Putting is arguably the most important part of golf. No matter how far and straight you can drive the ball off the tee, it won’t matter much if you consistently three-putt greens. Fortunately, with focused practice and drilling of proper putting techniques, any golfer can sharpen their short game. If you want to start sinking more one-putts and lowering your scores, implement these proven putting drills and strategies.
Perfect Your Grip
Before you can become an excellent putter, you need to master your grip on the club. Make sure to read up on the different techniques for using your putter equipment. There are a few common methods of gripping a putter, including the traditional straight back and straight through grip, the reverse overlap, the cross handed grip, and the split grip. Experiment to find which style allows you to stroke the ball with the most control and consistency. Remember that your grip pressure should be light to avoid tension and pulling putts left or right.
Practice Proper Alignment
Even the best putting stroke won’t help if you consistently align inaccurately. Set up practice putts around the hole from 3, 6, and 10 feet. Place two alignment rods on the ground pointing exactly at the hole. Position your putter behind the ball, get your stance and grip set, and then check that your putter face and body alignment match the guide rods. If they don’t, adjust until everything is aligned perfectly towards the target.
Control Distance With Backswing Length
Distance control is crucial in putting. When you get on the practice green, take note of how far back you take the putter on 3, 6, and 10 foot putts. The length of your backswing directly influences distance, so ingrain the specific backswings required for different putt lengths. Keep your motion compact and controlled. Don’t take the club too far back even on long putts.
Read Greens For Break
The ability to read subtle breaks and contours on the green is a hallmark of masterful putters. Walk around the hole and visualize how your putt will break before each stroke. To ingrain this skill, place a tee in the ground 3 feet past the hole and aim to die your putts directly at that marker. This trains you to account for break rather than blindly stroking towards the hole.
Commit To Your Line
Second guessing yourself during the stroke is a putting kiss of death. After aligning and reading the green, make your best guess on the target line and commit 100%. Keep your focus right on that line during the stroke. If you find yourself starting to sheep the putt left or right of your target at the last second, you aren’t fully committed. Trust your reads and preparation.
Focus On Solid Contact
Shaky putting hands are every golfer’s enemy. Nothing will erode your confidence on the greens faster than the yips. Train solid contact by placing tees on either side of the ball, so close that the putter head will hit them if your stroke isn’t square and smooth. Make stroke after stroke with the sole intention of sweeping the ball cleanly without touching the tees. This engrains the central putting keys of squaring the face, accelerating smoothly, and making contact under the ball’s equator.
In golf, you drive for show and putt for dough. While the long game may look prettier, your scoring ability boils down to that flat stick. Implement these proven putting drills during your next range session to start dropping more birdies. With dedication to fundamentals and quality practice time, you’ll be rolling in putts with ease in no time.
