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What is your favorite putting drill?

Spivey

Spivey

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I am working on my putting this season, and have seen some good improvement, but I don't know very many drills, and I am lazy - I don't feel like watching too many YouTube videos on putting.

So, what is your favorite (or most effective) putting drill?
 
Using my putting arc.
 
I like the circle drill improves my concentration, feel

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EDIT: Diagram didnt work: but my favorite putting drill is dropping a ball at 5ft and 7ft from the hole at 4 different spots around a hole, making a "plus" sign. I try to end practice days by doing this until holing all of them.
 
I was watching School of Golf the other night and they talked about Luke Donald and a drill he does. 4 balls each 3 feet from the hole surrounding the hole. So one North, South, East and West. The goal was to take your normal set up and routine, mark the ball, read the putt and basically do everything you would normally do during a round. You have to make all 4 in a row. It was a good one not only to practice putting but to simulate pressure. I will definitely be using this one
 
Some form of the clock drill. The 4 balls at 4' and 4 balls at 5' from 4 spots around the hole putting each 4' then each 5' putt trying to make all of them.
 
TheCrest4 said:
I was watching School of Golf the other night and they talked about Luke Donald and a drill he does. 4 balls each 3 feet from the hole surrounding the hole. So one North, South, East and West. The goal was to take your normal set up and routine, mark the ball, read the putt and basically do everything you would normally do during a round. You have to make all 4 in a row. It was a good one not only to practice putting but to simulate pressure. I will definitely be using this one
Click to expand...

I was doing something similar to this yesterday. Its certainly not something unique to me, as I've heard it discussed lots of places. I basically put 10 balls around the hole at 3 feet (measured by my putter length). Instead of just going straight around the hole in a circle, I try doing one from 12:00, then 6, then 3, then 9, then keep crisscrossing. I made 10 of 13 (I missed three, and so I rolled them again). The goal, of course, is to make all ten without missing. Some people like to do this but then start over if they miss one, then go until 10 straight. That hurts my back. :laugh:
 
the one that i'm working on right now is something i'm sure has been done forever, but i've never actually seen it done so i'm taking credit for it! it's meant to help me feel the proper start to the stroke to take the putter straight back, rather than too far inside with my hands.

i find a relatively flat putt, and step back about 10-15' from the hole. i stick a tee in the ground and waller it around a little, just so the hole doesn't go away, and remove the tee leaving a small hole that will mark the ball placement for each putt. then i put a ball on the cup-side of the mark and place my putter behind the ball. with the putter behind the ball, i place a tee in the ground, maybe 2-3" behind the putter, and ever so slightly INSIDE the heel assuming a straight-back start to the stroke.

the goal is to take your normal setup and make a stroke without hitting the tee. practice this 5-10 times, then pick a different spot on the green and make some putts with the same feel. i haven't really taken it to the course yet, but in practice i've liked it so far. the roll on the ball is so much more pure, and it opened my eyes to just how poorly i've been striking the ball with my putter.
 
1. Get on my knees on the putting surface.

2. Close my eyes.

3. Pray it goes in.

In all seriousness, I use the gated technique or my momentus trainer.
 
Instructor has had me playing putting games lately to mentally prep before a round. Start with some lag putting to different targets, never the same target, if you can get putt within putter length then its 1 pt otherwise -1 pt if outside. After that move to putts within 4-5 feet, these are must make putts, practice those to different targets. Sounds basic but it worked for me.
 
emart2173 said:
Some form of the clock drill. The 4 balls at 4' and 4 balls at 5' from 4 spots around the hole putting each 4' then each 5' putt trying to make all of them.
Click to expand...

^^^ This one


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I like the ladder drill and you don't need a hole to play it if the practice green is crowded.

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Three that I like:

Gate drill

3 footers with eyes closed - listen for the ball to drop.

1 ball the entire course of the practice green. 2 putt max. Helps to change up the "course" each time. Great for feeling distance and speed.
 
Spivey said:
I am working on my putting this season, and have seen some good improvement, but I don't know very many drills, and I am lazy - I don't feel like watching too many YouTube videos on putting.

So, what is your favorite (or most effective) putting drill?
Click to expand...

I'm lazy too and am never going to drive to the course just to putt...and putting videos are boring unless Holly Sonders or Blair O'Neal are in them and then I'm thinking about sinking something different altogether.

I improved my putting from bad to decent with the simplest drill in history. I bring my putter in to the living room where we have an area rug in front of the TV with some straight lines built in to the pattern. I just watch TV and drink some beers while trying to hit the ball straight down the lines. Hitting a putt straight is a pretty basic thing that I have a lot of trouble with but this seriously helped a lot and I don't get bored because I'm drinking and watching TV but you build the repetitive memory.
 
I like this drill because it replicates the pressures of putting in actual play.

On the practice green at my course are 9 holes. I map out a course of the 9 holes, with a large variety of distances and slopes. Then I take two balls and play each hole with a par of 2, putting out everything. The goal is to complete the course in 35 or less strokes (par of 18 for each ball). Continue putting until successfully playing a 'round' under par. This will force you to work on the knee-knockers with similar intensity to actual play, and is darn good practice.
 
