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Putting Drills

shutch4251

shutch4251

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Looking to take a few strokes off the game. In review of my past few scorecards I have way too many 2 & 3 putt holes.

I wanted to make a concerted effort in 2014 to drop strokes in an area which 1/2 my game is coming from.

Do you have any drills one can use to spend an hour or two a week to hone in putting skills?
 
I have a few that I use, putting has always been one of my strengths due to the ability to practice it year round at home. There are three that I use, depending on which aspect I am focusing on.

Distance Control:
I will take two balls and hit the first one keying on four or five feet from me, I will then use the second and try and get it to just nudge the first ball. I will keep extending the distance that I try and hit the first one unti lI end up with fifteen to twenty foot putts. I find that I can do this both indoors and on a practice green.

Center Face Impact:
I'm sure you have seen guys on the green put two tees down and placing a ball in between them as they try and make sure that their putter face is passing between them consistently. On a practice green, I will do this as well as adding two mroe tees about two feet in front of me along the line that I want to hit the putt, they will be about an two inches apart and I try and make sure that the ball passes between them. This helps me ensure that I have made solid impact and am starting the ball on my intended line. It's a little harder to do in side since you can't put tees in the ground, but I have found that my son't building blocks will work as well, just so long as there is something that will let you know that you hit it if you get off on the stroke or line.

Accelerating Through Impact:
This one is one that I use when I feel that I am not accelerating through impact. I will pick a spot on the carpet, or a hole on the practice green and just place the putter behind the ball and push it towards the hole, this gets me to focus on hitting the ball with an acclerating stroke.

I'm sure there will be many others that people suggest, these are just three that I have used for a while to help me.
 
One that I picked up out of the threads courtesy of the incomparable Jman is the thumbs off drill. Practice putting with your thumbs off of the putter to ensure a proper release of the putter head and to get the feel of what it is supposed to feel like when the head does release. James will probably chime in on this thread to explain it better than me. After doing this drill on numerous occasions, I have starting taking my normal putting grip with very light thumb pressure and that has helped me with a good putter head release on the course.
 
couple drills I'm working on:

I start with the above 2 tee drill and then "pushing the ball into the hole" drill.

Then, take 10 tees and, using the putter, measure out 36" in each direction, making a circle around the cup. Take 5 golf balls and put one by / between each tee in succession. Then, start hitting putts. You need to do 20 in a row. If you miss, you have to start over at the beginning. If you get to where 20 is easy, then up the #. I *think* this is off Phil's DVD (?)

Lag Drill: Then remove every other tee, leaving a 3 foot circle of 5 tees. Measure 20-30-40 feet, or 30-40-50 feet. Start in the middle and make 3 inside the circle before moving up to the forward set. 3 in a row, then move to the farthest tee. 3 in a row from there (the 9 don't have to be in succession; after you do 3, you've completed that part). Finally you move back to the middle tee. You get one putt, if you make it inside the circle the drill is done. If you miss, you start over.


 
Putting Drills

I like to use two tees 3' in front of me that stratal either side of my intended line on a 15' putt.

Before I set the tees I roll a few putts at the hole to get a sense of the line. Once I have my line, I place a tee on either side of the line about a putter width apart. I then setup and proceed to hit putts through these tees.

I will pinch them in as I continue to practice. The is drill will make you work on squaring the blade, solid contact and provides feedback on push or pulled putts
 
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Has anyone had success with the putting device that looks like a mirror to help eye alignment is correct?
 
For point of impact information you can put some talcum or baby powder on the face. Stroke the putt and see the point of impact on the face. Make any necessary adjustments. This drill also helped me learn where on the toe to best "kill" a putt which is being discussed in another thread.

JM
 
Putting to a tee stuck in the green from different distances helps me far more than putting to a hole. Also, 3' to 6' putts over and over until I can hit 20 each at least.
 
Love this thread... Putting is the major thing I work on in the winter. One drill I do is I take 10 balls and start a foot out and have to make them consecutively if I miss I start over. When I make 10 I go to 2' so on so forth until I'm 10 ft (that's all space allows for in my apt).
 
This gate drill with two ball sleeves works for me when I practice indoors. I tend to cut across putts and make impact towards the toe. I'll hit the bottom sleeve if i do that. You can also use tees when you're on the practice green.

a2uqy2e2.jpg
 
Skimmed through the feedback. A lot I here to digest and try. Appreciate the info. Have been distracted by the 9er game.
 
One drill that my SPi instructor showed me is to take your driver (or someone else's in case it falls over - haha) and balance the grip end on top of your putter (about where the sight line is), and put the head end of the driver resting on your sternum (chest). Practice taking swings like this will help with the feel of letting the shoulders do the work and getting the hands/wrists out of the stroke.

He also used a Eyeline Golf Edge Putting Rail (I think it was the 70-degree angle model) that I thought was helpful:
http://www.eyelinegolf.com/collections/putting-aids/products/edge-putting-rail-70-white-slight-arc

FYI, the instructor was THPer Carfangia (Chris) - a great guy! I think I'll be going back for a checkup lesson in the Spring before our season starts up here.
 
Been locked away in office so I can't try any of the green and tee work. However did find a neat drill of putting a poker chip.

Concept is to be able to stroke a poker chip with a smooth stroke striking the chip at the bottom of putting arch. This will help from striking down on a putt or striking up on a putt. Both will cause the ball to bounce and fall off line.
 
Thanks guys for all the various putting drills. Hopefully the wife doesn't know that instead of working on the basement for the last 3 hours I've been putting away! Dropping b'a from 6-10ft!
 
Putting drills just what I need to get on. The ones that I have worked on is the putting two sleeves of balls on both sides of the putter and keep it sqaure. Another one is setting up two tee's right infront of the cup to make you try and aim a smaller target. Finally is putting a coin or ball marker down about 1-2 feet and try and hit the mark with every putt. Going to need all the good tips and drills to take my putt numbers down.
 
Lots of useful points. Thanks to all....
 
Canes said:
This gate drill with two ball sleeves works for me when I practice indoors. I tend to cut across putts and make impact towards the toe. I'll hit the bottom sleeve if i do that. You can also use tees when you're on the practice green.

a2uqy2e2.jpg
Click to expand...

Going to give this a try later. Ive been working alot on my putting the last month or so after watching Phil Mickelson's "Secrets of the short game". Two tips that helped me were grip pressure, light as possible & push your hands towards the target. Two things I never considered & helped my putting alot.
 
I used this drill yesterday and really felt good about the way I was putting. Now I need to get that feeling to the course.

yhede4ub.jpg
 
One of my favorite drills. It's brutal but very good for making sure you bring the head in square at impact.
 
Mward said:
One of my favorite drills. It's brutal but very good for making sure you bring the head in square at impact.
Click to expand...

Yeah this first couple of tries are pretty ugly haha but like you said great for making sure face is square. This is going to be part of my Pre round routine for sure.
 
TheCrest4 said:
Yeah this first couple of tries are pretty ugly haha but like you said great for making sure face is square. This is going to be part of my Pre round routine for sure.
Click to expand...

It's one I use when I notice I'm having trouble starting the ball on the right line. Works pretty well, but it sucks so bad when the putter head slams into a tee
 
Billy Horschel's putting drill routine. Gonna have to give these a try.


  • From 5 feet place 4 balls at N-S-E-W positions around the hole and make 12 in row (or start over)
  • From 5, 7 and 9 feet putt 3 balls from each distance. Repeat the drill twice and make at least 12 out of 18 (or start over)
  • From 10, 12 and 14 feet putt 3 balls from each distance. Repeat the drill twice and and make at least 7 out of 18 (or start over)
 
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