Do You Really Practice Putting?

I putt in my apartment a few nights a week, especially since I'm still trying to get used to my Scotty GoLo. I'm really trying to like it, but it's having a tough time kicking my Odyssey Divine Line 2-ball out of the bag. Maybe I'll get comfortable with it over the winter.
 
I've taken 2 putting lessons this year. both were 95% focused on feel, with very little to do with technique. and I don't have a great putting stroke.

How do you do a putting lesson focused on feel? Not even sure how to teach feel. My lessons have always been about learning to start the ball on my intended line. After that you work on reading greens and distance control.
 
I have gotten away from practicing my putting but will be spending plenty of time over the winter working on it. I have two drills I do. 4 putts from 4' and 4 putts from 5'.need to make at least 6/8 but making all 8 is preferred.

4 putts from 12,15,18,21 and 24' that have to be within a 3' circle.
 
Unfortunately, there is no driving range yet for the mental side of golf. Maybe bungee jumping or sky diving, something that's extremely pressure-packed but requires us to make a smooth stroke for that nasty five footer.

Still, in a serious tournament I can see all the low cappers on the putting green, so that's the place to be.

As to how to practice the mental state we need to play well, I'm still figuring that one out.
 
Very little, and it shows. I have been thinking more about putting of late and have tried a few different grips.
 
I practice distance control. The difference between a 10 footer and a 12 footer is so minimal that if you're not practicing constantly on your distance it's easy to lose touch with it. So much I see out of my friends and family who struggle at putting has more to do with distance control than anything else.
 
I carry the "string tied to 2 long thin spikes"

I set it up with a flat putt and work on getting the ball to roll end over end with the line staying centered under the string
 
Clock drill from 3' around the hole.
Then distance putting from 8' and from 33'.
Also I practice from 20' and 30' uphill and downhill.


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I like a drill that I kind of stole from the Big Break. They did one challenge where you had to hit as many balls as you could between two distances, but each one had to be longer than the one before. They were using wedges and irons, but I like that with the putter. It really makes you more aware of the little things that factor into distance. Do this one downhill a couple of times if you really want to feel bad about yourself.
 
I do really train putting, but not as often and as good as I should.

I do drills where I put the ball on a 3'3" ruler and I need to put 10 balls without one leaving the ruler before the end.
I have a drill where I use a gate for my putter and a few tees I can not hit on the swing.
I have a drill where I put along a couple of tees that form the line the ball has to move along (including breaks).
I have a drill where I use mirrors to see my stance and alignment.
I have a drill where I use a rubber band to shorten my stroke (I normally have a long, slow stroke).
I have a drill where I put towards a tee, sometimes with a ball on it. Need to hit the tee in two tries or less.

I rather play the course then train my short game. In order to be a better player it should be the other way around, but hey..
 
New drill that has helped me a lot is putting down a metal yard stick. Nowhere near as easy as it sounds. Really helps you get the ball rolling without any side spin as any bit of side spin will make the ball fall off the stick.
 
How do you do a putting lesson focused on feel? Not even sure how to teach feel. My lessons have always been about learning to start the ball on my intended line. After that you work on reading greens and distance control.

set up tees at 6', 9', 18', 25', 30', 40', 50', 60', and 70'. obviously not every practice green can accommodate that many "stations," and if other people are on the green that makes it less practical. the "feel" is feeling distance. to really challenge yourself, place one club 3' behind the hole. putt 3 balls from each location. the goal is to either make the putt, or to have the putt finish past the hole but short of the club 3' behind the hole. get a baseline score, with a made putt counting as birdie, a missed but short of the 3' club a par, and anything short or past the club (or hitting the club) a bogey. try to beat your score every time. the drill is purely based on feeling the distance.

another drill is part feel, part direction, and part green reading. find the hole on the practice green with the most severe break around the cup. find the putt below the hole that has no or the least break. place a tee 9' short of the hole, putting up the slope with no or the least break. imagining this "station" as 6 o'clock, place tees at 3 o'clock, 12 o'clock, and 9 o'clock, all 9' away. with no added elements, this drill makes you focus on speed for uphill, downhill, left-, and right-break putts. to add an element of direction and green-reading, go to the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock locations and find the point between your ball and the hole that you think represents the apex of the putt and place a tee in the ground at that point. as you putt to those holes, be sure that the ball misses the tee on the high side, and finishes no more than 3' past the hole. depending on the speed of the green and severity of the break, it can be eye-opening as to how much break to actually play.

neither of those drills focuses on technique or setup. they're all about ensuring an automatic 2-putt. once you have distance control, if you're still missing the more makeable putts inside 10' it could be an issue with green-reading or direction. for me, i have logged almost 30 rounds this year starting in april, and i've yet to have a round without a 3-putt. that's unacceptable.
 
