I've never had a putting lesson. I always thought that unless you had some major flaw in your stroke (I don't) that you just needed to practice a lot to become a good putter. Since last Spring I've dedicated a lot more practice time to putting and it has definitely helped, but I have stopped progressing. I've experimented with many different putter styles and have settled on one that works best for me. I was curious if any of you guys ever had putting lessons and if you thought they were worth it.

To me personally....get a routine that's simple and stick with it. Practice it. Practice some more. Whether you have an arcing stroke or straight back and through you have to practice for increased confidence. So much of putting is confidence

I putt by feel and never had a putting lesson. That's probably a mistake but I'm satisfied with my putting.

What has worked wonders for me is "putting to the picture". After you look away from your intended line, you're never going to see it again so take a snapshot in your head and putt to the image.

Ever walked up to a wall light switch and turned it off but could "feel" where the switch was if you needed to immediately turn it back on now that it was in the dark? That's what I do....my target is a light switch, I see it, turn the light off by looking down at my ball and putt to the light switch. Made a world of difference instead of trying to align everything perfectly...the brain gets out of the way and the body involuntarily takes over according to the image in my head.

Most people have never had a putting lesson however the putter is the most used club in the bag. People get fit for all the clubs in their bag but usually not the putter. I suggest go get fit for a putter. The only place I know that can do this with precision is a placed call Cool Clubs. They have a number of different style putters and 8 high speed cameras that can show everything from how many bounces your golf takes before it holes smoothly to the shaft lean at impact. Also they can precisely tell you where you are aimed vs where you think you are aimed. They can adjust lie, loft, grip and shaft length based on the feedback gained from the cameras. You can find Cool Clubs on the web but I know they have a place in Lewisville, TX. You can thank me with a percentage of your winnings on strokes gained putting.

Thanks for the replies, Ags. I think I will get a putting lesson from my current instructor and get his input. I'll hold off on getting fitted until my instructor thinks I have the "correct" stroke and set up.

Unfortunately, lessons with my pro aren't cheap and putting is probably more of a mind game than the full swing. Which is why I was hesitant to get a lesson and open up a Pandora's Box of stroke/setup changes and possibly needing a new putter and fitting.

The difference for me is always putting. It does not take me long to get in a groove with my irons and woods. The difference in a score for me will be putts.

I am pretty good at it but it has never been the strongest part of my game. I get better with practice. I put a putter in my office and probably roll 100 balls a day. When I started doing that my putting got much more consistent.

But I also have a very consistent approach to the ball on the greens. Thats not always true on the fairways, but on the greens I do the same thing every time unless it is just a tap in. I walk all the way around the putt from high to low. I ususally line the putt up from behind the hole and tend to look at it as if I was putting from the hole to my ball. I then stand behind it and get the shoulders moving. I line up, take aim, take three practice strokes, address the ball, and putt. I started doing this when I started competitive golf again, and, whil eit may be a little slow, helps me make a lot more putts.

Since I started the practice routine, and it begins heavy on putting, I noticed that when I have a habitual method like agalaska I do better on my putts. When I revert back to not having a habit/sequence the results do not seem as well.

One thing I do with my practice strokes is stand parallel with the ball and look at the hole while making a few. Then I address the ball and take the stroke - it somehow gives me a better feel on the distance.

Having a routine seems to kind of in a weird way tell my body that its time to execute on my desired stroke. Its almost as if a calm commitment based on making a similar putt previously takes over, and the mechanical action or thoughts of mechanics just fades away. I dont know if that makes sense, but its the feeling I get.

EDIT: Also, I failed to answer your question - I only have had a few tips when it comes to putting, never an entire lesson on it. The Club Champion guy who was putter fitting me told me a few things, and when my pro saw me spending hours on the practice green, he came out and told me a bad habit that he observed me doing. I always kind of assumed putting was personal, but that could be wrong and lessons might be the way to go.

[This message has been edited by jonj101 (edited 2/26/2014 3:03p).]

I actually took a putting lesson. I would say it was the best golf lesson I had taken from a Pro. He included chipping as well and I was really surprised by how much a difference it made as I was very skeptical going into it.

I think the biggest benefits I received were:
- Better distance on lag putts
- Better aiming techniques
- Better understanding of ball roll
- Better follow through on putts
- Better practice drills to improve that aspect of my game

When I play with friends, they will always comment about my short game around the green and I tell them to try not to laugh when I suggest they take a putting lesson from a Pro.

Again I was skeptical, but after taking the lesson I recommend it.

Don't move your head.
Don't move your f$&@(;:ing head.
Don't move your mfu:;()$ing head.
That is today's lesson try it you will like it

Eyeline golf has something called a putting plane. I used it when I taught...best tool out there

[This message has been edited by aggiebrother33 (edited 3/11/2014 11:48p).]