Putting explained - tips and tricks

[Gotku]

When I see some message in this forum I can see a lot of people are confusing how putting work. It is not inconsistent, and it not pure guesswork to know the power. The power lies in the amount of your backswing, the recoil of your put, no the downswin. Below is some advice I post in an other forum:

First, if the ball goes offline it's that you do not put straight, work on that, its mostly on the downswing (when you hit the ball) if you off line, focus to keep straight, strong, you can hit all the way up, issue only come if your downswing (when you hit) is not at least the same amplitude than you backswing. Once again you can hit all the way up, the power is all about backswing.

Second, the put marker indicate the perfect speed for the situation. You do not need to add/remove power.

If for some reason the speed suggested does not suit you, you still have to put the marker to the speed you wish, since it will indicate to the game the speed you are aiming for (the game will make slight adjustment if you manage to get in this speed area with your downswing).

I use a closer and higher camera when I do my putting swing. I use the placement of my putter head (during downswing)in front of my feet to have visual clues/markers to judge my power/distance.

Go to practice green to train on your distance, and remember for each distance the placement of your putter head at the end of the backswing.

Each green speed will impact your distance. For example on normal/slow speed if I stop my downswing with the putter head in the middle of my shoe it will be 5/4 meters (I use metric). On fast it will be 6 meter.

Practice, practice, practice.

For some put with a very strong break right or left, you might want to use tiny more power, or the slope will push the ball before the hole, even if you aimed very strongly to compensate break.

Some put downhill on fast green can be a nightmare with strong break, and sometime on just need to push the ball a tiny and let the slope do it's magic (or witchcraft)..

If you use this method, always use the same kind of shoes, and do not change your putter head or it will mess all your visual clues.

Reading the breaks is a question of experience, and you will get it the more you play, but you will miss some, make some. But at least if you get your speed right the second put should be a tap in most of the time.

That is what I do, I am very OK regarding putting, it is a part of my games I am confident in, not like chipping..

But someday/round, all puts will fall, and your use you feel (based on a method/experience), not so much thinking, kind of automatic, you are in the zone. And sometime, well, not so much.. But if you get your speed right, you should avoid 3 puts (if the green not too diabolic).

This is my method, probably others have different way/thinking to put, but if it can help some fellow virtual golfers to get better and enjoy the game better, I am happy to share those tips.

[TWC_WalMart]

Some great tips, thank you. How do you move the camera when putting ? which keys.

[Gotku]

play with a controller, it is R3, I do not know for K/M.

K/M players can be confused with TGC 2019 since the putting mechanich is the same as controller, not like on TG2 where you could precisly adjust your backswing. Now you start you backswing, you cannot stop it to adjut your power, it is the timing of when you start the downswing..

[Thrangar]

The magnetic affect of the putting marker is game killing...they had the putting down perfect in last version..it has been ruined IMHO

[BloodHawk]

Nice post with some helpful tips!

Originally posted by Thrangar:

The magnetic affect of the putting marker is game killing...they had the putting down perfect in last version..it has been ruined IMHO

Yeah I found that to be annoying as well when trying to get a better view of the green (I don't find it "game-breaking" though), especially if you're used to TGC2 with a free camera. Hopefully they will address that in a patch.

[hein.o]

Oh, wait a minute. I get it.

The default marker position marks the distance you need to put for the situation.

You still however need to control your power for that particular distance through how far you take the backswing before you do your downswing.

My problem is still that I can't consistently know how far to do a backswing on level ground for say 25, 40, 55 and 70 feet. There is no mark on the backswing to consistently get close tothose distances

Maybe I just don't see it I guess as it seems that I'm the only one having this problem. I kind of get a feel for it, but the area where the putter backswing goes from horizontal to vertical is where I consistently get screwed up in my head......the vertical part of the swing that is.....I have trouble judging the power there

How do I use overhead camera while putting? When I am in overhead view on the green I can only use either LMB or RMB to alter the view, but I lose control of the swing in this view

[ErickaUnlimited]

Hmm, interesting. Thanks for the tips, OP.

[Wirenut48]

To expand on the marker distance, the the formula is +/- 1 ft for every 1 in of elevation. The default placement for uphill is pretty close in most conditions. But is set for the ball to die at the hole, so may need to add another 2 ft to help hold the line as the ball will break more as it slows down. Then you take your swing for the length given on the marker. Compensation will need to be made on unusual situations like when the rise in elevation is only a short segment of the overall distance. In this case less power would be needed as the ball is traveling on flat terrain the majority of the distance.

