Article 20

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Practice Your Putting

Putting is the most overlooked and under Practiced Stroke Saver...............Article 20

Written by Greg Peddie

The easiest way to build confidence in your abilities is to putt well. Every time you save a stroke, your confidence increases. Putting well requires skill and practice, however it is the simplest part of the game to master. Anyone can be a great putter, it just takes practice. Unfortunately, most players don't practice this part of their game. Here is a simple drill that you can use to help you improve your putting.

For this practice drill you will need your putter and one ball. This is a simple, fast and fun exercise. In fact this drill is so fast I do this almost every time I go to a course, whether I'm playing or practicing. Go to a golf course or practice facility that has a practice green. On your first few trips try to find a hole location that is relatively flat. As your skills increase, you can look for more challenging hole positions. Since you will be hogging a hole, you might need to vary the times you go until you find a time that is not too crowded.

Start by placing your ball one foot from the hole and at the lowest side of the hole, so that your first putt is uphill. Putt the ball into the hole from this spot. Aim for the back of the cup. I want you to be aggressive, no fear of missing. This is not one of those miss and start all over drills.

If you have a pre-putt routine, and I highly recommend you do, use it on each and every shot. This is a good opportunity to refine and define your pre-putt routine. Take time to read the green. If you miss a putt, finish putting from wherever your ball comes to rest. In other words putt out every ball as if you were playing a regular round of golf. Keep putting until your ball is in the cup.

After putting out, go back to the original position one foot below the hole. Stand at that position and face the hole. Imagine you are looking at a clock and the hole is the center of the clock. You should be standing at the 6:00 position. This is your starting position. From here move to the 7:00 position, the position directly to your left, and step back one foot.

Your now standing at your second starting position, 7:00 and two feet from the hole. From here putt your ball into the hole. Again, read the green, perform your pre-putt routine and be aggressive with your putt. If you miss, keep putting from wherever the ball stops, until you sink the putt. Keep proceeding around the clock. Each time moving out by one foot. Your third starting position will be at 8:00 and three feet from the hole. Your fourth starting position will be at 9:00 and four feet from the hole.

The drill is over when you have completed 18 starting positions. The last starting position should be at 11:00 and nineteen feet from the hole. At completion of this drill you will have started putted from eighteen different positions. Each position becoming progressively more difficult. If you can't move all they way out to the desired distance from the hole, just move out as far as you can along that clock position.

Remember, this is your practice. Make it fun, don't be afraid to change it up a little bit. Don't be overly concerned with the clock position or the distance. The goal is to simply putt from 18 different starting positions with one ball and continue until you hole out.

You have just simulated an eighteen hole round of putts.

Track your progress by counting how many putts you make. The goal is to take 36 or less strokes per practice drill. Remember, putt out every ball, even from two inches. Count every stroke. Be honest with yourself. Keep this up and you will see improvement in your putting. This will translate into lower scores. Which translates into higher confidence. Which again translates into even lower scores.

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Your questions or comments are always welcome. Let us know if this article was helpful to you.

Greg Peddie