Cate's Diary

cate said:
You had better come over & give me some lessons. I think I am going to have to start practising my putting at home. I have an old-fashioned putting thing that you plug in & we have carpet in our Snooker room. I might just do that this afternoon after lunch. Missing easy putts sucks. My putting has really been frustrating lately!
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95% of all golfers their putter is too long. This doesn't allow the arms to hang down naturally, causing elbows to flare outwards, which causes putts to be pushed and pulled. There's no way to keep the putter face square back, through, and down the line with flared out elbows. Grip the putter lightly with fingertips applying light pressure to the grip, tuck elbows in. Your right shoulder should naturally be lower than left (for right hander) which should promote an ascending blow (to get positive roll or overspin) which will promote rolling and not skidding at the start of the putt. You are "rolling" the ball, not "hitting" the ball. To putt, rock your chest back and through. I like to pick a spot a couple inches in front of the ball that I want the putt to roll across and stare at that spot and not the ball. I also concentrate on the putter face following through down the line of the putt.

Also, stand such that your left eye (for a right hander) is directly over the ball as you putt. To practice and make sure you're in the proper position, take an old CD to the practice putting green and lay it down. Put a ball in the hole of the CD. Now stand over the ball and line it up where you can see your right eye behind the ball in the reflection of the CD. Now make your putting stroke. If you strike the ball with a slight upwards blow rolling it towards the cup, it will come up and out of the hole like the CD isn't even there. Hit down on it and you'll be able to tell. You can also take 2 short pieces of 2x4 board (about 18 inches long) and place on the green (standing on narrow end) just far enough apart for your putter to fit between (about an eighth of an inch extra on each side). You can use the CD with them also. Now you have guide rails to practice straight back and straight through.

Another practice tip. Instead of practicing putting into a regular cup, stick a tee in the green and practice putting trying to hit the tee. This gets you focusing on a much smaller target. The cup will seem huge and easy to hit after you've been practicing hitting a tee for a while.

Try some of these things and see if it helps your putting any.
 
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I hope you find something in my rambling that helps. My golf OCD was showing in that post. Plenty more golf OCD ramblings where that came from if you ever want tips on chipping, driving, controlling trajectory of shots, working the ball left or right, etc.
 
I'm wondering if any of the putting tips helped. I played golf yesterday on a longer more challenging golf course and shot +3 75. This course is rated 3 strokes higher than the other one I play often so essentially the same relative score. My short game was off so I didn't get a lot of birdies, but my long game was great. I'm going to get it all together at the same time one day soon and shoot a really good score. Patiently awaiting it.

The wind was blowing significantly too. The last 6 times I've played the wind has been a considerable factor. Waiting for that to die down too.
 
Bug it was a little bit much for me to take in as I had been feeling quite stressed. I don't think I will ever be obsessed with golf or my putting. I appreciate you taking the time for me. I did putt better than I had the last couple of weeks, but I think a lot of it is confidence. I used to putt well & be almost cocky. I will start practising at home until I get it back. I have only been playing for 2 &1/2 years & I do want to get better at it, but not that much that I will practice a lot. I have read your putting post about 8 times I think. Half my trouble is I think too much about it & I play much better when I relax & don't try too hard!

I'm still feeling a bit under the weather. I sniffed & sneezed most of yesterday & I have stinging eyes. Weird time to have hay-fever, if that's what it is. Autumn leaf fever?
 
Just think about one thing and not everything. Maybe it's "elbows in" or "roll the ball". Just pick one thing and use that as your swing thought while putting. It's funny, when I putted my best my swing thought during putts was "I'm the greatest putter in the world!" It worked. Confidence is king.
 
Allergies are so annoying, especially when they are out of turn! That'd be like getting the flu in the summer. Hopefully whatever is getting you starts leaving you alone soon.
 
Hi Bug, I had just had a practise in the snooker room on the carpet before I read your last post & putted really well. I'll leave it set up & keep practising. That's funny because some of my best putts have come from saying something equally as funny as yours- "Cate putting for a million dollars" etc. Tucking my elbows in is the go & confidence, confidence, confidence.

Thanks Mystic. I still am sniffling & snuffling & I think it is my allergies playing up.

LaMa, you may have hit the nail on the head. I am allergic to mould & there are heaps of fungi at the golf club & damp leaves everywhere! Thanks sweets.

Oaks- I have had the flu in Summer & that was SOO wrong. It may be the case that when the leaves are gone & it gets chillier the allergies will improve. I take antihistamines all year 'round for my fragrance allergy mainly, but am also using a nasal spray at the moment & I think that is helping a little. It's a full-on attack though because, even though I use an Asthma preventer morning & night every day my asthma is playing up too. Oh well!

G & I went & got wood yesterday as the sun was shining & we felt like doing something energetic outside. It was cold but lovely. There's snow on the mountains & it looks very pretty. It's his Vet's golf day today but it is raining lightly & very windy. Tomorrow is meant to be worse for the women's golf-( 2-13oC) Brrr!! We'll head soon & he may play so I'll visit Mum, do the grocery shopping etc. Bye for now xoxo Cate


 
My putting has improved quite a bit the last few times I've played. My ball striking has deserted me a bit though.
 
