Home putting practice drills that can save you
10 shots on the course
Here are 3 home putting practice drills to do between rounds to improve your putting and cut shots off your score just like Elliot from the UK who picked up a copy of my e-book and wrote excitedly to say:
"The home drills you recommend have been very useful... Over the last five rounds I've reduced my number of putts from the high 40s to high 30s and didn't have a single three-putt in my last two rounds!"
That's a 10-shot improvement on the greens!
Do you fancy a similar result? Let's get started...
The first of the home putting practice drills is to work on your roll and it comes in two stages: first without a target and then with a target.
Home putting practice drills #1 - Work on your roll
You’ll need a ball with a line around its equator for this drill, you can either draw this freehand or get yourself some balls printed like this. (The Srixon Q-Star divide ball is perfect for this …Click here to pick some up on Amazon).
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The first challenge is to set the ball up with the line vertical and simply to be able to roll it without the line wobbling from side to side.
It’s easier said than done.
It needs the putter face to be delivered totally square to the line of the stroke. Only when these two are absolutely aligned will you get a wobble-free “end over end” roll.
Once you can achieve this most of the time (and if you're getting really good, try on a wooden or tile floor), you’re ready for…
Home putting practice drills #2 - Short range small target practice:
The big deal here is to get your ball rolling purely while aiming at small targets from one foot (beginners), two feet (intermediate) or three feet (low handicappers).
Continue to use the lined ball from the previous drill to check for a pure roll but this time set up with a target in mind.
The smaller the target the better - a small coin is best. Use only one ball and take the time to line up carefully each time - it’s about quality not quantity of practice.
Hitting a small coin from three feet ten times in a row with a pure roll is what I always go for and if I miss one I start again at zero.
This is as tough a challenge as holing breaking putts on a real green where the line you are aiming at is far smaller than a hole.
What I like about this drill is:
- You have to concentrate on each putt.
- Missing has consequences just like on the course so you feel the pressure.
- You can practise the exact routine you use on the course - lining your ball up, looking at a small target, pulling the trigger and accepting the consequences.
What more could you want on your floor at home?
Get good at this and your progress on the course will be significant.
DRILL 3: Distance control practice:
Home putting practice drills #3 - Distance control:
The final putting drill to do at home is one designed to improve your control of the speed with which you strike your putts.
Take two coins and put one six feet away from you and the other as far away as you can, say 20 feet.
Get a handful of balls and putt each with the goal of having it putt travel further than the previous one.
Your first ball must pass the first coin and your overall objective is to have as many balls between the two coins as possible.
Leave a putt short of the previous one and you have to start again.
This game teaches you the perfect speed to putt on the course.
You get the highest number of balls between your coins if each putt JUST PASSES the previous one and this is the perfect pace when putting to a hole from makeable distances (inside 20ft).
Maybe you can get 5, 10 or even 15 balls between your coins?
Improving your speed control on the green will save you some serious shots on the course. Watch any group of mid to high handicap players and you'll see that they hit their putts either so far past or so short of the hole that they can’t make the next putt.
And right there you see one of the big reasons why they can't score lower.
So there you have it - 3 home practice putting drills to finish. If you really want to improve your putting results, pick up a copy of my e-book and in the meantime wish you every success on the course!
William John
best-putter.com
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"… I just won my first competition since reading your book! … Felt calmer over my putts than I have in years”
Trevor, Portsmouth, NH, 14 handicap
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Gary Christian, Former PGA TOUR Player and SKY SPORTS / Golf ChannelAnnouncer
"My putting has been good over the last few rounds - 30 putts last time out and holed some good 18-20 footers which never seemed to happen before... and I've only read the first 5 chapters"
Julie, Berkshire, UK, 3 handicap