Putts Per Round/Putting Drills

[mdl]

Don't worry about puts of 20+ feet, that will come naturally. Work on those shorties and you will drop 5-8 shots fast!

I got one of those at home putting practice things with the ball return and all. It goes out to 10 feet, and I've been using it obsessively, and it's definitely dropped some strokes. But I've dropped less strokes then I would hope. Partly cause I've been working at the range a lot, so I end up GIR more often instead of chipping in to 2-8 feet and 1 putting a lot

But I've also found that when I'm really feeling it from inside 10 feet on the practice green or at home, when I try to make that same stroke but do it from 25 feet, I both pull and push a fair amount and am often WAY off on distance, which has led to more 3 putts. You think that's just more time needed? BTW, I like your drill, and I'm using it next time I go to the range...

[Drifterland]

I got one of those at home putting practice things with the ball return and all. It goes out to 10 feet, and I've been using it obsessively, and it's definitely dropped some strokes. But I've dropped less strokes then I would hope. Partly cause I've been working at the range a lot, so I end up GIR more often instead of chipping in to 2-8 feet and 1 putting a lot

Try some 25 footers one handed, with each hand. And don't set up straight down the target line when you do this, stand with your stance wide open. Hope that helps!

[mdl]

Try some 25 footers one handed, with each hand. And don't set up straight down the target line when you do this, stand with your stance wide open. Hope that helps!

I'll try that. By open, do you mean feet still square to the target line but front foot dropped back (generally how I set up my standard pitches, with weight slightly forward), or both feet open to the target line (how I set up flop shots and sand shots with very short green space).

Thanks!

[Drifterland]

I'll try that. By open, do you mean feet still square to the target line but front foot dropped back (generally how I set up my standard pitches, with weight slightly forward), or both feet open to the target line (how I set up flop shots and sand shots with very short green space).

like flop shots, just make it comfy. It is okay to be open on shots but never closed... Unless you are hitting a swinging hook.

[mdl]

like flop shots, just make it comfy. It is okay to be open on shots but never closed... Unless you are hitting a swinging hook.

Funny, I just finally went back to a straight stance for my full shots after trying to use a closed stance to keep the fade at bay. I realized finally that other things were causing that problem.

Though I recently executed my first ever perfect serious swinging hook with my 19* hybrid after I drove behind a tree with a seriously closed stance and strong grip. Hooked it a good 50 yards back into the fairway and parred the par 5!

[Drifterland]

Funny, I just finally went back to a straight stance for my full shots after trying to use a closed stance to keep the fade at bay. I realized finally that other things were causing that problem.

Nice!!!! .

[cougar978]

Right now my best round is 32 putts and worst is 36. I dont have a set drill yet. Usually I practice a few from only 2-3 ft just to make sure my stroke is in sync. Then I get to the crazy 18+ footers and hope to get them within the 2-3ft range I just worked on lol

I had 39 putts on Sunday (83 with a four-putt and four three-putts).

Playing after a night where there was free beer and Crown flowing for several hours is a bad idea, especially when you can't stand over the ball without wobbling. Don't know how John Daly does it.

[cody west]

i have like 30+ but i miss 8-12 foot birdie putts atleast 5-7 times a round
any drills on becoming a better birdie putter, mainly because i can hit 15 footers for par no problem but im so bad at putting for birdie

[bunkerputt]

i average around 30 per round. Apparently my putting doesn't reflect my scoring all that much as i shot an 85 with 26 putts and the very next round i shot 76 (with 4 doubles) with 35 putts. My short game was the totality of my scoring this summer, i.e. i need ball striking like we need a better economy

You sound like me! I'm a hell of a scrambler. That's the only way I can get my scores down. My putts/round is inversely proportional to my number of GIRs: for every green, I average around 1.75 putts. If I miss greens, it's not uncommon to have way less than 30 putts/round. PPGIR is a way better measurement of putting skill because it takes the short game out of the equation, though it is still influenced heavily by ballstriking. My record for 7 footers in a row is 107. I pretty much had to stop because I was wearing a track in the green, which makes it easy to go high once you get more than 50 or so. I'm pretty sure I could hit 200, I just don't care to waste the time because it seems somewhat unproductive and the pressure disappears after a while, which was the point of the whole drill anyway. One of my favorite ways to teach putting is to get someone to try to see the depression formed by the ball from sitting on the green after you putt it. It's quite visible on many surfaces. When you are really in the zone, that little depression feels like a huge crater. You can even see the grass perk up after the ball leaves, if the conditions are right and your vision is good. This is a great way to get someone focused on something other than mechanics. For those who don't have the benefit of having 20/15 vision, pay attention to the afterimage of the ball the moment after you putt it. It's more visible on really sunny days, and tough to see if you are wearing sunglasses, but it's definitely there. I'm sure I could be a great ballstriker if I could apply the same damn thing in my full swing. But there's so much going on in my head when I swing. Definitely not the case when I putt. It's pretty much just me listening to the sounds, light, and other sensations around me. Definitely my favorite part of the game.

[ND Fan]

I average 30

best practice for me is to get a putt about 7-8 footer and roll em til I feel like i can't miss. Sometimes it takes five minutes sometimes it take 20 but I wait till I get that feeling of knowing it's going in before i take the putter back. Puts me in a good frame of mind prior to a round. The best putting practice I have found is putt for money, buck a hole or something, carry overs if you're so inclined and aces double is nice too. This adds pressure to practice and thats something that's hard to replace on the practice green.

[Jay-Bird]

great post

I avg. 30-31.

I practice the stroke at home on carpet all the time. I work on posture & weight/balance - and just 'grooving' the stroke.

On the practice green I start out just rolling a few to an imaginary point - just to get the feel of the stroke and the feel of the green. Then I putt my way around the putting clock - trying to finish 9 holes in 18 or less strokes. If I three putt once, I'll start over.

After I finish the putting clock I'll find a hole with a little break and grind out three footers, six footers and 11 footers.