Putting question.

gxer · 08-26-2010, 11:06 PM

For those of you who are familiar with both Greg Norman's and Ben Crenshaw's putting abilities, I have a question for you.

If someone could sprinkle some magic dust on you giving you the power to choose to putt like Greg Norman or Ben Crenshaw, which one would you choose?

To help you decide, here is the basic putting theory of each golfer.

Greg believes in putting aggressively and not worrying about come back putts whereas Ben Crenshaw believes in dying the ball into the hole.

Rusty · 08-27-2010, 01:20 AM

My thoughts are that with Greg putting more aggressively it keeps the ball on a better line with less chance of the ball deviating due to a misread of the green, the downside is when you miss. I'd probably go with Greg's style simply because we have big grains of sand, leaf, and other weird stuff on the greens where I play. It would be impossible to use the dying ball technique with any accuracy.

BigBurt · 08-27-2010, 07:37 AM

Normans style is mine. I would rather have a 3 or 4 footer than a 1 or 2 inch thats short. Spend more time on the practice green in the 3 to 5 foot range.

NTB · 08-27-2010, 08:23 AM

I believe you can either putt or you can't. I can't so I adopt Crenshaws.
The only way I have ever improved my putting in practice was to putt against
a really good putter and bet that person nickels and dimes. The amount was
really insignificant but the competition and the thought of losing was big enough
to make me concentrate. It made it fun and helped me a little. I get really bored
alone on the putting green.

xman5 · 08-27-2010, 08:42 AM

Crenshaw, because the 3 footer is a concern. For me any putt over 15 feet the main concern is to make my 2 putt and not throw away any shots, especcially if I do not reach the green in regulation. Have to protect the bogey. However if I am in the green in regulation I will be a little more agressive if there is a good birdie chance.

gxer · 08-27-2010, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by xman5

Crenshaw, because the 3 footer is a concern. For me any putt over 15 feet the main concern is to make my 2 putt and not throw away any shots, especcially if I do not reach the green in regulation. Have to protect the bogey. However if I am in the green in regulation I will be a little more agressive if there is a good birdie chance.

To be fair to Ben and Greg, both of them did adjust the speed of their putts depending on the situation at hand, everyone does that.

In addition, we all know that great putters use a good bit of speed on straight forward putts of 6 feet or less.

What kind of putter is Tiger? Is Tiger more like Greg or more like Ben?
Well, what you do is place Greg's and Ben's putting abilities into a blender, mix them together completely and presto, you have Tiger's putting ability, which of course is the best of both worlds.

xman5 · 08-27-2010, 01:04 PM

I would say Tiger is less off a hybrid of the 2 and more of a power putter. Tiger (when he was playing well) was never short on a putt. The trouble before yesterday is that he is all over the place, short long, off line. If he gets he his putting back and stripes the ball like he says he is then watch out. One of the things that sets Tiger apart from others is his ability to play any type of shot from tee to green and can adjust.

However over all, I think that he is more like Watson. He never left a putt short. The problem with Watson was that as he got older he had trouble on those 3 foot comebacks.

gxer · 08-27-2010, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by xman5

I would say Tiger is less off a hybrid of the 2 and more of a power putter. Tiger (when he was playing well) was never short on a putt. The trouble before yesterday is that he is all over the place, short long, off line. If he gets he his putting back and stripes the ball like he says he is then watch out. One of the things that sets Tiger apart from others is his ability to play any type of shot from tee to green and can adjust.

However over all, I think that he is more like Watson. He never left a putt short. The problem with Watson was that as he got older he had trouble on those 3 foot comebacks.

All I know is that Tiger is, overall, the best putter I have ever seen. To this day, I can't believe the putts he made to come back from 5 down after the first 18 holes to beat Steve Scott in 38 holes in the 1996 US Amateur. The man is a putting genius, no question about it.

gxer · 08-27-2010, 02:18 PM

Originally Posted by BigBurt

Normans style is mine. I would rather have a 3 or 4 footer than a 1 or 2 inch thats short. Spend more time on the practice green in the 3 to 5 foot range.

Greg's theory of never leaving a putt short sounds good until you start power lipping them out and then lose feedback of the break on your come back 4 or 5 footer.

Besides that, giving yourself a bunch of 3 to 6 foot putts to save par or bogey, puts a lot of pressure on your putting during the round.

I think for most people, Ben's style of putting is more appropriate since most people simply don't have the time to practice short putts of 3 to 6 feet for hours on end. If you have the time, fine, be aggressive if it suits your personality, if not, be conservative.

To each his own and hopefully whatever "own" you decide is correct for you, is actually correct for you and not your ego taking over your common sense.

xman5 · 08-27-2010, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by gxer

All I know is that Tiger is, overall, the best putter I have ever seen.

Agreed.

