6 Putting Drills to Practice

6 Putting Drills to Practice

by Bradley Turner Keiser University College of Golf Director of Online Golf Instruction – MBA, PGA

Of all the golf skills, putting gets the most lip service from avid golfers. Yet when these golfers seek to improve their golf scores, they march to the practice range to hit golf balls. This simple skill has frustrated golfers for centuries and will likely confound golfers as long as the game is played. Knowledge of putting does not always guarantee good results, but quality feedback on putting performance is a step in the right direction. Knowing what to practice and how to spend your time effectively can help resolve the mystery of putting. There are three pillars in putting that should guide your improvement; starting line, distance control, and green reading. I have included two drills under each pillar that will make your practice sessions on the putting green very productive.

Pillar #1 – Start Putt on the Intended Line

If you have trouble holing short putts, you will benefit from improving the mechanical aspects of the putting stroke. Three mechanical impact skills are necessary to start a putt on the intended line: center face impact, putter face angle, and putter path. These two drills are all you need to get your putts starting on line.

Chalk Line / String Drill / Putting Mirror

Virtually every PGA and LPGA Tour player will routinely use this drill. The basic version uses a training aid like a chalk line or string to visually identify a straight line to the hole. Find a perfectly straight putt and snap a chalk line on the putting surface. It is amazing how much easier it is to putt when you can see the line to the hole! Make sure and align the putter face 90 degrees to the putting line and move the putter path as close to the line as possible, as this will ensure a center face strike at impact.

Today, many players use a putting mirror similar to a chalk line or string. This product is available at your favorite golf retailer at a modest price. The Champion Golfer of the Year, Cameron Smith, has a putting mirror in his golf bag which he was using every day of the Open Championship. It works for him, and it will work for you too.

Free Throws – Six Foot Circle Drill

The one problem with training aids is that you are not allowed to use them while playing! The free throw six-foot circle drill does not use any type of training aid. Use a few coins to mark a six-foot distance that surrounds the hole. Take out five balls and drop them at different points around the circle. Great free throw shooters in the NBA can make 80%, while poor shooters may only make 50%. From six feet with no break, on suitable putting surfaces, four out of five made putts are excellent! If you find a hole location with some degree of break to the putts, you will find it more challenging to hole 80%, but if you can, you can take on Cameron Smith in a putting contest.

Pillar #2 – Controlling Speed / Distance

One sign of a good player is their ability to control the distance of their putts. This requires a golfer to judge the necessary putter head speed to send the ball the correct distance. The right putter head speed will translate to the right ball speed, but only if the putt is struck solidly.

Solid Contact Drill

This is a fun and eye-opening drill for most golfers. Spray some foot powder onto the face of your putter. Find a long putt on the practice green and hit five putts attempting to hit them as solidly as possible. The impact point will appear on the putter’s face and give feedback on the consistency of your impact point. If you hit all five putts in the same spot on the putter, you are likely a very good putter. Most golfer impact patterns lack the consistency to be a consistently good putter!

Putt to the Fringe Drill

This is a drill that helps you focus on the task of controlling distance. When you putt to the fringe instead of putting to a hole, your brain will not be concerned with making the putt. Find a spot on the practice putting green where you can putt without the interference of any other holes. Start on one side of the green, roll the ball as close to the fringe as possible, and then come back the other way. As you continue this drill for 10-15 minutes, your brain will naturally focus on the two skills needed to control distance, solid impact and the correct putter head speed.

Pillar #3 – Ability to Read Greens

This is one of the more difficult skills to teach golfers. The ability to read a green takes experience and good visual perception to accurately assess the break of a putt. These two drills will provide critical feedback on your skill in reading greens.

Find and See the Correct Amount of Break Drill

Find a significant break to a putt of at least 20 feet. Place a coin on the ground to identify your starting point. Estimate the gap and go ahead and strike a few putts. Please pay attention to the path of the ball as it rolls to the hole. After about five putts, you should be able to identify a spot on the green where a successful putt will pass over. Place a tee on the inside of that spot. Assuming the putt is a right to left break, all subsequent putts should pass just to the right of the tee. Make adjustments to the tee if your first assessment is off a bit. Eventually, you will be able to identify the correct amount of break. Once the actual break of the putt has been identified, you should step behind the ball and visualize the ball rolling from the starting point, around the tee, and into the hole.

Variable Speed Drill

Use the chalk line, string, or putting mirror training aid in this drill. Find a modest breaking putt of about six feet. Assume it is a right to left putt and drop a chalk line just outside the right edge of the cup. Place a tee about 12 inches from your starting point and 2” to the right of the chalk line. This barrier will prevent you from starting the ball too far to the right or above the break. Now that your variable speed drill station is set up, try and strike a firm putt along the chalk line and make the putt on the right side of the cup. Soften the putt a bit for the ideal speed to roll in the center of the cup. Finally, hit a soft putt that curls in on the left side of the cup. Firm, ideal, and gentle speeds can still result in the putt going in from short distances.

I suggest you spend 15 minutes using a few of these drills before playing a round of golf. If you can allocate more time just for practice putting, the better you will be with the flat stick. Consistent and persistent effort in using these drills in your practice sessions is guaranteed to improve your putting.

If you’d like to study with Bradley Turner and other PGA Master Professionals, contact the College of Golf today.