Putting Practice with a Purpose

At all of the golf courses that I have worked at, there seems to be a common theme regarding putting practice. Generally, people will come to the course, hit balls on the driving range for about a half hour, then drop a few balls on the putting green just prior to teeing off and hit a few putts without any rhyme or reason.

Then when they get off the course, the biggest complaint is often that they couldn’t make a putt. We all should practice putting more often than we do because putts make up for nearly half of the shots we hit in a round of golf. But practicing putting with a purpose is what translates into success on the greens.

First of all, speed or distance control is often a major problem for golfers. Everyone gets so caught up aiming at the cup they often forget the speed of the putt. So next time you’re warming up before the round, practice hitting some 20, 30, or 40 foot putts from one edge of the green to the other. Don’t aim at a hole, just focus on rolling the ball and having it stop as close to the fringe as you can. This will help get you away from being too “hole conscious” and get you more “speed conscious”.

Another drill to practice can help with your mental approach to putting. Everybody can make a putt when they’re just casually hitting practice putts, but when you’re on the course, trying to shoot a score, and trying to beat your opponent; well, that’s a more pressure packed situation. To help you simulate a pressure situation, try this drill. Put a tee or coin on the green about 2 feet away from the hole. Try to make 3 or 5 or more in a row. If you do that, move the coin or tee back to 3 feet. If you make 5 in a row there, move back to 4 feet and so on. If you miss just one putt, you have to start over again at the 2 foot mark. You’d be surprised how nervous you can feel over a meaningless putt if it means that you’ll have to start this drill over again. If you make 5 in a row from 2 feet, 3 feet, 4 feet, 5 feet and then 6 feet, it’s amazing how you start to feel when you know you have to make this putt or it’s back to the beginning. You start to feel like you do over a pressure putt on the golf course, and this makes this type of drill “practice with a purpose.”

The more you can simulate golf course situations during your practice, the more meaningful your practice will become and the more your scores will drop.

Back to Tip Archive

FREE Golf Tip of The Week Weekly, get a joke for the first tee, a tip from one of our Pros, and a trivia question (with prizes for the winners!) Join our FREE Golf Tip of the Week Email Newsletter Enter your email here: