Putting

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By Richard L

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  1. Richard L

    Richard L
    Turlock Ca

    Good afternoon everyone, I was wanting to ask what drills do some of you use when practicing putting? I’ve been hitting the ball better and chipping has improved, but my putting is not helping my score at all any advice would be greatly appreciated

  2. Scott D

    Scott D
    Lethbridge,

    One drill I allay use is the gate drill. Find a level relatively straight putt on the practice green. Place one tee just off the toe of the putter and one off of the heel. Place the ball in the middle of the gate and make some putts. This drill I always use to reinforce hitting the putt in the middle of the face.
  3.  Don_Mega

    Don_Mega
    Vancouver, BC

    Hi Richard,

    My drill is pretty simple. I start by working on short putts—those crucial 3 to 5 footers. I set up four tees around the hole and go in a circle, putting from each spot until I make all four in a row. If I miss one, I start over. I’ll repeat this drill several times at different hole locations on the practice green.

    Once I’ve gone through that, I move on to lag putting—anywhere from 30 to 50 feet. My focus there is getting the ball inside that same 3 to 5 foot range, then knocking it in for a solid two-putt.

    For me, putting is all about feel and, most importantly, confidence—truly believing I'm going to make the putt.

    Best,
    Don_Mega
  4. Steve M

    Steve M
    Hatboro, PA

    here are a few that I use (an old teaching pro gave me the top):

    1. rock the shoulders and don't use arms/wrist
    2. use the line on the ball to help with alignment. when practicing putts, make sure that you are getting an end over end roll.
    3. when practicing, think (a) stroke, (b)/(c) line & speed as they are interconnected.
    4. I will use putting rails (got from Scotty Cameron) to work on the stroke - back and through. try to find a flat section of practice green for this. Maybe place a water bottle as your target, but initially worry more about stroke than making the putt
  5. dwmorris

    dwmorris
    Westchester Cty., NY

    For pre round work, I really like to make sure that I do 10-20-30-40 drill. 3 balls from 10 feet, 20, 30, and then 40. Uphill and downhill for sure. Usually there has to be some left to right as well, due to the size of the putting green. I'm trying to get all of the putts inside three feet. This is really good for speed control. I also do a lot of work with a putting gate to try to make sure I focus on my start line. I use a mirror and to 10-12 foot putts where I really work on getting perfect setup and then a good stroke. I really struggle with set up on the course. Ill also do some drills with tees and "around the world" from 4 feet and then 6 feet, having to make every putt in the circle or start over.
  6. ItsFido

    ItsFido
    Cleveland, OH

    Putting is probably the hardest thing to learn. To me, it comes down to two things - reading and pacing.
    I'd start by trying to identify where you're weakest on the green. Are you constantly missing 3 foot putts? Are you not getting yourself close enough to make a putt when you're far from the hole? Try to keep some stats on rough paces from your ball to the hole on the first putt for the next few rounds, as well as how many putts you took on that hole.

    For the short putts, the only real way that I've found to improve there was to practice. Head up to a practice green and putt from 3 feet out in a full circle around the hole.

    My pacing practice is to find an area 3 feet from each direction around the hole. I'm not trying to make a putt while I'm practicing pacing, but I am trying to make a ball land in that 3ft ring around the hole. Once that's more consistent I shrunk it to 2 feet and 1 foot eventually. If you can consistently place yourself in those makeable ranges, your score will drop.

    When it comes to learning how to read greens better, unfortunately the only way to do that is to look at longer puts and take your read, after you hit the putt look again and see if you can spot why it didn't behave the way you expected it to. It just kind of comes with time.

    Also stop giving yourself putts (if you do), all that does is make your game worse. Make every hole count, and always finish your putts out.
  7. I work on 20-40 foot lag putts after, 5-10 foot putts are the ones I practice the most. Then 6-3 footers. If your 6-3 footers can be automatic then you'll start hitting more 5-10 footers and that's how lower scores are made! Then you start lag putting better. Then even if your 35 feet from the pin, you can still get up and down with 2 putts. Makes the greens much bigger. Having confidence with a putter in your hand is key to a low round imo.
  8. Military
    Goodness, there are a lot of putting drills. Deciding on one is tough. Depending on how you are missing your putts, and really why you are is very important to understand.
    Find a flat 4 or 6 foot putt on a practice putting green. Ensure it is a straight putt. You can start with 2 tees, put them just outside of the putter head to the toe and heel. Give yourself more room in the beginning. Put the ball perfectly in the middle. As you address the ball, this helps ensure you are lining up the putt with a square face.
    Now, as you make your putts, you will able to see if you are pushing or pulling putts.

    I used to find a flat surface, put the toe of my putter against it and putt that way. Trying to keep a very smooth straight line back and through.

    I think it is also important to stay relaxed. Trust the feel. Trust your eyes. Once you have a consistent stroke, don't get too rigid or too mechanical. Hope it helps!

    Also, Dave Pelz is a great one to research.
  9. Military
    I use the ladder drill, putts from 1 to 6 feet, if I miss one I have to start over at the 1 foot putt

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