The 9 Best Putting Drills You Should Be Doing

You don’t have to spend many hours of practice to see improvements in your putting stroke, technique, and accuracy when you practice every day for 30 minutes or several times a week.

It is possible to concentrate on a series of regular short practice sessions daily, weekly, or simply when you want to relax with the help of a putting routine. To enhance your putting stroke, putting grip, ball position, pre-putt routine, and ability to assess putting distance, you’ll want to utilize putting drills as part of your practice regimen.

The extra advantages of improving your putting at home are stress relief and relaxation. In other words, here are the 9 best putting drills that you can follow to improve your golfing skills.

1. The Clock Putting Drill

This putting exercise can help you improve your short game if you want to shoot lower scores. Nothing is more upsetting than missing a 3-foot par putt for bogey while having plenty of time to recover.

Everybody misses the green at some point, but the more you putt and improve your consistency, the more you will see the ball go in the hole consistently. One of the greatest methods to improve your consistency on short putts is to do the clock drill.

At least once every each of Phil Mickelson’s practice sessions, this exercise (along with similar chipping drills) is said to be completed. These are the putts you can count on all round, and watching them fall may make or break your game.

1. Place the cups at 2-3 foot intervals around the putting green with 12 golf balls.

• Work your way outward, starting with the four closest to the hole.

• Restart the drill each time you make a mistake.

• In addition to improving your rhythm and self-confidence, this exercise will offer you experience performing under pressure.

You’ll feel like you’re on the 18th hole attempting to sink a 9-foot putt to win the club championship by the time you reach the 11th and 12th balls.

2. The Meter Stick Drill

This is an excellent exercise for ensuring that the putter face is square at contact and that the ball has a nice roll. Using a metal meter stick six feet away from the hole (or other target) to determine where the ball should start the putter face.

1. Once you get the ball in position, take a swing at it and see how far it goes.
2. Your putter face must have been square upon contact if the ball stayed on the meter stick the whole time.
3. You may also use this at home as a putting drill.

3. The 1-2-3 Putting Drill

The ability to putt well relies heavily on having a good rhythm.

Use the 1-2-3 putting practice to improve your consistency and steadiness while putting.

1. Arrange three balls in a row, with the distances between them all being the same.
2. A good starting point might be 3, 6, or 9 feet.
3. Start with the ball closest to the hole and work your way outwards with your putts.

This is a terrific warm-up exercise or a way to wrap off your practice session before going out on the course. Eighty percent of your putts will be within three to ten feet of the hole. You’ll make more birdies and shoot lower scores if you have the confidence to make these.

4. Tiger’s Gate Putting Drill

You may use Tiger Woods’ renowned short-putt exercise to help you improve your short-game confidence. Three to four feet out from the hole lay two tees that are slightly broader than the head of your putter. This will serve as a gate through which your putter will swing. Using just your right hand, make 12 putts, then make 6 putts using both hands.

Decide how many consecutive putts you must make before the exercise is over. On any one day, Tiger could have as many as 50 or as many as 100. Your putter head must go straight back and into the hole for this drill to be successful. Seeing your short putts fall repeatedly will instill confidence in you and prevent you from wasting any strokes on the course.

5. 100 Straight Putts Drill

Short putts may be stressful, but this 100-putt exercise will teach you how to consistently hit them from 2 feet or less. The truth is, when the stakes are high, even 2-footers may seem to be a bit longer than they are on the practice course. Aim for an open area on the practice green and aim 2-3 feet away from the cup with the tee.

Take your time to set up your short straight putt, and then make it! After that, repeat the process a total of 99 times. When doing this exercise, pay attention to your form and alignment. Aside from improving your putting technique, hitting 100 consecutive putts will give you the confidence you need to make more throughout your round.

Pro Tip: Use a putting alignment mirror while doing this exercise to ensure you never again miss a short putt.

6. Pull Back Putting Drill

This putting drill is well-known for a reason: it improves your short game. The knee-knockers will no longer be a source of worry as you’ll be able to focus on the bottom of the cup instead.

Missing a 6-foot birdie putt is a common occurrence. This exercise will ensure that you never again experience it. This 9-hole pull-back drill will have you rolling in 6-8 footers with ease in no time.

1. Start 10 feet out from the hole with one ball.
2. Putt to the best of your ability.
3. Pull the putter one length farther away from the hole and make another putt, no matter where the ball lands.
4. This procedure must be repeated until the putt is made.
5. Make a note of your progress (1 putt Equals birdie, 2 putts = par, 3 putts = bogey, etc.) and record your score.
6. Then go back 20 feet and do it again.

Do this exercise three times from a distance of 10 feet, 20 feet, and 30 feet. Try playing a 9-hole round each week to see how much you can improve your score.

7. Gate Drill

Almost much of becoming a great putter comes down to getting the ball moving in the direction you want it to go. If you’re consistently pushing or pulling your putts, there may be a problem with your setup. After checking your ball location and body alignment, create a gate using alignment sticks on the ground. Put tee pegs a few feet apart and attempt to hit the ball into the hole.

8. Goldilocks Drill

Practicing pace management is worth your effort after you are sure you are beginning your putts on the correct line. This entails selecting a target on the practice green that is approximately 20 feet away from you and making three-putts at it.

The first ball should be struck forcefully, the second should be hit gently, and the third should be hit perfectly. You’ll improve your pace management as you practice this exercise more and more.

If you want to know how fast the greens are, this is a wonderful method to do it just before you play.

9. 3×8 Drill

About five feet away from the hole, place eight balls around it. You must first hole all eight balls to play and then go through the process three more times.

This exercise can help you improve your pre-putt routine while also adding some pressure to your practice sessions. Because the break varies somewhat with each putt, you must remain attentive the whole time. If you succeed in completing it, you will be well-equipped to take on the task of accumulating a high score.