Putting Drills

[onthebogeytrain]

Hey all,

 

Apologies if there is a thread on this already. I was just curious if you have any simple putting drills to stay dialed when you have an hour or so to work on your putting or for before rounds. Been in a rut lately and just swapped putters and ready to start getting serious about my putting. Thanks!

[MikeW2]

I find when I get into ruts it is a mental thing so over the years I’ve placed a value into whatever I’m practicing. At the start of each season I place $20 in my bag. If I fail to accomplish my goal I take out of the $20 or vice versa if I do accomplish it I add to it. For example, today I putted 4 balls…2 from about 3-4 ft and 2 from about 10 ft. All on the same line with the closer one’s being for par and the longer ones being for birdie. Goal is to be under par for each line I set this up on and I’ll do this from 6 or 8 different lines. Today I finished 4 under and added $4 to my stash. The days where I do a drill and have to take out kill me so it makes me grind harder through whatever drill I’m doing. At the end of the season hopefully I have enough money in there to get myself a new toy and I feel that practicing this way has sharpened me for when I’m out on the course.

[dlam]

I have more trouble with short putts 

I like using yard stick and gate drill from

3 to 6 feet 

[Sp4zRX]

There are 3 drills I use that seem to help me. 
 

1.5-2ft straight putts. I make sure I am making 100% and they are rolling into the center of the cup. I will start moving it back about 6” after holing about a dozen in a row. I will stop around 4ft. If you aren’t hitting center of the cup from this range, then your not hitting your intended line. Also, the visual of just seeing putts drop one after another does something positive to my subconscious. 
 

Hit the ball solid drill. No lines, no targets, distance doesn’t matter. Only focus on hitting the ball on the sweet spot of the putter. If you can’t hit the ball solid every time, then distance control will suffer. 
 

Distance control. Put a tee or something in the green and hit putts from 12-30ft (or more!) and try and get within 2-3 feet. Line doesn’t matter, you are focused on distance control. 
 

[bluedot]

1. I find a flat, straight putt and put my alignment sticks down slightly wider than the hole, then hit 4 footers until I get the feel of my putter releasing straight down the line between the sticks.  (Helps on the course under pressure to imagine the sticks, too.)

 

2. Mark Broadie’s 10’ putt game from his book.  I won’t try to describe it, but it’s valuable on several levels.

 

3. 30-30 game, given to me by a friend who is an LPGA player.  Start at 30’ (average distance for a first putt). 3 pts if you make it, 2 pts if you two putt AND the first putt got past the hole, 1 pt if you 2 putt but the first putt came up short, MINUS 3 pts if you 3 putt.  Goal is to get to 30 points before you hit 30 flirts putts from 30’.  Great drill for getting the speed right, and for making short putts with a little bit of pressure.  

[me05501]

17 hours ago, Sp4zRX said:

Distance control. Put a tee or something in the green and hit putts from 12-30ft (or more!) and try and get within 2-3 feet. Line doesn’t matter, you are focused on distance control. 
 

 

 

A pro told me to do this drill, but to use the edge of the fringe as your target for judging the distance. That way your mind can completely ignore the line and focus only on speed.

[Sp4zRX]

3 hours ago, me05501 said:

 

 

A pro told me to do this drill, but to use the edge of the fringe as your target for judging the distance. That way your mind can completely ignore the line and focus only on speed.

I like it. I do actually putt to the fringe a lot for that exact reason. 

[jholz]

I use similar methods to what others have already posted...but I do have a set "warm-up routine" the centers on three particular drills.

 

1. Find the straight, uphill putt from 6'. This is a good one for establishing a feel for your reads, as well as checking basic fundamentals. You just pick a hole, then find the spot you think will produce a straight uphill putt to that hole. Throw a ball down and see how correct your read is. If you need to adjust - do so. Once you find that precise, straight, uphill putt from 6' - put twelve balls in the hole consecutively. Now you know that your stroke is on point. 

 

2. 4-5' Round the World. I used to do 2'-3' but that's become too easy. Get a feel for speed and break by putting a few tense curlers into the hole. 

 

3. 9-12 lags from various distances. I take my three balls and throw them down somewhere outside of 20' - and see how close to the hole I can get.

 

Generally, this routine takes me about 30 minutes before a round. Generally gets me into a good headspace for putting - confident but cautious.

 

For my practice sessions - I might hit a few more balls in every drill - but the big thing is playing 21-25 balls of up-and-down. Give yourself some random putts - then use your practice to confidently roll them into the center.

 

If you are dedicated to practice - the practice green is the easiest and most fun way to pick up strokes on the course.

[iacas]

6 hours ago, bluedot said:

3 pts if you make it, 2 pts if you two putt AND the first putt got past the hole, 1 pt if you 2 putt but the first putt came up short, MINUS 3 pts if you 3 putt.

 

Not a fan of that part… Tour players average 2.0 putts from 33'. From 30', almost every amateur should just be trying to hit the ball 30'. Not 31'. They'll three-putt more often without making up for it more with enough makes.

 

Some amateurs should be trying to hit the ball the distance of the hole from as short as 20'. But almost all… from 30'. And it's not much longer at all on the PGA Tour.

[getitdaily]

5 footers and 10 footers...start by trying to get the ball to just creep over the edge. Then progress to balls that go in the middle but do not hit the back edge. Then progress to putts that hit the back edge.

 

Then hit about 20 putts from 20-35 feet.

[parmark]

Few rounds I was coming up short time and time again. (Playing first off like we do doesn't help, greens are watered pretty good, but no excuses allowed.)  Mentioned it to the pro - he suggested a drill that has really worked well since I've been doing this...

 

Set up 10 feet from hole = without taking the putter back at all just forward stroke to the hole.  Teaches a full follow thru on the stroke.

 

Has been really helping to get the ball to the hole. 31 putts last round.

Edited June 24, 2023 by parmark

[Nels55]

The best putting practice for me seems to be using a club ruler to align my hands and eyes to setup and stroke with a square putter face.  This works for me and my alignment has been verified on SAM Putt Lab.  I look at the target while pushing on the ruler and also most of the time while tapping the ruler with my stroke.  This practice is rather boring but it only take a few minutes:

 

I putt much better when I do this drill a day before playing.  The other practice that is most important as others have mentioned in this thread is speed control.

[iutodd]

Can’t believe the gate drill isn’t coming up more. It’s the single best drill ever.  I like incorporating a 3rd or 4th tee to really dial in path. 

 

Lag putts from 25-35-45 feet.  25 feet might seem too “close” for lag putting but you’re just not that likely to make 25 foot putts - and a 3-putt from 25 feet is hugely penal from a strokes gained and mental positivity perspective. 
 

Hole as many putts inside 6 feet as you can - there are various drills for this. But making as many of these putts as possible is really important for scrambling especially. 

[Peter_b]

On 5/24/2023 at 2:17 PM, bluedot said:

Mark Broadie’s 10’ putt game from his book.  I won’t try to describe it, but it’s valuable on several levels.

@bluedot Cant find that in Every shot counts, that’s the book?

Edited July 20, 2023 by Peter_b