Low Handicappers, help me putt!

[g-funk13]

Dear Low-Handicap-Types who putt the ball well,

This summer I used the Golf Digest Challenge to track my handicap. While my "long game handicap" was good, around--4 to 5. . .

My "short game handicap" was, oh, 15

As you may have guessed, Bastard Mr. 3 putt is visiting much more than the sexy little Miss one putt!

I am committed to improving my putting, and I need help!

My Questions are:

#1 What drills have you used to improve lag putting?
#2 What drills have you used to improve short putting?
#3 What kind of practice facility would you seek out/avoid?
#4 How do you do it in the winter months?

For all drills, please include number of reps, hours a week, etc!

Thanks for advice, and ENCOURAGEMENT is welcome!

[Fried Egg]

Lag Putting: Just try to roll the ball into a two-three foot circle around the hole. Put some tees around the hole for a visual.

Short Putts: Find a putt with a little break. Take four balls and put one on each "side" of the hole. This will give you a downhill, uphill, left to right, and right to left put. Start at 2 or three feet. Make all four in a row, back away another foot or two. Miss one, start all over. Give yourself a goal (a distance you want to get to). This will add pressure when you get close to your goal knowing that if you miss, you'll have to start all over.

[WhiteSoxFan]

I'm not a low handicapper, but here are two drills I've been using lately that have helped my putting a lot.

Long putts - Read this one in Colorado Avid Golfer. Take a really long putt, like a 50 footer. Wherever your putt ends up, move it back 3 ft. Repeat until you hole out. It turns 9 footers into 12 footers, tap-ins into 4 footers. Helps the lag putting big time, and also makes you work on the 4-6 footers. Repeat it a bunch of times on different holes, different breaks, different distances. I also read, in Golf magazine I think, that Dave Pelz said to work on hitting some 50 footers twice a week to help your lag putting. I took his advice, and I've been using this drill to do so. My lag putting has been significantly better because of it.

Short putts - I read this one here. Place tees at 3, 4, 5, & 6 feet from the hole. Use five balls and make 5 putts in a row from each distance. If you miss, you go back to 3 feet. You have to make 20 putts in a row to be done. This one has really given me a lot of confidence standing over 4-6 footers.

Fried egg, I like that one, I'm definitely going to give it a try.

[dogfood10us]

Lag Putting: Just try to roll the ball into a two-three foot circle around the hole. Put some tees around the hole for a visual.

I wouldn't reccomend putting to a "circle" or area. You should be trying to make every putt. On short putts, pick out a small target in front of the hole like a piece of grass or sand or whatever next to the hole. A good way to practice looking at your target and stroking it is to just look at your target and not the ball while you putt. A good drill to practice speed is to hit puts with your eyes closed and try to guess how far short or long the putt was. Lastly, after you have gone through your putting routine, just look at the target and hit it without any delay.

[Ben]

Dear Low-Handicap-Types who putt the ball well,

#1. Use one ball and play around the world on the practice green with yourself. Simply go for long putts on the different locations and try not to three putt. A good key is to go through your actual routine of reading the putt, taking your practice strokes and firing as though you are on the course.

2#. I call my drill the 5-and-in drill. Take five balls spread out to various lengths and lines. Putt each one until all are made. For instance, I drain three of the five on the first round, the second round I have two putts left to make. Continue until finished. I do this drill for all lengths though. Worked wonders on my 15' - 25' range putts. 3#. Any practice facility is good so long as the conditions are up to your standards. I like to find places with different grasses. My home course has poa annua greens which get kinda soft, shaggy, lumpy at the end of the day. I also practice on bent grass greens which generally stay slick and putt pretty true. 4#. I live in sunny southern California. I can go all year. But there's nothing wrong with putting on your carpet.

[nyjets2806]

try putting with one foot back (take your normal stance and move your right foot back a little). it should help you keep your head still during the putt and make your putts more consistent. i use it alot and it helps me keep my putts on line more often.

also what months golf digest is that handicap challenge in? i remember seeing it but i cant remember in which issue.

[g-funk13]

try putting with one foot back (take your normal stance and move your right foot back a little). it should help you keep your head still during the putt and make your putts more consistent. i use it alot and it helps me keep my putts on line more often.

go to

http://www.golfdigestchallenge.com/ print out some of their special scorecards, and enter the info online at th end of your round. It will give you a long and short handicap, and then suggest which drills might be good, etc. Really great tool and REALLY FREE! BTW THANKS for the foot thing.

