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Inside Golf - June 2004
Improve Your Putting

As most golfers understand, putting is the most important part of the game. To be a good putter you need to develop a few different skills. You need to be able to start your putts in the direction you have selected, control the distance your ball rolls and you also need confidence in your stroke. The following are a few of my favourite drills to develop these skills.

Good Stroke

A good putting stroke is one that has the putter swinging on the intended line and the putter face looking down the intended line. The “Rail Drill” allows you to work on both. By placing shafts on either side of your line, you can quickly see when your putter is square to your line and as you make your stroke, you can monitor how your putter is swinging. Ideally, your putter will stay inside the rails during the entire stroke. This drill can also be used with a wall at home or a simple 2 X 4 to provide the straight line.

Distance Control

The ability to control the speed or distance of your putts is critical to making putts as the line a putt takes will be determined by how fast the ball is rolling. The drill in the picture is my ladder drill. Hit one ball about 10 feet, the next ball about 15 feet and the last ball roughly 20 feet. If you do this drill uphill, downhill and on flat greens, you will develop better feel for distance. I use this drill a lot when I go to play a new course so I can learn the speed of the greens quickly on the putting green.

Building Confidence

To be a good putter, you need to expect to make putts. The following drills will teach you to be confident and will also apply a little pressure to your stroke on the practice green, better preparing you for the rigors of the course.

The first drill is the compass drill. To successfully complete it, you need to make all four putts in a row. If you miss one you must start again. When you make four in a row from 3 feet, move out further and begin again.

The second drill is the line drill. Stretch a few balls
in a line back from the hole. To finish the drill you must make all of them in a row. Once again, if you miss you must start again.
This drill is great for putting you under some pressure and making your stroke more trustworthy.

If you can devote an hour a week to practicing your putting, I know these drills will help you improve and your scores will go down.