putting drills.

There are countless drills, techniques, tools, videos, methods, etc out there for improving your game.  Whatever works for you, works for you.  If you are seeing results than I applaud you and say keep it up.

Here is a list of putting drills that was emailed to me be a fellow hardcore practicer, Juan.  I’ve found them handy and have incorporated a few into my routine.  Over the past year I have done similar drills to these and have seen a steady improvement to my game, so for me these types of drills seem to work.

If anyone has any drills they simply cannot live without, please pass them along.

Here is the list:

BUILDING CONFIDENCE IN GETTING THE BALL IN THE HOLE

1. 100 in a Row Drill Do this until you can make at least 100 in a row from each distance.  When you miss start over from 2 feet.  Start with 100 – 2 footers, then 100 – 3 footers, then 100 – 4 footers.

1. 3, 4 , 5 Drill Putt 6 balls from 3 ft, 4 from 4 feet and 2 from 5 feet. If you miss any start over until you have sunk your final ball from 5 feet.  You can also reverse the order, starting with 2 at 5 ft, then 4 at 4 ft, and finally 6 at 3 ft.

1. Dottie Pepper Drill Use three balls.  Make all three in a row from 3 feet, then move to 5 feet and then to 7 feet.  If you miss, then start back at 3 feet.

1. 20 Left to Right, 20 Right to Left Make 20 of each putt at 3 feet, then 4 feet, then 5 feet, …  If you miss start over at that distance

1. Expanding Circle or Around the World Drill Set 4 balls at different positions around the hole starting at 1 foot.  When you make all three, move the balls back to 2 feet, then continue moving them back 1 foot at a time, until you make all three from 6 feet.  Any time you miss, start over from the beginning.  The purpose of this drill is to give you a feel of the hole from different angles.

1. Putting: Putt to a Tee Stick a tee in the practice green and see how many times you can hit it from three feet away. Start with 10 in a row and work up to 100. If you can hit a tee 100 consecutive times from three feet, imagine how easy it will be to hit the hole.
2. A Second Pressure Drill Put tees in the green at 3ft, 6ft, and 9 ft from the hole. Take 3 balls and start at 3ft. Make the 3 and move to 6ft, make those 3 and go to 9ft.  Every time you miss, you start over. The drill is completed when you make 9 in a row.  Start with a flat putt and then as you do it more add a little break.   This drill can also be done from 5, 8, and 11 feet.  This is an important drill since these are the “money putts.”

1. Stewart Cink Drill #1 Testy Four Footers are the ones that can make or break a round. When he was at Georgia Tech, former golf coach Puggy Blackmon used to make us do this tee drill before we could leave practice.  Set tees at 3 and 4 feet from the hole at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock positions.  Using one ball, the goal is to make a putt from each tee (eight in all). At Tech, they had to go around three times without a miss to leave practice.

1. Pressure Putting Drill Putt three balls from four points on the rim of the circle around a hole. If the circle were a clock, putt from noon, 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock, and 9 o’clock. Keep putting until you hole 12 putts in a row, three from each point. If you miss a putt, start all over from the first point. Start with 3-footers then work your way out, to 4-footers, then 5-footers, then 6-footers. Remember, if you miss, back to square one.

   At first, it will take awhile to sink 12 putts without missing, but you will improve in time. The drill forces you to concentrate on each shot. It also adds pressure to your putting practice.   When you can go around completely one time without missing, then try for 24 putts in a row by going around a second time, and then a third, etc.

DEVELOPING  DISTANCE CONTROL

1. Eddie Merrins Drill.  Hit 10 balls each from 20, 40 and 60 feet from the cup. Your goal is to hit the putts so that they stop 1 foot from the cup for every 20 feet of distance.  

2. Variation of Safety Zone:  Distance Game from 20 feet Place a club 18 inches behind the hole.  Practice hitting putts from 20 feet.  Here is how you keep score.  Take 5 points for making the putt.  Deduct 5 points if you are short of the hole.  Add 2 points for finishing between the hole and the club behind it.  Deduct 2 points if you hit the club behind the hole.  Practice until you accumulate 20 points.

   To build more feel this game can also be done at 5 feet increments starting at 20 feet. The further distances increase the difficulty, which will build more feel for proper distance into your game.

1. Aaron Baddeley’s “Putting Ladder Drill”  Imagine a circle 6 feet in diameter around the hole.  Place tees at 10, 20, 30, and 40 feet from the hole.  Place three balls at each tee.  Start at 10 feet.  The goal is to hit all three into the hole OR in the 3 feet behind the hole. If you miss, start over.  Continue until you can do this for all distances in a row without missing.

1. 5 Balls-5 Distances Take five balls to the practice green. Put tees in the green 20, 30, 40, and 50 feet from the hole. Your goal is to putt all five balls within three feet of the hole. Mix it up. Start at 40 feet, then move to 30 feet, then 50 feet, then 20 feet. Mixing distances prevents you from just grooving a slightly longer stroke and hones your feel for speed and distance.

But don’t change distances until you get all five balls within three feet of the hole. If you miss, start over again at the same distance. Trust me. If you put four in, you’ll feel the pressure of putting the fifth close to the hole

1. Practicing from 30 – 60 Feet Pace off a 30 foot putt.  Then hit putts from this point until you two putts 50 times in a row.  If you three putt you start all over.  Start at 20 times in a row and then increase.  When you have accomplished this from 30 feet move back to 35 feet, then 40 feet….

1. What does a 30 foot putt feel like—eyes closed What brought this on was I would practice 25-40′ putts almost every week, yet that’s where my 3 putts would come from. My instructor asked, “Do you know what a 30′ putting stroke FEELS like?” I thought I did, but when we walked on the green and paced off a 30′ putt had me close my eyes and attempt 4-5 putts.  Then I practiced these until I could do it 5 times in a row with eyes closed.  Then increase the number of times in a row, and increase distance.
2. Alternate Eyes Open and Eyes Shut From 30 feet putt 10 balls.  They must come within a 3 foot circle of the hole.

1. Long and then Eyes Closed Drill Pace off a 30′, 40′, and 50′ putt, and practice those distances until you are able to have 10 putts in a row finish within 1 ½ feet for the 30 footers, 2 feet for the 40 footers, and 2 ½ feet for the 50 footers. Then hit five from each distance with your eyes closed to see if you really have the feel for the distance.

1. Putting Between the Clubs Place two clubs parallel to each other at each side of the hole.  Space them about 3-4 feet apart, with the cup midway between their lengths.  From 25 feet stroke 5 putts in a row so they stop within the length of the clubs…you can increase the number required and also the distance by 5 foot increments.