some sort of calibration on the practice green before the round? For full shots, there is a reasonably predictable "coarse knob" to tune in distance (ie the club selection). But for putting, there is considerably more dependence on the course you are playing (green speed, grass type, grain, slope, etc)

Thanks.

Yes, if the practice green is representative of the greens on the course (if not I will base it off of the first green I putt on).
On a level medium fast green from six feet for example I will use a 3 inch backstroke and 3 inch follow through. This would hold true for all level putts. This becomes a baseline to work from (for example a severe downhill putt of 20' might be struck like the level 6' putt). In other words you would subtract for the downhill and add for the uphill. You could also factor in grain or moisture or grass type. The real key to this working is to have a pace to the stroke that is consistent. As green speeds change from course to course you can adjust your formula.
I have had countless students who had zero distance control and averaged beyond 36 putts per round to averaging 30 putts and below per round, using this system.

Very interesting...this is sort of what I'm aiming for. I want to hone my eye so that I can do more estimating. Become a better feel player with just confirmation on occasion.

I'm trying to develop my distance feel -- I say to myself "33 feet, uphill" while making my practice stroke. I then try to repeat that exact feel and pressure. I then watch the result for feedback. My goal is to tie the pressure/feel to the result with an objective distance measure -- over and over and over. Like knowing how "hard" to shoot a basketball simply from knowing where you are on the court. (Something else honed with lots of practice and feedback.)

I have noticed that my distance has gotten better, but I've missed some lines significantly! I figure that comes next year, much like you describe.

The number of inches backstroke technique was troublesome to me several years ago. Completely destroyed my feel. I then ended up with the other extreme where I essentially put zero objective data into the equation. My current pacing off with then a pressure to correlate is my plan to strike the right balance of feel and objective info.

Hi Brian, does lag (as in pressure not getting the ball close to the hole from distance) extend to the flat stick & are you using PP#3 in putting ? TIA

Yep. I'm learning hitting, but I'm still a shoulder rocker for putting. I'll be looking to become a piston putter over the winter.

thanks Brian, good luck with the new putting stroke & the shift to hitting

- there is enough to work on to stop one getting bored isn't there !? :)

Yes indeed. Once you've really hit a few and you get used to the sound and feel, and then start stringing them together, you end up with some good looks at birdie. THEN you really want to bury those putts!