Best Putting Drills?

[GolfSpy_X]

What are the putting drills that you use that you think are most effective?

[Funkyfedora]

Here is a write I did. I love putting.

 

 

 

How 2 tees can make you a better putter

 

1. Consistently hitting the middle of the club face.

• Find a straight putt

• Set your putter down so it is 3-4 feet from the hole and square the face.

• Set 1 infront of the toe at address and 1 before the heel

• Make 25 in a row. If you miss, start again. After 25, keep trying to get 50.

 

•You can move back a foot and try this again.

 

This drill also gives me confidence on the knee knockers.

 

2. Making the putt in the heart of the cup.

• Place 2 tees in front of the hole just about an 1/8 of an inch larger than the Diameter of a ball.

• Try making 10 2 footers. and 10 3 footers

 

3. Laser like precision

• Find a breaking putt.

• Put 1 tee down where you are going to putt and another on your intended line.

• Try and hit the tee thats on the line and then putt back to your starting tee.

 

4. Agressive Lag

 

• Put 2 tees about 2 feet apart 18 inches behind a hole and try and lag it so that the ball either goes in the hole or stops before crossing the imaginary line the tees make.

 

5. Another Lag drill

•Place a tee 3 feet from the edge of the fringe and another 3 feet before the first.

•Try Lagging the first putt between the tees and then try lagging the second between the tee and the fringe

[mudfish]

Next time I get a chance to find an open putting green I an going to try #s 1 and 2... As it is now I can get the lag putts pretty close, and if I miss I can deal with that... missing the 3/4/5 footers just seems to kill my confidence, and when I miss one, more are sure to follow...

 

Great tips...

 

 

One thing I do is to set 2 balls touching and hit them both at the same time... ideally they should move in a similar path, but I often find that I hit with the toe of the club and the balls travel in different paths

[Matt Saternus]

I like to use a chalk line and make lots of putts from 6' or less.

 

I also like to play a game where I put a tee a 3', 5', and 7' and try to make 3 putts in a row from each spot, for a total of 9 consecutive makes. You start completely over when you miss.

[Funkyfedora]

I honestly think the best putting tip is to play somebody for a drink. I have 4 or 5 games that I play with my golf buddies that I would be happy to share if anyone is interested...

[~AD]

Wow, great tips!

[pughdog]

I posted a few drills up on the short game drills thread a little while back.

 

Yesterday I alternated between a couple of those drills and this short putting drill. I don't try to score on this one, just knock in as many putts as I can and keep practicing my routine over the ball.

 

 

If you guys don't already own a chalk line I advise you get one. It's great for visualising the straight line you're about to roll the ball along.

[jamo]

Playing "21" is also a nice game to play, especially if you are playing for something. It's great for lag putting.

[Funkyfedora]

Playing "21" is also a nice game to play, especially if you are playing for something. It's great for lag putting.

 

I play 21 with putting and chipping. How do you play?

 

2 balls each. A make is 5 and closest to the hole is a point and both the closest is 2 points??

[Matt Saternus]

The way I play 21 (could be totally different than anyone else) is that you have 2 or more players, each with 1 ball. You all start from one spot on the green and putt to an appointed hole until everyone holes out. Then you pick a new spot and a new hole. Everyone keeps a count of their total strokes and when you hit 21 putts you lose/are out.

[pughdog]

Did a bit of filming of my short putting practice today, more so that I could take a look at my stroke and set up etc (don't think I've ever looked at it before on film!) A couple of points you'll notice that I think may help some of you guys...

 

* I stick to pretty much the same routine each time. I wasn't actually aware of that but it's nice to see that I do!

 

* I tend to look at the hole whilst practicing my stroke, picking a small target in the back of the hole, look back at the ball, one last look at the target then pull the trigger. There isn't much of a pause inbetween, no time to think nasty thoughts! <_>

 

* Watch the bit where the camera is sat on the floor looking upwards, my eyes don't follow the ball, I just listen for the clunk of the ball hitting the cup. Thankfully it happened!

 

 

I like to do this 'drill' at least once a week. Doesn't take a lot of equipment, doesn't take long to set up. I feel like it's really helped my confidence from 3-4 feet and longer. The chalkline and alignment sticks really make it easy to line up, both clubface and feet. I've never been one to worry too much about the moving parts of my stroke, I'm far more interested in setting the ball off on the intended line.

 

The chalkline washes away or is removed once the green is cut. The towel is so that I don't make too much of a mess with my golf shoes, I probably knocked in a couple of hundred putts today! Why not give it a go next time you're down on the practice green.

[Specs]

I think this was a Mickelson drill I heard about years ago. It is great to build up your hand and forearm "Golf muscles".

 

Start with 3 balls and 4 tee's. Place the tee's about 3' from the hole, 1 North of the cup, 1 East, 1 South, 1 West. Putt 3 balls with your right hand only from the North tee. If you make all 3 go to the East tee. Continue around the circle till you make 12 in a row. If go around the circle succesfully do the same with your left hand only. If you make all those putt 12 with both hands using your regular grip. Note, I personally prefer just doing righty then going to both hands skipping the left hand only. If you go all the way around with the 2 or 3 different "grips" back up the tee's 2-3'.

 

This drill really gets you to feel the club, builds your hands (if you don't practice putting much you will really notice this) and teaches you feel and speed. if you pick a hole that is on any sort of hill this is REALLY hard. I believe Phil would go all the way out to 10-12' with all makes before he would consider himself "done". It made me realize why the pro's putt so amazingly well. I usually struggle to practice putting for more than 30 minutes...

 

I made this game for my son (he's now 6). I built a putting mat in my unfinished basement out of a strip of carpet. When we first started we would practice trying to make into a fake hole. He had great posture and lines but his touch was HORRIBLE and he lost intersted. I took out duct tape and made 2 boxes that disected the hole. The box from the hole and forward (towards the putting spot) is about 6-8 inches and about 20 inches wide (10' on either side of the hole. The second box goes from the hole and back about 16 inches, also 20' wide. My son putts from about 6 feet away (until he's older), I putt from about 15 feet away. If you get it in the first box its 1 point, if you get in the second box its 2 points (past the hole), if you make the putt its 3 points. You each hit 3 balls then the next person goes, playing until you hit 21. My son LOVES it and gets really competive with me about it. We play for a piece of candy or whatever. It has taught him really good touch and gives him the incentive to error on the agressive going past the hole instead of short. If I start beating him badly I usually start trying to putt to the first line of a box and see if I can make my ball settle on the Duct tape. Helps my touch and gives him a chance to catch me. in all honesty he has beat me a few times.

 

Fun for the entire family!

[pughdog]

Brilliant Specs

[RookieBlue7]

If I want to practice my putting stroke, I putt a bunch of balls to one hole. If I want to practice putting, I putt a bunch of balls to a bunch of different holes.

 

I also use several training aides I've made, like the Scotty putting path tools he was hawking for $44 each and then were resold for over a hundred for example's sake.

 

I also use the driveway markers (AKA Tour Stix if you want to pay the premium for the name).

 

I putt a lot at home, because that's about all I have time to do. So my putting has improved dramatically. Now if I could get those 12 clubs between the driver and the putter to cooperate, it'd be all gravy. Course I still can't play for a week and a half so I'm relegated to putting only (surgery).