Okay, so I’ve been struggling with my putting lately. It’s been super frustrating, missing those short ones that should be gimmes. I decided I needed to seriously work on it, so I went down a rabbit hole of YouTube videos and articles about putting drills. I found a bunch, but these are the ones that I actually tried and that (I think) are helping.
The Gate Drill
This one is classic, and for good reason. I started by setting up two tees – just regular golf tees – a little wider than my putter head, right in front of my ball. The idea is to make a “gate” that my putter has to swing through.
I practiced hitting putts, focusing on keeping my putter head moving straight back and straight through, without hitting the tees. At first, I was all over the place! I kept bumping the tees, which showed me how inconsistent my stroke was. But, after a while, I started to get the hang of it. I could feel my stroke getting smoother and more controlled.
- Setup: Two tees, slightly wider than the putter head.
- Focus: Swing the putter straight back and through, without hitting the tees.
- Benefit: Improves stroke path and consistency.
I did about 20 putts with the gate, and already I could fill it.
The Yardstick Drill
Then, I moved on to the yardstick drill. I don’t actually have a yardstick, I use an old alignment, it does the same thing. I layed it on the green, making sure it was aimed at my target (I used a short, straight putt for this). Then, I placed my ball at one end of the stick.
The goal here is to roll the ball all the way down the stick without it falling off. Sounds easy, right? Wrong! It’s actually pretty tough to keep the ball perfectly straight for that long. This drill really highlighted how much my putter face was opening or closing during my stroke.
- Setup an alignment stick aimed at the target.
- Focus: Roll the ball down the stick without it falling off.
- Benefit: Improves putter face control and accuracy.
It took a bunch of tries, my wrist was all over the place, but I eventually managed to get a few putts to roll all the way to the end. It was a real eye-opener about how precise you need to be with your putting stroke. I hit about 15 putts with the alignment.
Putting It All Together
After working on those two drills, I spent some time just practicing regular putts, trying to incorporate what I’d learned. I focused on keeping my stroke smooth and my putter face square. I felt like I had a lot more control over the ball, and I was definitely more consistent.
I’m not saying I’m suddenly a putting master, but I definitely feel like I’m on the right track. These drills helped me identify some weaknesses in my stroke and gave me concrete things to work on. I’m going to keep practicing them, and hopefully, those short putts won’t be so scary anymore! I think I’ll do these drills every prictice from now on.
