A Simple Pre-game Putting Drill For Amateur Golfers

The majority of amateurs do not complete an effective and efficient putting practice before a round of golf and this can be a major cause of dropping shots on the opening holes of a round. This failure to practice properly results in the following types of errors:

Putts that barely make it 50% of the way to the hole Putts that take a trajectory away from the hole Putts that run past the hole leaving difficult second putts

For all amateur golfers, performing a 5 minute drill before going to the first tee can really pay off in your match. The following is a short drill that will give you confidence in the alignment of your putting and in your assessment of the speed of the greens.

Alignment

Line up for a long put using whatever preferred technique you regularly use. Place a short iron against the toes of your shoes then step away from the club and look down its line. Is it the line you had intended in your setup? This line is going to show the starting trajectory of your putts so you want to have this as accurate as possible. If the line is off then maybe your technique for lining up shots is a little off. Try picking a point closer to the ball instead of closer to the hole to start lining up your shot.

Distances

With any practice drill for putting distance you want to focus on getting a feel for the greens speed over short, medium and long distances.

Beginning with a long putt, you want to try to make 10 of these long putts and you should focus on making the distance the ball travels accurate (to establish long green speed).

Next try a medium putt length of about three metres, or preferably, a distance which you find yourself playing often. Again, take up to 8 to12 putts and focus on getting near the hole, and importantly not falling short. The emphasis on this practice drill is to be accurate so you wish to see some putts go in the hole.

Finally, do some short putts within 1 to 2 meters of the hole. This is done last so that you get a confidence boost from a high number of putts successfully going in the hole.

In conclusion, all amateurs should perform some putting drills prior to a round of golf to gauge the green speed, even if they play the course regularly, as factors such as the green’s soil water content, the time of the day and the length of the grass can adversely affect the ball speed.

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