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The Art Of Giving Putts

/ The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

For many casual golfers, a gimmie is a staple term during every round. It does not matter at what level of player is on the links, I can almost guarantee that taking/conceding a putt happens. Whether to speed up play or eliminate the frustration of whacking the ball around the green, gimmies happen. Now, to be fair, I am not against conceding a putt or even taking one from time to time. But this happens only and I have to emphasize only during a friendly round.

Well, that is not true, I use gimmies as a strategy during Match Play events, but that is a different kettle of fish.

Putting is a skill that every golfer must master. I realize I am stating the obvious, but it is often overlooked by many amateurs. I have watch countless players spend 25 minutes of their 30 preround warm up hitting balls and only 5 minutes chipping and putting. Personally, I am a 20 / 10 player (with 20 minutes chipping and putting) who feels that honing my short game touch is more important than hitting balls. I am not sure where you stand, but that is my approach.

Gimmie putts are a part of golf. I think each player must decide when and where they want to apply this unwritten action. I do not judge and actually do not care; the only person a gimmie affects during a friendly round is the person taking the putt. I understand this flies in the convention of a serious golfer, but that is where I am today.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

How To Sink More Putts

/ The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Developing a strong putting technique and honing putting skills is the ultimate stroke saver in golf. Over the years I have tried a plethora of different drills and techniques with the goal of improving my putting. Ultimately to improve our overall putting game, it comes down three areas to which I should have focused my efforts. I wish I would have understood these three areas a long time ago, but after listening to Rick Shiels, I realize I was working around the areas of importance. The only challenge I faced was not honing in on these areas earlier.

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The One Golf Focus For 2022

/ The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

With the new year one day old, I think it might be time to start laying out my goals for 2022. I have many standard ones that include fitness, swing mechanics and course management; yet I have decided to dedicate more time and focus in one particular area that I believe will garner me the most improvement. Through the years, I have dedicate a fair bit to time to this area, but this year I plan to focus over half my time to one specific area with a close second being putting.

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Open or Closed Putter Face

/ The Grateful Golfer / 5 Comments

I am fairly confident that if we asked any golfer, an open face putt is less than ideal. As a player who considers themselves an above average putter (hovering around 29 putts a round on average), I strive to have my putter head square to my intended line. It is something I practice during my training sessions even in the off season. I understand its importance and understand that the slightest angle from square is compounded give the length of putt. It is simple math.

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Filling Your Golf Mind With Nonsense

/ The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

As I navigated the holiday season, I found my attention being drawn in multiple directions simultaneously. This is not surprising because of the significant increase in sensory data that constantly bombarded my 3-foot space. It was overwhelming sometimes, but I was able to keep my sanity by shutting off all the white noise and focus my thoughts in only a few areas at once. What I found is that I was filling my mind with nonsense and realized that to function properly I needed to focus. Boy that sounds very familiar to when I am hitting a golf shot!

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