It’s often suggested that a great drill to improve one’s putting is to roll in as many consecutive putts from several “stations” in a circle around a hole as possible. There are variations, but the theme is the same, miss one and you start over from the beginning. Not only are you improving your stroke (hopefully) but you are also simulating pressure as you get closer and closer to the end of the drill. It’s a good drill, but I’d like to suggest a slightly different one.
Find a level stretch of putting surface extending fifteen to twenty feet from the hole (with permission from the pro shop, you can take chalk string from a hardware store and mark the straight line). Next, place a ball three feet from the cup on the level line that you found and knock the putt in. Now, place the ball five feet from the cup and knock that putt in. Then seven feet, etc., continuing in this manner, getting further and further away from the hole until you miss, at which point you start over again from three feet. The object of the drill is to see how far away you can get from the cup, always attempting to beat your personal best.
The advantage to this drill is that pressure mounts much faster, and, the only variable that is tested is your ability to make a good stroke because there is no break to confound matters. In the “around the world” putting drill, break is often a factor.
Eventually, after practicing in this manner, shorter putts will seem much less difficult as you will be able to draw on the confidence gained from making consecutive putts at increasing distances from the hole.
Photo Credit: © Northern Funds.
