Most golfers visit the putting green for a few minutes to pass the time before a round of golf or for hours if they have serious putting problems.
Like every form of practise, putting practise is important and should be taken as so,however that does not mean that you can’t have fun or be imaginative with your practise.
Here are a few examples of putting drills or games that you can adopt into your practise regime to make it more enjoyable.
Plant Pot
Similar to a ‘plant’ in a game of pool or snooker, simply place one ball approx 3 inches from the hole and try to ‘pot’ it by striking another ball into it from approx 2-3 yards directly behind and on the same line. If you strike the putt correctly the ‘target’ ball will go into the hole and this method will help you to be more positive with your stroke, particularly around the hole.
Through the Gate
Put two tee pegs into the ground four inches apart and both approx three feet from the hole and place a ball them a putter head length back from the tee pegs and try to hole the putt without the putter head following through far enough to strike the tee pegs. This technique will bring back a confident rap into your putting stroke,
Leapfrog
This is a good but difficult exercise in distance control.
Position a ball approx 6 ft in front of you and attempt to hit a putt which JUST passes the first ball and continue working your way across the putting green hitting each putt just past the previous one until you fail to hit past the last ball or if you run out of room and if you fail to hit a putt past the previous ball go back to the start and begin again.
For fun you can keep a record of how many you fit in across the putting green and try to beat your best score.
Tee Time
When practising your putting immediately prior to a round of golf use a tee peg in the ground as your target because once you get onto the course the hole will appear to be the same size as a ‘Kentucky bucket’ and will assist your confidence because your mind will not register it as a ‘miss’ if you don’t hit the tee peg.
Boxing D
The most frustrating fault of all is leaving putts short and this method will assist to eliminate this problem.
Simply place two three-ball golf ball boxes approx 18 inches directly behind the hole and ensure that if you miss the putt that you at least hit the boxes.
When you play on the golf course the boxes will make a good mental ‘image’ when you are putting.
Pencil Push
If you are consistently short or tentative on ‘tiddler’ putts then this method can assist you with this problem.
Place a long pencil approx 4 inches from the hole and directly across the line of the putt and hold it into position at each end with two pitch mark repairers.
Place your ball approx 18 inches from the hole and try to hole the putt by hitting the ball hard enough to go over the pencil and into the hole.
This will promote a firm positive putting stroke.
Euro for Euro
The purpose of this exercise is to place a euro coin on the back of your putter and to keep it there on the back swing and through to impact and this will help to maintain a smooth putting action.
No matter how good a golfer you are, at some time you will experience problems with your putting and as this represents at least 40% of your game these techniques will help you get through these frustrating times.