Sharpen up your putting with this one drill that hits every area needed to be a proficient putter
If you’re like many golfers, you probably have a love-hate relationship with putting. There are good days when your putter is on fire, and it’s like you can’t miss from any distance. And then there are days when you’re sweating over one-footers.
If we had it our way, we’d like to see the first scenario way more often. But just like most things in this crazy game, the more time and practice you put into it, the better you get. Same goes for your expertise on the green.
Putting should be simple, as it only requires three skills: green reading, accurate direction, and speed. But then again, we’re talking about golf here. So, let’s look to VP of Instruction, Nick Clearwater, for a drill to help improve every aspect of your putting.
Four tees & a rope
There are a ton of putting drills to help control your speed and direction on the green and even sharpen up your green reading skills individually. But when you take your putter back in hopes of the ball finding the bottom of the cup, all of these skills come into play. That’s why this drill is so valuable.
Nick first takes a long rope and places it along what you believe the break of the putt is going to be from the ball to about a foot past the hole. Then about five feet away from the hole (towards the ball), place two tees as a gate to roll the ball through. And finally, place two more tees about a foot in front of the ball.
Once you’ve set this drill up, remove the rope and see if you can keep the ball on your intended line and within both gates.
But before you start the drill, you should understand the benefits of these obstacles. The rope not only helps you read the break and provides an excellent visual of the path the ball needs to travel, but it helps with speed control in hopes the ball comes to rest about a foot past the hole. And then the two gates act as guidance to ensure your putting direction is on point.
After you practice this drill a few times from different locations, you’ll start to notice which aspect of your putting needs a little work and you can specifically hone in on that skill. And with some time and practice, those good days of putting will start showing up more often.
