You have to do at least one thing in order to be a good putter…Putt. That is definitely an oversimplification of a more complex problem because putting is hard. However, if you do not putt, a lot, you will never be a really good putter.
As you read, you will see our 11 Best Putting Drills that will help you learn this important aspect of the game of golf.
We’re not saying that doing these drills will put you on the tour (although they do use them), but they will allow you to spend time on the green both in daily and pre-round practice so that you will see your game begin to improve.
Best Putting Drills For Everyday Practice
Tee-Gate
Using tees as a guide is a very common way for players to practice. Too often we focus on the end result of our putting stroke rather than how we get there. This simple drill has 2 variations that will help your putter path and ensure your ball is starting on the right line.
If you want to focus on your swing path, simply place 2 tees outside of the heel and toe of your putter and place the ball in front of that “gate.” Swinging your putter in between the 2 tees without hitting them will help you make more solid contact with the ball.
The other iteration is to set up a “tee gate” a few feet away from the ball and to practice putting the ball in between the tees at your desired speed. Both are very effective ways of working on 2 different things.
(Picture courtesy of Golf Workout Program)
And this is a link to a video of Tiger practicing this drill:
Coin On Putter Head
If you are struggling with tempo and ball speed, this is a great drill to help even out your transition from backswing to stroke. Simply place a coin on the back of your putter head and try to throw the coin away from your target as you go from backswing to transition. If your coin stays on the club then your transition is too slow, if it leaves your club prior to the transition then you are moving it too quickly. This drill will teach you a more natural swinging motion and help with your distance control as well.
String Over Line
This drill takes some pretty significant time and set up, but it is well worth it. Basically you place 2 stakes (or whatever will hold a string with very little slack) in the ground behind the ball and behind the hole. You tie a string to both stakes and pull the rope taut. Placing the ball under the string and putting will help show you the ball path, stroke path, face alignment, and show you the straight line to the hole. If you are serious about improving your putting, there is a reason why so many pros still use this drill.
This video shows the lengths that golfers will go to if they believe it will help their putting stroke. It also gives you a great example of this particular drill:
Putt One-Handed
I know it sounds like a complicated drill…Just kidding, it is exactly what the title describes. You just go out and putt one-handed. It is the simplest and easiest to understand drill on this list but it is also one of the most effective. Basically, it helps you feel the weight of the putter head which gives you a more natural and free-swinging stroke where the putter head releases past your hands.
Here’s the same video from above of Tiger using both “Tee Gate” and one-handed putting together:
Heel On Alignment Stick
Alignment rods can help your golf game in a lot of different ways, and putting is definitely one of them. In this simple drill, just place an alignment stick down pointing directly at your target and place the heel of your putter against the rod. Place the ball the same distance from the end of your heel to your sweet spot and then just take some strokes with the heel of your putter against that alignment rod. This is specifically for a straight back, straight through stroke.
Putting Track
Again, the “Putting Track” drill is exactly what it sounds like. You make a track with 2 alignment rods and place your ball and putter head inside those rods. This will help you work on a straight back, straight through stroke and will make sure that your ball starts off on target every time.
(Picture courtesy of Golf.com)
Putt Around The Clock
One of the easiest ways to lower your scores is to make more short/medium range putts. Many golfers have the skill and stroke to do it, but what they are missing is the confidence and consistency to do it.
Take 12 balls and place them at 2-3 foot intervals around the hole about 3 golf balls deep. That means that there are 4 lines of 3 balls spaced evenly apart. Start with the 4 closest to the hole and drain every putt until all 12 are made. Every time you miss, start over until you do not miss any of them. You will work on your confidence and rhythm for sure, but you will also put yourself in a pressure situation to make each and every putt.
(Picture courtesy of American Golf)
3, 6, 9
If you are looking for a drill to work on your rhythm and green-reading skills then this is a good one to try. Set 3 balls 3 feet, 6 feet, and 9 feet from the hole. Start with the ball closest to the hole and just roll the putts in. Do not take extra time or think about the putt, just hit each ball into the hole and let the ball in front of you help teach you the distance and path to take. According to golfworkoutprogram.com, about 80% of all putts come between 3 to 10 feet from the hole so this is also a very practical drill.
(Picture courtesy of Golfworkoutprogram.com)
Best Putting Drills Before a Round
3 Footers With No Break
A 3 footer is no tap-in, but hitting the ball softly will bring more break into the shot than there should be. In this drill, simply lay your club down, put a tee at the tip of your grip, and make 25 putts in a row. Most 3 foot putts have very little break if they are hit at the right speed. Never aim outside of the cup on a 3 foot putt and in this drill simply hit as many 3 footers as you can without reading the break. This drill focuses on speed and building your confidence when standing over a 3 footer knowing that you just have to knock it in.
10-15 Footers to Gauge Speed
This is a speed drill, you are not necessarily trying to make the putt just gauge the speed. The reason this is important is because you want to hit as many putts as you can in a short amount of time from 10 to 15 feet out. You are not going to read the putts, you are just trying to get a feel for how fast the greens are. Once your putts are rolling to a stop at or near the hole consistently, then you are starting to get a sense of how fast the greens that you are about to play will be.
40 Foot Lag Putts To Fringe
This is another drill focusing on speed. Simply grab five golf balls and head to a flat spot on the green about 40 feet away from the fringe. Place a tee into the ground at the spot and drop the balls next to the tee. Turning to face the outskirts of the green, putt a ball towards the fringe of the green with a goal of getting the ball as close to the fringe as possible without going onto the second cut. Try this from different places on the green and at different angles from the tee that you laid down so that you get a feel for the speed going flat, uphill, or downhill.
Start Sinking Em
Each of these drills will help you work on some part of your putting game. Focus on where you are weakest and use some of the same practice drills that PGA Tour pros do to turn those weaknesses into strengths. If you make just 2 more putts per round it is worth it because there is no other scoring club in your bag that directly affects your final score like your putter.