How should I practice putting?

[SoundandFury]

I'm getting the point where I'm seeing significant improvement on most of my shots from the tee, from the fairway, short irons, woods, etc.  The more I play, the more I realize my putting is a liability. I've never had any formal instruction on putting, so when I get on the practice green I basically just try to make as many putts as possible before I get bored.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to approach putting practice? Drills, time spent, etc.?

Thanks!

[Beachcomber]

Get a putting alley.  It is small and if you can successfully keep the ball on the 'alley' or track, then your putting will improve.

- It's not that expensive, and can easily be stored when not in use.

I have one and it really helped me with my stroke and rhythm.

[teeitup22]

First things first, make sure you are set up correctly (grip, eyeline, correct putter length, etc) See a good instructor before you waste a bunch of time practicing.

As far as drills, my favorite speed drill is called the 19 inch drill. Find two holes that are approximately 20 feet apart. Place a tee 19 inches (I put my putter head in the cup and then put the tee where my grip is on my putter)  directly behind both holes. Using 3 balls, putt from one hole to the other. The goal (if you miss) is to leave the ball between the front edge of the hole and the tee (the speed zone). The goal is to get 10 in a row in the zone. If you leave one short or roll it past the tee, start over.

I also like the 100 in a row drill for three feet and four feet. putts. Try to make 100 putts in a row (start from three feet, work to four feet).

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

Get a putting alley.  It is small and if you can successfully keep the ball on the 'alley' or track, then your putting will improve.

- It's not that expensive, and can easily be stored when not in use.

I prefer an elevated aim line. Even smaller, even cheaper, and you can use it for distance control as well.

More here (you can do this with stretchy string): http://thesandtrap.com/t/56644/putt-better-with-a-piece-of-string/

There are only three commonalities to the game's best putters:

1. Green Reading
2. Start Putts on Intended Line
3. Hit Putts the Proper Speed

You can practice 2 and 3 with a piece of string (or stretchy string and two crochet needles).

[Beachcomber]

Originally Posted by iacas

I prefer an elevated aim line. Even smaller, even cheaper, and you can use it for distance control as well.

More here (you can do this with stretchy string): http://thesandtrap.com/t/56644/putt-better-with-a-piece-of-string/

There are only three commonalities to the game's best putters:

Green Reading

Start Putts on Intended Line

Hit Putts the Proper Speed

You can practice 2 and 3 with a piece of string (or stretchy string and two crochet needles).

Hahah, yes.  A piece of string works too!  I just like the putting alley because I don't have to do anything other than lay it on the ground - and start putting.  The needles, you have to actually set them up and ensure the string is taut.  :P

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

Hahah, yes.  A piece of string works too!  I just like the putting alley because I don't have to do anything other than lay it on the ground - and start putting.  The needles, you have to actually set them up and ensure the string is taut.  :P

Sarcasm aside, you also get to putt to holes and things with the needles and stretchy string. :)

[LuciusWooding]

I prefer myself to hit a couple putts at a time so I don't get too dialed in on one situation. Plus I need to take my stance, grip, etc. every time from a cold start rather than dialing them in over an hour's practice. Chipping too. Makes me conscious of doing it right every time without warmup and prevents me from showing up at the course feeling like I forgot how to putt. I wish there were a similar method of keeping my full swing sharp. This method especially works if you don't golf often; I can go to the course or range once in a while and I always have to warm up and I feel like I need to relearn things a bit with my full swing.

I just worry about eyes over the ball, palms opposed, proper posture, pendulum stroke, etc. Fundamentals. Reading greens is important too, but hitting good putts at the right speed and starting line is all about fundamentals. And if you can't read greens, just hire yourself a caddy. You'll learn to read greens with experience, but if you don't have a good stroke it won't help you to know the line. Better to burn edges all day and leave it within 2 feet than make your misses really bad and lack speed control.

Iacas and others; do you think it's better to, say, make 2-3 putts with focus on your fundamentals and then put it down? (and do this every single day like 5 different times) Or to spend a whole 15 minute or so session in one go a couple times a week?

[Ben]

Here's the routine I developed last year when I sprained my wrist and could only practice putting.

Use five balls (makes remembering your running count easy.).

Make 100 short putts. Whatever "short" means to you. To me it was 1' - 4'. If you miss a putt, subtract from your running total.

Make 50 mid-range putts. Mine were 4' - 10'. Use your putting pre-shot routine and use it every time . I didn't subtract from the running total, but I would note how many times I went all 5-putts without missing.

Play 18 holes, pretend you've hit the green in reg and see how many under par you can go. 4' - 35'

Play 18 holes of LONG lag putts. Note how many times you three-putt, hopefully none!

