I’m just coming off my new putter high. Still better than the old, but that is such a real thing its kind of crazy
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I played the first nine of my round putting heads up today and it was a total disaster.
Not messing with it anymore.
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Counterpoint: I putted with it all 3 rounds on every putt for the NIT, and I shot two career bests and was the king of cozy.
I think my green reading needs some work to up the make% from distance, but I was hitting just about every putt with nearly perfect weight.
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Counter counter point, in limited trials I have degreened myself once so far 
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I will admit, the first two rounds of using it felt very weird. But the more comfortable I became with the feeling of not knowing exactly what my hands were doing, the more it became obvious that this will be the way for me going forward.
I just can’t get the free throw analogy out of my head. It makes so much sense.
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If I had to hit the basketball with a stick to knock it through the hoop, I would be looking at the ball as I swung.
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That’s why the free throw thing makes no sense.
Do we tell kids in T Ball to look in the gap in left center, where they should hit it, instead of the ball?
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Hockey players aren’t looking at the puck when they shoot
Granted, they do miss on slapshots lol
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I think the ball being stationary always in golf makes the main difference though. In teeball you’re trying to teach them to follow the ball because it will eventually be moving, and potentially very fast.
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That’s fair.
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Think of it this way: what do you look at when you serve a ping pong ball? I’ve mentioned above my experimentation with heads up and found it not necessarily the best thing for on-course use, but the idea gets at something I do find useful for getting speed right, which is to make the stroke more of a reflex and less mechanical.
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ping pong serving is a great comp.
i could see heads up working for chipping and pitching as well. could get weird though too.
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Umm…the ball? Are you saying you don’t look at the ball serving in ping pong? Do you just hit it out of your hand without tossing it up
Edited - I’m a decent table tennis player and I just grabbed my paddle and did the motions a little, I’m definitely not looking up at the other end of the table when serving, but i’m also not staring at the ball intently I’m kinda seeing the table out of my peripheral and watching the ball…which oddly enough is how I putt.
I can see the hole in my mind, I can see the line in my mind. I’m not actually looking at the ball intently either, my eyes are toward it but its unfocused vision
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I’m certainly not a high level ping pong/table tennis player by any means, but I don’t really toss the ball like a tennis serve. My hands kind of work together and I hit the ball where I’m looking. Similar to an underhand volleyball serve or passing a soccer ball. Different strokes and all, I just find that being more target oriented in general leads to better outcomes.
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Now that I think about it on a first serve in pong I sorta use my eyes and body as a potential misdirect. I do toss for serve one but I’m not really looking at anything.
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Heads up putting seems to be great for those that are unable to not rigidly watch their putting stroke or completely lose the minds eye view of the hole/distance to putt etc
If you struggle with the minds eye vision of the hole - I’m certain it helps. If you are excellent at the minds eye vision of the hole, I’m sort of doubtful if it makes all that much difference.
I dont like the free-throw analogy because: you can still see the ball, your arm, your shot, etc. You are looking at it all. You might be looking at the rim - but you see everything else in your peripheral. Sure you aren’t rigidly focusing on your elbow form…but you still see it, its there, you are just focused somewhere else.
I think heads up putting takes away your peripheral on the club head, the ball, etc which might free you up if you are the free throw shooter who can’t help but stare at their elbow form (watching the putting stroke).
I would challenge folks to learn to hold a minds eye view of the hole & distance etc. Because this skill translates to chips & pitching & full shots
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The other issue with the free throw analogy is every free throw is the exact same. I once saw a guy do it with his eyes closed. In an NBA game!
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Was he any good?
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sergio and highsmith do this in tournaments too!
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Look at these guys! Eye on the ball!