Putting Drills

[SDunne]

With my golf game starting to come along fairly well and my iron striking improving, one area I think we all come back to is putting. I spent some time at my local club over lunch doing some chipping and then onto putting and played with a few drills I've been using for a long time and then one new one. 

1 - Classic strike focus 

Setting tees up half an inch either side of where my putter should be and ensuring I'm swinging through this without touching the tees as I putt

2 - Distance control

Putting to the fringe from about 15 ft away to gain better control of pace of my putts. I've seen lots of coaches talk about not aiming at the hole when working on distance control to ensure you focus on the one area.

3 - Clock work drill (picture1)

Set up four tees around a hole 4ft away and aim to sink them all in without missing. If you miss any, you reset and start again - I find helps to build some of that pressure you see on the course as well as focus. Most I managed today was 7 in a row (just shy of two rotations). After a while I moved the tees back to 6ft and went again (best today was 4 in a row). 

4 - Gate work & strike (picture 2)

I'd seen a clip of Hideki Matsuyama doing this recently so can't be that bad an idea so thought I'd try it myself. Idea of it is that to get a good roll on the ball you need to be striking slightly up on it. As such, almost bury a tee behind the ball and avoid touching it. I did this for a while and then added a gate to ensure my focus was also on getting the ball moving where I needed. 

 

I'm keen to see what others are finding is helping improve their putting and any other ideas on how to keep cutting down those dreaded 3 putts.

[GolfSpy_APH]

2 hours ago, SDunne said:

With my golf game starting to come along fairly well and my iron striking improving, one area I think we all come back to is putting. I spent some time at my local club over lunch doing some chipping and then onto putting and played with a few drills I've been using for a long time and then one new one. 

1 - Classic strike focus 

Setting tees up half an inch either side of where my putter should be and ensuring I'm swinging through this without touching the tees as I putt

2 - Distance control

Putting to the fringe from about 15 ft away to gain better control of pace of my putts. I've seen lots of coaches talk about not aiming at the hole when working on distance control to ensure you focus on the one area.

3 - Clock work drill (picture1)

Set up four tees around a hole 4ft away and aim to sink them all in without missing. If you miss any, you reset and start again - I find helps to build some of that pressure you see on the course as well as focus. Most I managed today was 7 in a row (just shy of two rotations). After a while I moved the tees back to 6ft and went again (best today was 4 in a row). 

4 - Gate work & strike (picture 2)

I'd seen a clip of Hideki Matsuyama doing this recently so can't be that bad an idea so thought I'd try it myself. Idea of it is that to get a good roll on the ball you need to be striking slightly up on it. As such, almost bury a tee behind the ball and avoid touching it. I did this for a while and then added a gate to ensure my focus was also on getting the ball moving where I needed. 

 

I'm keen to see what others are finding is helping improve their putting and any other ideas on how to keep cutting down those dreaded 3 putts.

I remember seeing the tee peg drill a bunch with Hideki last year or maybe the year before. Interestingly I can't say I have tried that. I still love my puttout and do most of my practice with that.

[acatalano32]

All of those drills are great and will help lower your scores! 
 

helping to eliminate 3-putts was the last part of your post, and I believe that is going to come from speed control on putts outside of 25feet. 
 

do that same drill you were doing on #2 but extend it to 35-40feet if possible. Some time I place a Tee in the ground about 1foot from the fringe and try and get my ball as close to the tee as possible without hitting the fringe.

Also get confident from 3-4 feet, that way on a 50 foot putt you just need to get it inside an 8 foot circle to feel confident on your next putt.

Those 3-putts will be a thing of the past soon!

[Rob Person]

Great drills. I like the circle drill at 3, 6, and 10' as each side presents a different slope/break. Over 10' I work on speed control.

I've only seen clips of the pushed down tee drill, and have to say that I'd be nervous about scraping up the bottom of the putter. I may try it with a thin ball marker though.

[Brianbm]

Get a metal yardstick and putt down the smooth side. Everything has to be lined up or it t won’t make it to the end.

[acatalano32]

6 minutes ago, Brianbm said:

Get a metal yardstick and putt down the smooth side. Everything has to be lined up or it t won’t make it to the end.

I use this daily in my living room

[Geno 220]

It's the easiest thing to practice, I'll use a tee as a target, a prescription bottle cap or a putt return. I also have a dual shaft putter which helps with shoulder movement 

[Snowmonkeys1310]

3 hours ago, Rob Person said:

Great drills. I like the circle drill at 3, 6, and 10' as each side presents a different slope/break. Over 10' I work on speed control.

I've only seen clips of the pushed down tee drill, and have to say that I'd be nervous about scraping up the bottom of the putter. I may try it with a thin ball marker though.

