Putting Drill - the clock

[hawkeye]

You've seen Phil Mickelson going around the hole from 3 feet or so with Bones taking the balls out and placing them at intervals at different angles.

Have you tried this? One of the top guys at my club said it's a good drill but do it this way:

Pick a hole on the practice green with a big slope.
Stick down tee's at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o clock, 3 feet from the hole. Start at 12 and putt to the hole. Go to 1, 2, 3 etc holing at each time.

Here's the tricky part - if you miss one, you go back to 12!

You get to hit uphill, left to right, right to left, downhill - it get's you in the right frame of mind for these challenges onthe course. I didn't think it was that good till i tried it - out on the course it made a difference. 3 footers we're tap ins. Putting in general was easier.

[TourSpoon]

You've seen Phil Mickelson going around the hole from 3 feet or so with Bones taking the balls out and placing them at intervals at different angles.

Good tip.

Mentally, making those three footers early on really gives me a mental boost and gives me confidence. To give myself a chance to make them, I actually try to look forward to them which is a Rotella trick. The other dimension is to spend 5 minutes each practice session just on 2-5 footers. I am going to give your drill a try.

[donkba]

i do this one all the time, and believe me it is incredibly frustrating if you start over after a missed putt. another good drill that mickelson does is try to hole 100 3 footers in a row and start over if one is missed. ive managed 100 - once, and i do this 2 times a week but i quit if it takes longer than 2 hours.

[Crafty]

I do this drill with 8 balls, then go around and make them consecutively twice. Then, I back up to six feet and do it consecutively once, then do it once more. Then, I do it at nine feet two times.

[Leek]

I do this drill all the time, with my goal being 35 straight. It usually takes about 20 minutes to complete. If I went for Mickelson's 100 straight, I might be there all night!

The real value of this drill for me is the mounting pressure. When I get over 25, I begin to tighten a little and I do feel the pressure. When I get a pressure putt on the course, I'm used to the feeling and it is much easier.

[JackieTreehorn]

I do the same drill and I agree that it is the best putting drill out there, especially right before you tee off. It gets you to feel what it's like to hole putts. I don't play enough to force myself to make a number in a row...I just get mad when I miss one and move on.

Then I put markers at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 feet on a relatively straight putt and try to hole those. It gets you in the mind of holing makable birdie putts.

[BDE]

This is a great drill. It helps you relieve the tension of having to make putts if you set yourself a goal.

Very good drill just before a round.

[tmoult]

Im going to try this.

[powerfade]

That drill is based off the 10-ball drill he learned from Jackie Burke.

He was at Champions to work with Jackie. Jackie placed 10 balls in a circle, 3 feet from the cup. He asked Phil to make 100 in a row, starting over if he missed.

Phil wanted to bet something, saying he could easily make 100 in a row, so they agreed on dinner at a nice steak house.

Phil lost.

He missed the 4th putt.

[Shindig]

That drill is based off the 10-ball drill he learned from Jackie Burke.

Phil can apparently do much better now; I think he accredited it to this. At the moment, I can do about 5 in a row. I can do a few more if I'm hitting from the same spot each time. My goal is to increase this by the end of summer.

[powerfade]

The key is to not peek.

[TourSpoon]

I tried this drill tonight. I left the putting green with some confidence. I went in the counterclockwise direction...

[hawkeye]

The key is to not peek.

yes - or another way of putting it -

listen.

I tried this drill tonight. I left the putting green with some confidence. I went in the counterclockwise direction...

I went counterclockwise also now that I think of it! Stupid Northern Hemisphere haha.

I guess it would be good to go both directions. Add's another element to it.

[Shindig]

Phil can apparently do much better now; I think he accredited it to this.

Got thirteen in a row this morning, but couldn't get any other iterations to go past five. Oh well, knowing I can do thirteen is great. Now to make it more of an expectation!