I have noticed after using many putters, that I inconsistently find myself hitting feeling the 'softness' of the sweetspot. I have the tendency to hit very high on the face, which gives a much harder feel than when I hit in the center of the face. I have heard pro's talk about trying to keep their putter very low (which to me would further promote this).

Any thoughts on:

1. if hitting higher on the face will much affect roll / distance (assuming it is not on the edge of topline)
2. anything to suggest to help me hit further down more often?

Thanks!

I do the same thing, and when I actually lift the putter up, the feel it totally different. I've grown so used to hitting it high on the face, and thus off the sweet spot, that true contact feels *soft*.

One drill that I really like is to hold the putter off the ground about half an inch at address. This encourages hitting lower on the putter face, and has an added benefit (for me) of a very smooth take away, since nothing is impeding the start of my backstroke. As a safeguard, I also hold the putter about an inch behind the ball as well, to avoid yipping!

Glad I am not the only one. I am interested in hearing more about your inch behind the ball reference. I was trying that last night a little. Not sure why, but I think I was thinking it would help me to hit up on the ball a little more.

This just goes to show the old addage of "different strokes for different folks" A drill I do that helps me is to brush a nickle off of a quarter to keep the club head down through impact. Maybe our putters have different face heights because I always hit the insert with my low stroke and it feels great.

Try the Pelz Putter Clips. I use them all of the time and they are relatively cheap. And always check your alignment. Sometimes the face is misaligned and you then subconsciously correct it with a flawed stroke. For example, I have a problem with aligning the putter face to the right of the target, then subconsciously having a stroke that cuts across it a tad to counter the flawed alignment. That causes me to catch some putts more off the toe.





3JACK

Thanks. I use the clips from time to time and no issues finding the center horizontally...my issue is too high up the clubface. I wondered if it was too much forward press.

Oops, didn't read that part. Forward press would probably be my best guess as well.





3JACK

Forward press would definitely make you hit the top of the face. If you have to much you may actually be turning your putter in to a negative loft (top face leading bottom into impact)

I feel the same off of my putter, a hard click, compared to the smooth clunk when I hit it right. I have been trying to grip just a little lower, perhaps a half inch or slightly more (its just above the writing on my grip) then as I swing I tend to bring the club up naturally in the swing making contact closer to the sweet spot. Its not a perfect solution, but if there was one perfect technique why are we all so different when we putt? (including pro's).

Good luck and let us know how you get on...

I was trying the slight grip down as well and seemed to help. I prefer to grip at the very end...and also found that if I move to a 34" it negatively impacts my posture. I used to have a major forward press, and now it is much less so. My putter has 4* of loft, i wonder if moving to a 5-6* would help. I know Stan Utley advocates a forward press and I believe has that much loft.

May have answered my own question somewhat. See end of page 33-34:

http://books.google.com/books?id=IIDlXnvRk...result#PPA33,M1

I started lining up an inch or so behind the ball about a month ago. I recently made a putter that has a ball shaped cut out along the address line, and I found that using the cutout an my alignment aid and the ball as an intermediate target REALLY helped my alignment. It also helps me to hit *up* on the ball, and reduce the forward press that I know I'm so guilty of.