Quotes

"If you don't think that putting is a crucial part of a player's success, check out Chris Smith. The veteran leads the TOUR in Total Driving, is ninth in Greens In Regulation and first in Ball-Striking. He's also 194th on the money list. Why? He's 170th in Putts per Green in Regulation, 200th (out of 203) in Total Putts and 190th in Scrambling." -- Golfweb, 17 Oct. 2006

"The putts weren't going in. They kept shaving the holes on four or five occasions and it was pretty frustrating," -- Michael Campbell, China Masters, Day 3, 15 Oct 2006

"I started putting with the claw grip and I have started to make more putts from 15-20 feet." -- Will MacKenzie, Reno-Tahoe Open winner, 13 Oct. 2006

"I've been fortunate enough in my amateur career to have won a fair bit of golf tournaments. I know how to play when I'm in the lead or near the lead. But I just struggled with the putter last year here on Sunday. When you lose that confidence in your putter, it really makes it difficult to do anything and obviously I shot 75 that day and I mean I felt like I had a hundred putts. I think the number was right around 36 or maybe even 37." -- DJ Trahan [had Sunday morning lead in Chrysler Classic of Greensboro 2005, but dropped to 13th with bad putting and blew $750,000, including missing a 2-footer on 72nd hole worth $23,000], 5 Oct 2006

"You've got to always keep pushing yourself to get better. Getting better comes from within. This is a game that is fluid, it's always changing and evolving and every facet of the game can improve. As good as I hit it this week, I did hit some bad shots. I didn't putt well on the weekend so there you go. As far as my putting is concerned it is still kind of streaky. I have weeks when I putt well but I know I can improve on that." -- Tiger Woods, The Grove, London, Day 4, 1 Oct 2006

"The mechanics of my swing were such that it required no thought. It's like eating. You don't think to feed yourself. If you have to think about your swing it takes that much away from your scoring concentration." -- Byron Nelson

"A single birdie on the back nine was good enough to get the American [DJ Trahan] into the playoff [with Joe Durant], where he duly made three birdies in a row, a feat that Durant couldn't match. "Nothing really changed to be honest with you," Trahan said. "I was stroking the ball the same. I made the putts on 17 and I made the putts in the playoffs. I didn't feel like I was stroking it any different or my mentality with the putter was any different. But fortunately for me those putts were going in, unlike the ones earlier in the day." -- DJ Trahan, Farm Bureau Classic, 1 Oct 2006

"When you inject the word "try" into golf, you'll start to feel like you're brushing your teeth left-handed. It's been said a thousand times, and it's true: There is no place for conscious effort in golf." -- Dave Stockton Jr., Sep 2006

"I am often asked which professional golfer has the best technique. A very sincere, honest answer is "not many."" -- Harold Swash

"Smooth greens do wonders for disguising imperfect putting techniques. There is no question the advantage held by golfers with better technique has been diminished by the superior quality of putting surfaces." -- Harold Swash

"Aiming in putting is a challenge. If you don't believe it, stand behind people on the practice green sometime and see how few aim the face accurately to their target." -- Gary Wiren

more quotes

A typical round of golf is as follows:

• 43% PUTTING
• 22% WEDGES (1/2 putting)
• 21% DRIVER (1/2 putting)
• 14% IRONS (1/3rd putting)

Why is golf instruction stuck on teaching full swing 95+% and putting < 2%? (Hint: PGA and Magazines). How many putting lessons have you taught or taken?