Combined ladder and around the world (or clock) drill.

~Rock
 
Indoors and outdoors, I work on rolling a ball over a dime to ensure I start the ball on my intended line. I then do the ladder drill to work on distance control; I will also roll the ball from the middle of the green to the fringe.
 
Its lag drill.
Set a tee 2 feet past the hole.
Putt 2 from 15', 2 from 30', and 2 from 45'.
Balls should either go in or finish past the hole but within 2'.
I'll putt from short to long, then long to short, then mix it up.

To make it a scoring game, give yourself 2 points for a make and 1 point for finishing within 2 feet past the hole.
 
staticline said:
Its lag drill.
Set a tee 2 feet past the hole.
Putt 2 from 15', 2 from 30', and 2 from 45'.
Balls should either go in or finish past the hole but within 2'.
I'll putt from short to long, then long to short, then mix it up.

To make it a scoring game, give yourself 2 points for a make and 1 point for finishing within 2 feet past the hole.
Click to expand...

this drill is no joke, especially when you get outside 15'. getting the ball to stop within 2' of the cup sounds easy, but it's not. great drill.
 
I was struggling missing my line for a while, and realized it when I took an Aimpoint lesson. My favorite is a "gate" drill I learned from the Aimpoint instructor. I was finally able to find the Perfect Putter arches he used and bought some. Before that I would just use two tees about 18" in front of the ball.

The drill is pretty simple. Pick a relatively straight 10' putt. Put a ball marker down to mark the spot, and put the "gates" 18-24" inches in front of your spot to putt from. Hit putts through the gates. If you use two tees for the gates, just make the space between them a little wider than ball, and over time narrow that width.

bb871e8c071d332b2ce96b5eb1c340f7.jpg



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love me some clock drill but at home have a long narrow putting green - it's a little wider than narrow strip you commonly see - but the holes are all on one end. would like some drills you guys do on the home putting greens like this. obviously gate drill, and a little ladder (it's only 8'). anything else?
 
BigTex said:
I was struggling missing my line for a while, and realized it when I took an Aimpoint lesson. My favorite is a "gate" drill I learned from the Aimpoint instructor. I was finally able to find the Perfect Putter arches he used and bought some. Before that I would just use two tees about 18" in front of the ball.

The drill is pretty simple. Pick a relatively straight 10' putt. Put a ball marker down to mark the spot, and put the "gates" 18-24" inches in front of your spot to putt from. Hit putts through the gates. If you use two tees for the gates, just make the space between them a little wider than ball, and over time narrow that width.

bb871e8c071d332b2ce96b5eb1c340f7.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

so... basically its croquet? lol!


Ive been practicing the distance control drill. (it might be the same as the ladder drill mentioned in other posts)

lay down 6 balls in a row, lay down one alignment stick about 4 feet away and another six feet past that. putt the first ball so it rolls past the first stick, second ball past the first ball and so on and so forth but dont hit the far stick.
 
Nicegy525 said:
so... basically its croquet? lol!


Ive been practicing the distance control drill. (it might be the same as the ladder drill mentioned in other posts)

lay down 6 balls in a row, lay down one alignment stick about 4 feet away and another six feet past that. putt the first ball so it rolls past the first stick, second ball past the first ball and so on and so forth but dont hit the far stick.
Click to expand...

that's a good one. another distance control drill i was taught was to put two tees 3' past the hole. then step off 4', 10', 15', 20', and 30' and place a tee to mark each spot. hit 5 putts from each spot. you get 2 points for making the putt, 1 putt for missing but finishing past the hole and inside 3', 0 points for missing and going beyond 3' past, and -1 point for leaving the putt short. you keep score each time you do the drill, and try to beat your score each time.
 
The scoring aspect is a good touch it actually provides for measurable practice and lets you evaluate improvement over time. The only thing I disagree with is your scoring system. While I understand the reasoning I think leaving a putt 1 foot short especially at 20 to 30 feet is significantly better than going 3 feet past. I would probable reverse that scoring and add a line short of the hole that must be past. While we are always trying to make a putt the rub of the green my impact you results.
 
Spivey said:
I am working on my putting this season, and have seen some good improvement, but I don't know very many drills, and I am lazy - I don't feel like watching too many YouTube videos on putting.

So, what is your favorite (or most effective) putting drill?
Click to expand...

What are you trying to improve? Do you start the ball on your line most of the time? I started using a plane board and that helped my keep a square face, on plane which helps me starts most of my putts on my intended line. Reading them is another story.

The other thing I like to do is roll putts down an aluminum yard stick while I watch golf, sports on tv. you really have to hit a solid put on your line to hold till the end.

I used to sway during my stroke and a pga pro showed me a drill where you hold something like a nerf ball with your head against the wall and make your stroke while keeping your lower body static. Just rock your shoulders. This got the lower body sway out of my stroke and made me a much better putter quickly.
 
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