08-26-2010, 11:06 PM	#1
gxer Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 4,049	Putting question. For those of you who are familiar with both Greg Norman's and Ben Crenshaw's putting abilities, I have a question for you. If someone could sprinkle some magic dust on you giving you the power to choose to putt like Greg Norman or Ben Crenshaw, which one would you choose? To help you decide, here is the basic putting theory of each golfer. Greg believes in putting aggressively and not worrying about come back putts whereas Ben Crenshaw believes in dying the ball into the hole. __________________ *My "dream" girl: LPGA seasonal tour stats <=65.50 & >=270*

08-27-2010, 08:23 AM	#4
NTB Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: hot springs village arkansas Posts: 2,288 Images: 4	I believe you can either putt or you can't. I can't so I adopt Crenshaws. The only way I have ever improved my putting in practice was to putt against a really good putter and bet that person nickels and dimes. The amount was really insignificant but the competition and the thought of losing was big enough to make me concentrate. It made it fun and helped me a little. I get really bored alone on the putting green. __________________ God Bless America \"Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants.\" - William Penn

08-27-2010, 08:42 AM	#5
xman5 Contest Statistician Join Date: May 2006 Location: NYC Posts: 3,902	Crenshaw, because the 3 footer is a concern. For me any putt over 15 feet the main concern is to make my 2 putt and not throw away any shots, especcially if I do not reach the green in regulation. Have to protect the bogey. However if I am in the green in regulation I will be a little more agressive if there is a good birdie chance. Last edited by xman5; 08-27-2010 at 08:48 AM.

08-27-2010, 09:51 AM	#6
gxer Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 4,049	Originally Posted by xman5 Crenshaw, because the 3 footer is a concern. For me any putt over 15 feet the main concern is to make my 2 putt and not throw away any shots, especcially if I do not reach the green in regulation. Have to protect the bogey. However if I am in the green in regulation I will be a little more agressive if there is a good birdie chance. To be fair to Ben and Greg, both of them did adjust the speed of their putts depending on the situation at hand, everyone does that. In addition, we all know that great putters use a good bit of speed on straight forward putts of 6 feet or less. What kind of putter is Tiger? Is Tiger more like Greg or more like Ben? Well, what you do is place Greg's and Ben's putting abilities into a blender, mix them together completely and presto, you have Tiger's putting ability, which of course is the best of both worlds. __________________ *My "dream" girl: LPGA seasonal tour stats <=65.50 & >=270*

08-27-2010, 01:18 PM	#8
gxer Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 4,049	Originally Posted by xman5 I would say Tiger is less off a hybrid of the 2 and more of a power putter. Tiger (when he was playing well) was never short on a putt. The trouble before yesterday is that he is all over the place, short long, off line. If he gets he his putting back and stripes the ball like he says he is then watch out. One of the things that sets Tiger apart from others is his ability to play any type of shot from tee to green and can adjust. However over all, I think that he is more like Watson. He never left a putt short. The problem with Watson was that as he got older he had trouble on those 3 foot comebacks. All I know is that Tiger is, overall, the best putter I have ever seen. To this day, I can't believe the putts he made to come back from 5 down after the first 18 holes to beat Steve Scott in 38 holes in the 1996 US Amateur. The man is a putting genius, no question about it. __________________ *My "dream" girl: LPGA seasonal tour stats <=65.50 & >=270*

08-27-2010, 01:20 AM	#2
Rusty Administrator Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Northern Territory Posts: 905 Images: 79	My thoughts are that with Greg putting more aggressively it keeps the ball on a better line with less chance of the ball deviating due to a misread of the green, the downside is when you miss. I'd probably go with Greg's style simply because we have big grains of sand, leaf, and other weird stuff on the greens where I play. It would be impossible to use the dying ball technique with any accuracy.

08-27-2010, 07:37 AM	#3
BigBurt Senior Member Contests: Joint 3rd place overall winner 2009. Joint 3rd place overall winner 2010 Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 318	Normans style is mine. I would rather have a 3 or 4 footer than a 1 or 2 inch thats short. Spend more time on the practice green in the 3 to 5 foot range.

08-27-2010, 01:04 PM	#7
xman5 Contest Statistician Join Date: May 2006 Location: NYC Posts: 3,902	I would say Tiger is less off a hybrid of the 2 and more of a power putter. Tiger (when he was playing well) was never short on a putt. The trouble before yesterday is that he is all over the place, short long, off line. If he gets he his putting back and stripes the ball like he says he is then watch out. One of the things that sets Tiger apart from others is his ability to play any type of shot from tee to green and can adjust. However over all, I think that he is more like Watson. He never left a putt short. The problem with Watson was that as he got older he had trouble on those 3 foot comebacks.

08-27-2010, 02:18 PM	#9
gxer Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 4,049	Originally Posted by BigBurt Normans style is mine. I would rather have a 3 or 4 footer than a 1 or 2 inch thats short. Spend more time on the practice green in the 3 to 5 foot range. Greg's theory of never leaving a putt short sounds good until you start power lipping them out and then lose feedback of the break on your come back 4 or 5 footer. Besides that, giving yourself a bunch of 3 to 6 foot putts to save par or bogey, puts a lot of pressure on your putting during the round. I think for most people, Ben's style of putting is more appropriate since most people simply don't have the time to practice short putts of 3 to 6 feet for hours on end. If you have the time, fine, be aggressive if it suits your personality, if not, be conservative. To each his own and hopefully whatever "own" you decide is correct for you, is actually correct for you and not your ego taking over your common sense. __________________ *My "dream" girl: LPGA seasonal tour stats <=65.50 & >=270*

08-27-2010, 02:22 PM	#10
xman5 Contest Statistician Join Date: May 2006 Location: NYC Posts: 3,902	Originally Posted by gxer All I know is that Tiger is, overall, the best putter I have ever seen. Agreed.

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