Don’t get confused by the title, “I can’t two putt” and think “Here goes Webb about to brag about his putting stroke!”. It could not be further from that. I literally can’t make a routine two-putt to save my damn life. Before we get to present day, there is some scar tissue that needs to be discussed.
I am a chronic three putter in the worst way. Down the middle off the tee, hit it to 20-25 feet and three jack. Like what the hell is wrong with me? I’ve played golf since I was a year and a half old. I used to set up a little metal cup in my parents bedroom, because their carpet was the fastest, and putt while watching the Golf Channel for hours upon hours. I did this for as long as I can remember. I would watch Tiger ram 6-8 footers in the back of the cup over and over again and this I believe is where the problem began.
Yes, it is great to emulate and mimic professionals, but there comes a point when you must realize that there is a reason why Tiger can take the break out of a down hill slider from 8 feet. Yea….I didn’t listen to that logic. My dad used to want to pull his hair out watching me at junior tournaments try and slam a 10′ putt in, miss, and then leave myself with 6 feet coming back, which typically led to a 3 putt.
As the years have gone by I’ve switched putters from a blade, to a #7 “Fang” or whatever number it is Odyssey, back to a blade. As any golfer knows, the last ditch effort is changing your grip, well last summer I did that. Yep I made the leap to left hand low. Desperate times call for desperate measures. It started off fine, I made more putts of length during the latter half of the summer and fall, but have struggled to start this year. Especially on slower, uphill putts of length. I played 38 holes on Sunday, and had 6 three putts on the first 18, 6 on the second, and one on the two extra holes. I shot 87 and 84 respectively which puts me at about 40-42 putts in each of those two rounds. Almost half of my strokes are on the green…that really hurt to type.
I never feel like I can hit it firm enough to keep it on line. I don’t know if I need a heavier putter, to release the putter head more, or I just can’t putt. It’s probably a combination of the three with an emphasis on the last option. Well, the first step in recovery is admitting your problem and coming to terms with it. I am open to suggestions, tips, or any words of encouragement. Until then, I think I’m going to follow this method.
P.S. (Don’t know why it says Tin Roof, not Tin Cup)
Cheers,
Webb