Oh V, golf is such a crazy game. Just when you think you might have something conquered another aspect of the game falls apart. My chipping was once the best part of my game, then it failed me(it has since come back again), my drives have mostly been good, but for a while they failed me, my fairway shots ......you get the message. Do you think that, one day, they may all come together (in a good way) & I actually play a whole round of good golf? I can only dream (& keep trying). Love it though!
 
I have a couple rounds a year where it all comes together at the same time and I shoot -2 or -3. I had a fair number of rounds under par last summer, mostly 1 under. I think I had one round that was 2 under. I keep all my score cards so I'll have to go back and look.

When you find a swing thought (or putting in this case) and it's working, stick with it. 1 thought and confidence will make a world of difference.
 
Brr that sounds like it's gonna be chilly. Though we had SNOW this morning. Thankfully it didn't last long and by the time I left work I didn't wear a jacket! Hope you have a good game!
 
I'm 36 years old and the rational me knows the other side of the globe is seasonally backwards from my side but it still catches me off guard when someone posts about it. Hope your allergies and asthma clear up and that they don't affect your golf game.
 
Bug- One thought & confidence. I like it!
Mystic- thanks! It's chilly, but very pretty.
kaplooie-Thanks. My allergies are a year 'round thing & I am used to them really. Sometimes something triggers worse reactions & I'm not sure what is doing it. There are way worse things to have & sometimes it embarrasses me more than anything. Being allergic to fragrance offends many people who seem to see it as my not liking their perfume, rather than me not being able to breathe, or think clearly etc as a reaction to the chemicals. I'm the one who is left feeling bad, in more ways than one. Not many people understand or seem to actually care.
I like to think we are seasonably opposite, rather than backwards ;) I know what you mean though. Travelling to the other hemisphere helps with the perception of the differences in the seasons. My appreciation of our Winters improved somewhat after experiencing the tail end of a Baltimore Winter. Now, that is cold!

Golf- Hmm. I'm home. It was meant to be wild, windy & cold & I decided yesterday that I wouldn't go to golf. It's not. I'm still home. I woke up, after a late night(8-ball) & just felt plain lazy. I had an attack of the couldn't be bothereds. We are going to go get some wood, I'll catch up with the ironing & I'll stop feeling guilty about not going very soon!
 
Hi Kate, I SOO wish I could just give you a great big hug right now! I have missed you too!

My day-
What a mix of a day. I went with G to the blood bank & felt disappointed & a little sad that they will no longer accept my Plasma, because of my "aneurysm". I guess I'll get over it.

Bought some doona covers at a crazy price while G gave blood.

Had a fairly ordinary Chinese lunch & have decided ordinary or sub-standard food just will not do.

G found some really nice slacks at an op shop, for only $7, after trying to buy new ones & getting a little crabby.

I found a really nice shirt- just what I was looking for, but my size was sold out. They only had tiny & huge. They said it may be possible to get me one if they had it in another store in Tasmania. I gave them my phone number.

I had somehow chipped either a filling or a piece of a tooth off last night flossing, rang the dentist this morning, was told they were busy, but then they booked me in, when I said I thought it was a recent filling that had failed & I was going to be nearby today.

We called in to see a friend as we had time to kill waiting for the dentist appointment & found out he's in Melbourne as his younger brother had died.

Went to the dentist & G waited in the car. After about 10 minutes in the waiting room I started feeling short of breath & ended up gasping for breath & had a full-blown Asthma attack, used my puffer, had a drink of water & as I was throwing the cup in the bin saw the culprit- a plug-in bloody room "deodoriser". I staggered outside shaking & with palpitations. I tried explaining to the receptionist, who was clueless as to my objecting to it being there.
Unfortunately when I am exposed to a full-on chemical exposure all attempts at coherent explanations are out the window & I probably come across as a raving idiot.
I went outside & told G what had happened & when I got my breath back went inside & tried explaining what these so-called deodorisers do to me. The receptionist said that she would make a note to turn it off when I came next! WTF? As if there would be no nasty chemicals everywhere!

I got to see my dentist & he had not been told about my reaction, nor did he even know that it was in his waiting area. My filling was intact, but I had splintered a tooth, which he filed so that it was no longer rough. I explained briefly about my M.C.S. & how it affected me, but am not sure if I was at all coherent! He said that he could think of no valid reason that the "deodoriser" should be in the waiting room & that it would be removed. I feel confident that it will be gone next time I have to go, but I will ring first to make sure. He's a lovely guy & a great dentist, but, if I have to I will change dentists.

Luckily G was with me & drove home.
When I got home I got a call to say there was a shop in Hobart with the shirt I wanted & that it will be posted to me. I paid by cc. I should get it next week some time.

I was so close to tears a few times today but am really glad that I am home & safe. I am not going to dwell on my future if the world keeps going down the track of attempting to disguise natural smells & germs with synthetic poison.

Weird day!
 
Waaaah, room perfumes and deodorisers! Scented candles! Incense! They hate me and try to kill me regularly. They aren´t even asthma attacks, my nose and throat just start swelling and I faint if I can´t leave. You have my full and enduring sympathy.
 
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