You can put a scorecard pencil behind the ball instead. Much easier imo.

[Nick_D]

Best putting aid I've invested in was a small puttout mirror, has helped a ton with consistent setup and ensuring my eyes are in the right spot over the ball.

[cksurfdude]

22 hours ago, SDunne said:

4 - Gate work & strike (picture 2)

I'd seen a clip of Hideki Matsuyama doing this recently so can't be that bad an idea so thought I'd try it myself. Idea of it is that to get a good roll on the ball you need to be striking slightly up on it. As such, almost bury a tee behind the ball and avoid touching it.

My reaction (*Note: average recreational bogey golfer here) is just like full swing drills, Hideki is working on that specific drill to address a specific problem of *his*... 

It may imho, or: may not?, be preferable to switch to a putter with more loft vs changing your putting stroke.

[pineneedlespro]

Putting drills:

Look at the hole while stroking the putter and watch the ball go in the hole from all distances, this will smooth out your stroke while looking a spot you want the ball to start on your intended line.

Put a coin on the putter head (in hope that it stays there) to smooth out your stroke.

Place a ball about 6 inches behind the putter and gently with the backstroke roll the ball backwards a little then take the follow through stroke to hit the intended ball towards the hole.

The ladder drill to help with distance control.

Find your grip pressure--lighter the better.

Place a ball on the edge of the cup and from 6 feet away hit a ball firm enough to knock the other ball into the hole (helps with your concentration).

Putting is a game within a game so treat it that way/make it fun to practice.

[cnosil]

32 minutes ago, pineneedlespro said:

 

Find your grip pressure--lighter the better.

Why is lighter better and what is considered lighter?  What does it improve?  Won't mishits on longer putts cause the putter to rotate due to the lighter grip?  Won't this cause the putter head to droop/torque down during the stroke?

[SDunne]

On 2/23/2024 at 9:16 PM, acatalano32 said:

All of those drills are great and will help lower your scores! 
 

helping to eliminate 3-putts was the last part of your post, and I believe that is going to come from speed control on putts outside of 25feet. 
 

do that same drill you were doing on #2 but extend it to 35-40feet if possible. Some time I place a Tee in the ground about 1foot from the fringe and try and get my ball as close to the tee as possible without hitting the fringe.

Also get confident from 3-4 feet, that way on a 50 foot putt you just need to get it inside an 8 foot circle to feel confident on your next putt.

Those 3-putts will be a thing of the past soon!

Very good point - the aim was to build on your second area - getting confident from 4ft to ensure that second putt drops but this week will definitely be looking at speed control from distance to ensure I'm putting the first putt at least that close! I like the idea of your tee near the fringe as often putt to the fringe but aware that if I go past, it's tougher to see how far past. 

Thanks!

[SDunne]

On 2/23/2024 at 10:23 PM, Rob Person said:

Great drills. I like the circle drill at 3, 6, and 10' as each side presents a different slope/break. Over 10' I work on speed control.

I've only seen clips of the pushed down tee drill, and have to say that I'd be nervous about scraping up the bottom of the putter. I may try it with a thin ball marker though.

It's useful - bit like the headcover when hitting driver/irons of almost a reminder. A ball marker would definitely work the same (and likely easier!)

[SDunne]

On 2/24/2024 at 12:23 PM, cksurfdude said:

My reaction (*Note: average recreational bogey golfer here) is just like full swing drills, Hideki is working on that specific drill to address a specific problem of *his*... 

It may imho, or: may not?, be preferable to switch to a putter with more loft vs changing your putting stroke.

Fair point - easy to get sucked into copying what is on Youtube/Insta etc. I've definitely scuffed the ground before hitting putts myself (more so when trying to putt from distance) so found it useful as a reminder of how my putting action should flow. 

[pineneedlespro]

17 hours ago, cnosil said:

Why is lighter better and what is considered lighter?  What does it improve?  Won't mishits on longer putts cause the putter to rotate due to the lighter grip?  Won't this cause the putter head to droop/torque down during the stroke?

It is best described in Tiger Woods book "How I Play Golf" chapter one pages 24 and 25, as how a light grip pressure when putting is best.

[pineneedlespro]

17 hours ago, cnosil said:

Why is lighter better and what is considered lighter?  What does it improve?  Won't mishits on longer putts cause the putter to rotate due to the lighter grip?  Won't this cause the putter head to droop/torque down during the stroke?

It is best described in Tiger Woods book "How I Play Golf" chapter one pages 24 and 25, how light pressure is best when putting.

[cnosil]

1 hour ago, pineneedlespro said:

It is best described in Tiger Woods book "How I Play Golf" chapter one pages 24 and 25, how light pressure is best when putting.

