Lower Your Score with Putting Practice (Part 2) putting drill setup

Another wise golfer, Arnold Palmer, once said “Putting is like wisdom. Partly a natural gift and partly the accumulation of experience.” This second putting tip (see part 1 online) focuses on strategy and a few drills. These simple drills will help you hone in your putting skills and hopefully make it a fun way to practice. 

  • Strategic planning - "Plan your work, work your plan." Reading or studying the putt will provide the logical information that will allow you to make a good putt. Determine if the putt is uphill or downhill, the amount of break, and how much speed you will need to be successful. The gathering of this information comes mainly from experience. During your practice swing, make sure to look where you want the ball to go. This helps you feel how small or big the stroke should be.
  • Putting Drill: Long Putts -Put three tees in the putting green in a straight line. Each one should be ten feet from the previous tee. Use three golf balls and putt to the first tee, then the second, then the third. Then go to the opposite side and practice from that direction.
  • Putting Drill: Short putts - The clubface accounts for 99% of the direction a ball takes when putting. From just eight feet, a putter face open or closed one degree will miss the cup. The objective of this drill is to help you get your putter to be square. Grab four tees. Set up the first two a little wider than the width of your putter. The second set should be about a foot in front of the other tees and ten feet from the fringe. Set up these just a little wider than the width of your ball. Put your ball in the middle of the first set of tees and your putter just behind. Make sure you have a good grip in the palms of your hands, eyes over ball and putt the ball through the gates all the way to the fringe without hitting any tees with the ball or putter.

Happy putting!

This tip was provided by Rob Dugan, PGA Teaching Professional at the Incline Village Golf Courses. Visit the Golfing Tips page for more tips. 

(2018 Golf Season)