Down hill, by default it sets the marker 1 ft in front of the hole so you will need to make adjustments as per the formula above without the extra 2 ft. Again putt with the strength needed to match the distance on the marker. Putts with strong breaks and fast greens you may have to putt almost sideways to get the ball above the hole and let gravity take over.

Backswing distant is a learned process that only achieved by practice. If you play real golf the swing on the ani can be used to judge the distance in the same way. Once you get that visualization down it's pretty true to life.

Once you get the hang of it it can be very rewarding and a fun part of the game.

[tressieo1]

I have just finished a game with both Female and Male animations and found that there is
a great difference in the putting, with the male when I move the putter back and then
go forward for a 20 foot putt I get it in the hole, while the female animation when I
move the putter back and then go forward for a 20 foot putt the ball will go 20 yards
( it is like hitting the ball with a sledge hammer).

[wilkr]

Originally posted by Gotku:

play with a controller, it is R3, I do not know for K/M.

K/M players can be confused with TGC 2019 since the putting mechanich is the same as controller, not like on TG2 where you could precisly adjust your backswing. Now you start you backswing, you cannot stop it to adjut your power, it is the timing of when you start the downswing..

your tips are well meaning but putting with a mouse and controller are not the same. In the controller when the stick is moved forward so does the clubhead. With a mouse the club is not in sync with the mouse movement which allows to club some additional backward movement before starting forward. Very hard to judge proper backswing length.

[notmymind]

Originally posted by wilkr:

Originally posted by Gotku:

play with a controller, it is R3, I do not know for K/M.

K/M players can be confused with TGC 2019 since the putting mechanich is the same as controller, not like on TG2 where you could precisly adjust your backswing. Now you start you backswing, you cannot stop it to adjut your power, it is the timing of when you start the downswing..

your tips are well meaning but putting with a mouse and controller are not the same. In the controller when the stick is moved forward so does the clubhead. With a mouse the club is not in sync with the mouse movement which allows to club some additional backward movement before starting forward. Very hard to judge proper backswing length.

Absolutely agree.... this cause lost shots big time

[XaininPC]

These are some very nice tips. I'm getting decent at putting but still have a lot to learn thank you for adding to that. I guess maybe I can add a few things from my experience as well.

Downhill = slower = more time being pushed by the break. So if I have a long putt and I know my chances of making it are not good,of course I want to just try to get it close. But if possible, I try to leave the ball downhill from the cup instead of uphill. It leaves an easier next putt.

Same goes for approach shots. If I have a choice, I'd rather leave a longer uphill putt than a shorter downhill one, if any side slope. Also perfectly flat parts of the green are top priority so if i see a landable spot 20-25 ft perfectly flat to the cup or possibly a 10 ft spot to the cup with lots of break, i'll take the flatter farther landing area any day.

If the elevation to the cup is in feet, do NOT assume it's an actual foot! That "to the pin" reading is exact in distance, but rounds off elevation in feet whenever more than like 8 inches. Move the marker exactly to the cup so you can see exactly how many inches the cup is above or below you. Then you can start to adjust as needed from there.

Also I like to line up my side adjustments right from the cup pretending there is no up or downhill, only break and green speed. Then after I figure out the break for exact cup distance, I will adjust for less break if I need an uphill shot, or for more break if I'm putting downhill. Having the exact cup starting point I feel helps me be more consistent on my reads.

I'm also just starting to experiment in putting practice with another way of managing distance using starting point of my on screen cursor instead of watching the clubhead. I'll make a post if I find success with it in game, but in practice so far has been great!

In doing this though, it did not matter how far or close I put the marker. While before like many people I thought the marker mattered with putting distance at least somewhat. I'm thinking now it does not. I can get same distances with the same swing lining up this way regardless if i put the marker at 5 ft or 100 ft.

[wim1234]

where you put the marker has no influence at all, luckily.

[Chadman]

Originally posted by notmymind:

Originally posted by wilkr:

your tips are well meaning but putting with a mouse and controller are not the same. In the controller when the stick is moved forward so does the clubhead. With a mouse the club is not in sync with the mouse movement which allows to club some additional backward movement before starting forward. Very hard to judge proper backswing length.

Absolutely agree.... this cause lost shots big time

I seem to have this problem a lot on KVM :(

[wilkr]

Gotku, are you puttting with a mouse or controller?

[Gotku]

Controller