Putting Tips And Drills

As you would imagine, most mid to higher handicap golfers leave themselves more often with longer putts than shorter putts (at least from a position provided by an approach shot or a chip shot).

Yet, I don’t see these same people practicing a part of their game that they are sure to encounter multiple times during their round of golf.

I’m referring to practicing the long putts.

By that I mean in excess of 25 to 30 feet or even more.

What’s to practice… you say?

When you’re that far away you just try to get it close right?

That’s partially true… but there is a bit more, and a more refined strategy. Let’s take a look.

On your longer putts it’s all about speed. Pick out your line, trust it, and then focus on the pace you put on the ball. With longer putts, many golfers focus too much on line and end up leaving the putt too short or too long.

Think pace and distance.

On your shorter putts, if there is but one piece of advice I could give you; it would be to keep your body and your head completely still.

It’s those shorter putts we all feel like we should make; and we want to make; so everyone has the tendency to want to watch the ball as it leaves the putter. This causes even the slightest bit of head movement and creates problems. Remain still. If you’ve picked the right line and applied the correct pace, the ball will go in whether you watch it or not.

Here’s a quick putting drill for you. Pick out a nine hole course on your putting green. I want you to pick out nine holes where the putts will have a substantial break to them. Vary your distances from about 6 feet to 40 feet.

Now, with your course in mind; making the putt, of course, is optimal but here is the drill.

Don’t leave the putt below the hole when you miss.

Work on hitting your putts so that when you do miss, you miss on the high side of the hole. If you get in the habit of reading the break and putting to the high side of the hole you’ll find that more of your putts will drop.

If you’re putting to the high side of the hole, and over read the break a bit, but under deliver the speed just a bit… you make the putt.

If you under read the break (from the high side of the hole) but over cook your speed just a bit… you make the putt.

If your putt never achieves the high side of the hole… you make nothing whether you get the pace correct or not.

Tee off on your putting course and give yourself something like two points if you leave the putt on the high side, and penalize yourself five points if you don’t.

Keep track of your scores and your personal bests; and have fun improving your putting game, and improving your golf game.