This would take me about two hours to complete. I did it three times a week for two months and turned into a putting beast.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by LuciusWooding

Iacas and others; do you think it's better to, say, make 2-3 putts with focus on your fundamentals and then put it down? (and do this every single day like 5 different times) Or to spend a whole 15 minute or so session in one go a couple times a week?

2-3 putts? Or 2-3 minutes?

I don't think 2-3 putts is enough to do much. Find a straight putt - or find the aiming point for a putt - and put your elevated aim line above it. Hit 10 or 15 putts to it. If you're in need of more work and not bored, find another hole and repeat. If you're bored or you hit a lot of them online, do something else.

[Beachcomber]

Here's the routine I developed last year when I sprained my wrist and could only practice putting. Use five balls (makes remembering your running count easy.). Make 100 short putts. Whatever "short" means to you. To me it was 1' - 4'. If you miss a putt, subtract from your running total. Make 50 mid-range putts. Mine were 4' - 10'. Use your putting pre-shot routine and use it every time . I didn't subtract from the running total, but I would note how many times I went all 5-putts without missing. Play 18 holes, pretend you've hit the green in reg and see how many under par you can go. 4' - 35' Play 18 holes of LONG lag putts. Note how many times you three-putt, hopefully none! This would take me about two hours to complete. I did it three times a week for two months and turned into a putting beast.

This sounds legit. I'm going to try this and see how it works. But I'll probably only be able to do it once or twice a week. Thanks for sharing!

[Motown88]

Originally Posted by Ben

Here's the routine I developed last year when I sprained my wrist and could only practice putting.

Use five balls (makes remembering your running count easy.).

Make 100 short putts. Whatever "short" means to you. To me it was 1' - 4'. If you miss a putt, subtract from your running total.

Make 50 mid-range putts. Mine were 4' - 10'. Use your putting pre-shot routine and use it every time. I didn't subtract from the running total, but I would note how many times I went all 5-putts without missing.

Play 18 holes, pretend you've hit the green in reg and see how many under par you can go. 4' - 35'

Play 18 holes of LONG lag putts. Note how many times you three-putt, hopefully none!

This would take me about two hours to complete. I did it three times a week for two months and turned into a putting beast.

I like this drill...I may try this myself.

[LuciusWooding]

Originally Posted by iacas

2-3 putts? Or 2-3 minutes?

I don't think 2-3 putts is enough to do much. Find a straight putt - or find the aiming point for a putt - and put your elevated aim line above it. Hit 10 or 15 putts to it. If you're in need of more work and not bored, find another hole and repeat. If you're bored or you hit a lot of them online, do something else.

I mentioned that type of practice because I've been doing it for a few months; it helps me that I'm not just repeating the stroke, but actually getting in and out of putting mode. Considering you need to make this transition perhaps 18 times per round, it has made my routine a lot more consistent and it's helped me learn how to fix my errors without giving me the chance to make band aid fixes. If I miss a putt, not being warmed up or not being committed isn't an excuse like it can be at the start of a longer session. And on the course I often lose focus once I put my bag down by the green, then I worry about the line and speed and sometimes get too quick to the ball. Limiting myself to a few tries allows me to be rewarded with the sweet feeling of a few good putts when everything is right, while forcing me to take practice strokes and setup seriously because I don't allow myself to get complacent. I also only use a single ball at home so I have to reset stance and all. On the practice green I use 3 most of the time in different lies rather than standing in spot A and just raking a pile of balls into spot B one by one. I usually switch to putting out my chips and then start over from a new spot or hole.

I can do this at home without needing to go out to the course, and I'm incapable of getting bored from 3-5 putts which is an advantage.  I often switch to some chipping afterwards with the same sort of mindset: make the shot on my first attempt. Making 4 out of 5 in a row is great but making the first is more applicable IMO. When I'm at the course I work on different ranges and locations for a decent while, maybe an hour of chipping and putting combined including getting up and down and lag putts. But I like the idea of repeating my whole routine and setup almost as much as the stroke. I've realized this summer how lazy I was with the fundamentals working on just my swing. A methodical approach to my swing helped but I'm trying to apply the same methods to my mental game.

[Ben]

I forgot to mention. For the short and mid-range putt portion of the routine I place the balls around the hole, and a different distance at each putt. That way I'll have an entirely different putt each time. And when I get really crazy with the routine I'll even vary circling the hole clock-wise and counter-clockwise.

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

This sounds legit. I'm going to try this and see how it works. But I'll probably only be able to do it once or twice a week. Thanks for sharing!

Originally Posted by Motown88

I like this drill...I may try this myself.

Two future putting wizards! hahahaa,