Page 24/25 description.  Ben Crenshaw said hold it so lightly that it basically falls out of your hands.   Tiger then says he holds his putter at a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10 which is tighter than Ben but less than he used to use.     Pretty drastic differences and just saying "light" is a confusing and basically meaningless description.   I don't consider 5 light.   

And why do what Tiger does?  Does that make it the best?  Why not do what Crenshaw, Nicklaus, Faxon, Locke, Roberts, Hogan, Jones or a host of other players do?   

Edited February 26 by cnosil

[cksurfdude]

2 hours ago, cnosil said:

And why do what Tiger does?  Does that make it the best?  Why not do what Crenshaw, Nicklaus, Faxon, Locke, Roberts, Hogan, Jones or a host of other players do?   

Yes, similar to question for @pineneedlespro - would you consider grip firmness/lightness to be related to a person's particular stroke type, or (other)..?

Also curious as I was taught more recently to use a much firmer putting grip...

Thx!

 

[BreakfastBall15]

I'm gonna have to give these a go. My putting has been atrocious recently. Ended up buying a putting mirror recently but any drills will help.  

[HighFade]

For me, it has more to do with putts inside 10 feet.  I am an abysmal putter.  I have been doing a lot of practice with 6 footers and I miss the hole completely - won't even catch the edge.  But after reading a ton of articles, and watching a million YouTube videos on putting, I found out I am cross-eye dominant (I am right-handed, but left eye dominant).  I moved the ball a little further up in my stance, and I close my right eye when lining up the putt, and I even keep it closed while putting.  Dead straight into the heart every time.   

[cnosil]

37 minutes ago, HighFade said:

 I found out I am cross-eye dominant (I am right-handed, but left eye dominant).  I moved the ball a little further up in my stance, and I close my right eye when lining up the putt, and I even keep it closed while putting.  Dead straight into the heart every time.   

Sounds like you have developed a method to make every putt.  No reason to do anything else; putting problem solved.

[HighFade]

1 minute ago, cnosil said:

Sounds like you have developed a method to make every putt.  No reason to do anything else; putting problem solved.

We'll see how it holds up in competition....

[cnosil]

5 minutes ago, HighFade said:

We'll see how it holds up in competition....

That becomes mental thing and dealing with pressure and not putting drills.     Need to stop saying you are an abysmal putter.

Edited February 28 by cnosil

[HighFade]

1 minute ago, cnosil said:

That becomes mental thing and dealing with pressure and not putting drills.     Need to stop saying you are an abysmal putter.

I wish I could, brother.  My friends describe me as a really good player, but a horrible putter.  Hoping to change that!

 

[cnosil]

On 2/27/2024 at 11:45 AM, BreakfastBall15 said:

I'm gonna have to give these a go. My putting has been atrocious recently. Ended up buying a putting mirror recently but any drills will help.  

Practice aiming your putter at your target, moving the putter straight about an inch before and couple of inches after the ball, rolling the ball where you are aimed, and establishing a consistent rhythm. 

[BreakfastBall15]

21 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Practice aiming your putter at your target, moving the putter straight about an inch before and couple of inches after the ball, rolling the ball where you are aimed, and establishing a consistent rhythm. 

I'm planning on getting some practice tomorrow so I'll give that a go.

 

Has anyone tried out the Stack Putting? Seems interesting but is it worth it?

[pineneedlespro]

On 2/26/2024 at 2:56 PM, cksurfdude said:

Yes, similar to question for @pineneedlespro - would you consider grip firmness/lightness to be related to a person's particular stroke type, or (other)..?

Also curious as I was taught more recently to use a much firmer putting grip...

Thx!

 

Ok I understand, putting is an individual thing each has their own style that works for them--got it,

[cnosil]

28 minutes ago, pineneedlespro said:

Ok I understand, putting is an individual thing each has their own style that works for them--got it,

There are many schools of thought on putting.  There are people that say you need to putt a certain way and other that say that putting is easy and just do what you naturally do.  Just because a PGA player putts well,  does that mean their approach is the best or that they are capable of describing what they actually do?    You made a statement based on what is written in Tiger's book and it doesn't align with what he said Crenshaw told him to do.    Like @cksurfdude my putting instructors haven't defined a specific measure or number for grip pressure, but one that is firm enough to keep the putter from drooping or twisting during the stroke.  

I personally think there are fundamentals that players should follow but players need to make decisions on how they want to putt.    For example,  how should the player move the putter:  left arm dominant, right arm dominant, shoulder driven, arms around passive shoulders, pop stroke, etc.   We can find people that are considered great putters that do any ones of those.   IMO, players should work through various methods and find what they can do most consistently and starts the ball online and gives them solid distance control.   

[HighFade]

well said, sir