[g-funk13]

#1. Use one ball and play around the world on the practice green with yourself. Simply go for long putts on the different locations and try not to three putt. A good key is to go through your actual routine of reading the putt, taking your practice strokes and firing as though you are on the course.

Thanks so much. I am looking at suggestion #1 and it is so obvious, I can't believe I haven't been doing this already. Can't wait to try five and in.

[BritBoy]

Like Ben said, there’s nothing wrong with putting in your living room. I just have one of those fake putting mats; about 6 ft long and I will stand there and putt for an hour or so while I'm watching TV.

Really work on keeping your head still, don’t watch the putts go in; listen for them to go in. A good drill I was taught this year was to putt with a coffee stirrer or a straw in my mouth. Then watch the straw as you putt and it will show you just how much your head is moving.

[golfchief]

first you need to find a putting style you like. straight back and thru or with a small arc. some use only a shoulder turn others like a little flip with the wrist. work on hitting straight four footers then adjust the back swing for longer putts.
remember all your putts are straight,don't try to put spin on the ball. work on reading greens and putt to the break with the correct speed. the only real control you have is speed and line. when you get those two down your putting will improve.

[SirMilton]

Fortunately, I have always been able to putt well and never thought about it much until recently (not so with the other clubs) when my wife got serious about putting better.

First thing I did was make her buy a seriously good putter. She got a Odyssey Two Ball in their White Hot series (lots of PGA pros, Seniors and LPGA pros play this exact putter). I tried it out at the pro shop and didn't miss a putt in about 20 tries from 6 to 10 feet and its equally good at home on the carpet at 20, 30 or 40 feet. This putter immediately helped her set her line properly.

Watching my wife, she had several serious problems. #1 was her swing plane, the putter was moving in and out from her body during the swing. She now practices putts between two, two foot long 2x4s set to allow only 1/2" clearance on each end of the putter blade, #2 was shaft waggle (she simply did not have good, solid control of the putter shaft) we tried several things such as locking the grip against the right wrist, locking the grip against the left wrist, a cross hand grip and finally fixing the top of the shaft against her abdomen like a belly putter cured the waggle, #3 everypart of her body was moving when she putted, I did the classic of making her set her hip against a wall to keep her from shifting and twisting at the hips and then #4 I used a drinking straw in her mouth to show her how much she was moving her head. She is pretty good now at rotating her shoulders around the pivot of her spine and not moving her head.

Using a indoor putting machine she can now sink about 75% of her putts, before getting her stroke under control she might get 10%.

I am trying to get her to let the weight of the putter and the height of the backswing control the head velocity rather than move the head with the muscles; she just doen't have enough natural athletic ability to play from feel.

[Ben]

Thanks so much. I am looking at suggestion #1 and it is so obvious, I can't believe I haven't been doing this already. Can't wait to try five and in.

Glad to help. With a bit of practice you'll be making tons of putts like it's second nature. There's nothing better than making putts!

[IowaChop]

A drill I like to use is a Dave Pelz drill not sure of the name but I call it the 20 ft drill, maybe he did too, not sure.

I start with a fairly level, straight putt and mark off 7 paces on opposite sides of the hole. I try to get the ball past the hole but no farther past the bottom of my putter grip. (inside the leather). When I do this 10x in a row I move to the opposite side. If a putt is short of the hole or outside the leather the count starts over. This drill really helps judging speed.

Another one I use is my 3,6,9,12 drill

Again fairly straight flat putt. Using 5 balls.
3 ft make 5 in a row move to 6ft
6 ft make 5 in a row move to 9ft. Miss 1 start back at 3 ft
9 ft make 4 of 5 move to 12 ft. Miss 2 go back to 6 ft.
12 ft make 4 of 5. Done. Miss 2 go back to 9 ft.

I used to start from the beggining if I missed the number at any distance but that got really frustrating and did more harm then good.

I have a number of winter drills i do but know my indoor range has a "practice green so i just do the ones above.

I far as on course putting goes what really helps me is taking 3 or 4 practices strokes looking at the hole then my minds has a fell for the distance. Seems to work.

The around the world drill is fun, especially with a partner for some "skins"