All I care about when I practice putting is whether or not I get my ball on line consistently. 90% of my practice is from 3-10 feet, with 75% of that being from 3-5 feet. The other 10% are speed based 20-25 footers. Anything longer than that I'll break down into fractions of what I practice.

I've been at this for about a year now and my putting has improved a ton. I now at least believe that I can make any putt inside of 15 feet. I find that confidence helps make more putts than a lot of other variables
 
I have worked on putting most of the summer, and have liked the results. I have a chalk reel (usually used for construction) and I will snap a line at a relatively flat part of the green. Then I work on making sure my alignment is right as well as checking to make sure I am starting the ball on line.

After that, I work on distance control. first hit a few short putts, then a few longer, before spending a while hitting putts of different distance with each stroke.
 
Mainly in the winter on a mat downstairs. I saw some improvement this past year. But I still wish I could dominate from 5 feet
 
Last night and tonight I am practicing wearing out the back of the cup of my practice green. If it is too hard and pops out of the back of the hole, so be it. I left so many putts just short dead in the center of the hole this past weekend. And that is typical for me so not just the greens. I am working on a more aggressive back and through stroke rather than my typical more deliberate stroke that probably gives me too much time to think and adjust (and usually not in a good way) during the stroke.
 
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I practice putting twice a week. Usually I just pick a hole and putt to it from various distances. I also practice putting just off the green on the fringe or with the ball up against the cut of the fringe.

I do like caeleric's routine, I may incorporate something like that in my next session. I think it's something I need to improve on. Im not good at getting a putt to die into the hole, so I need to work on leaving a gimme for a comebacker.
 
neither of those drills focuses on technique or setup. they're all about ensuring an automatic 2-putt. once you have distance control, if you're still missing the more makeable putts inside 10' it could be an issue with green-reading or direction. for me, i have logged almost 30 rounds this year starting in april, and i've yet to have a round without a 3-putt. that's unacceptable.


I personally would't say those drills are "feel" based drills but they aren't about stroke mechanics either. Either way, it can't be taught, but it is something that is learned. I also contend that you can't learn those things without solid mechanics. Everything with putting centers around being able to start the putt on the intended line. This requires specific mechanics to be in place. If you cannot hit your line it means that the face is either open or closed at impact. A putter that is not at the correct impact position will result in the inability to learn distance because ball speed with an open, square, and close face will all be different and the ball will start higher or lower on the intended line creating the inability to determine break.
 
Been working hard on practicing putting. When I am really 'on" my first 9-12 putts are not even in the direction of the hole. I work on a smooth back and forth the desired length and then pace off how far say...inside back instep to inside front instep rolls that day. Then outside to outside. Then separate feet a little further and do it again. On days I start with this drill and then start with 1 or 2 foot putts and work out to lag putting I tend to putt better during the round. On days like yesterday where I was more interested in chatting with my playing partners it is less practice and more warmup. On a completely unrelated note...I missed a lot of make able putts yesterday...
 
Practice 6 footers religiously. Not worried about reading break, just the mechanics. I don't go much longer unless im playing a new course and last thing before the first tee I make 3 3 foot putts to see the ball go in the hole.
 
I have incorporated this and my putting has improved dramatically


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I practiced my chipping and putting yesterday and it really paid off today when I teed it up. I practiced short, medium, and long putts. From now on, I'm going to spend less time pounding balls into the range, and practice the short game a lot longer. Winning money today helped fill up the gas tank. I worked on breaking putts yesterday as well. I will never disregard the short game again.
 
Frequently. When I don't, my scores get ugly quick.

Typical indoor putting practice is just a shop ruler and putting down that. If you can't get it started online, it falls off the ruler.

Outside practice is about 10min of getting used to the speed of the green and then just working on getting up and down. Throw a ball anywhere, then try to get up and down from there. Sometimes the lie is good, sometimes it's awful.
 
Not as much as I used to, and it has begun to show its ugly head lately.

That changes starting this weekend, time to get back to basics.
 
Yes but practicing putting is less about practicing the stroke and more about working on feel and results. The putting stroke is really so simple that if you are using the right size putter and getting in the same position before your stroke then all that matters is feel and repetition to the point you don't have to think about the putt, you look at it and get over it and feel confident that you can make a good confident putt.

When I don't get enough practice I don't feel settled over the ball and that is never a good thing.
 
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