Putting Drills
The Gate Drill, Distance Control, 18 Holes of Putting, The Mirror Putting Aid and More
In the latest Newsletter, Edition #6, we talked about Cam Smith’s amazing putting stroke and featured another video from Chasing Scratch using free throws as an analogy for putting.
With so much content on putting I figured I’d share some putting drills that I think are not only useful but simple to understand and easy to set up.
Drill #1: The Gate Drill
The gate drill is a classic used by many pros and most famously by Tiger Woods. It’s simple and effective. The Gate Drill gives instant feedback on your swing path and helps train center strikes.
Take two tees and put them in the ground just outside the toe and heel of your putter (if you are having trouble putting through the gate widen the gate a bit). If you’re at home just stand the tees upside down or put two balls outside your putter in place of the tees.
Start with a straight putt around 4 to 6 feet from the hole. After you make 5 in a row move back a couple of feet and try again.
Here’s a great video from Taco Golf on Tiktok (funny name but a great follow!):
Here’s another video with Tiger explaining the gate drill. His is a bit more advanced, using one hand, then both, but it’s worth the watch:
Drill #2: Distance Control Drill
This drill is good for people that have issues with distance control with the added twist of making it into a game. I really like gamifying practice because it helps me focus on achieving a goal versus focusing on the mechanics of my putting stroke. Also, it’s just less boring. Gamified practice is more intuitive and in my opinion, translates better to on-the-course play.
Here’s how you play. Put a club or alignment stick about 2 feet behind the hole. Walk back from the hole anywhere from 8 to 20 feet. Take 10 or so balls and try to get all of your putts between the hole and the club.
Points:
0 pts for leaving the ball short
0 pts for hitting the club
1 pt for getting it between the hole and the club
2 pts for making the putt
Hit 10 putts and add up your score. That’s it. Simple stuff. Play a few games of this trying to beat your previous high score.
The video below from Ellie isn’t exactly the same but it does a good job of giving you a visualization.
*One caveat to this drill. If you’re working on lag putting from far distances, being short of the hole is ok! This drill is better for putts within 20 feet.
Drill #3: Play 9 or 18 “Holes”
This isn’t a drill per se, but it’s a game I like to play when practicing or warming up pre-round.
Take just one ball to the putting green and play 18 holes (or 9 if you’re warming up and don’t have time for 18). “Tee off” from various distances ranging from 4 feet all the way to 30 feet, while also alternating between various breaks. Let’s use 9 holes as an example:
Remember this is all on the same practice hole, but your just simulating different shots to that same hole
Hole 1: 4 feet straight uphill
Hole 2: 8 feet left to right break
Hole 3: 12 feet right to left downhill
Hole 4: 18 feet straight downhill
Hole 5: 28 feet uphill right to left
Hole 6: 4 feet downhill left to right
Hole 7: 8 feet right to left
Hole 8: 12 feet uphill left to right
Hole 9: 28 feet downhill left to right
You don’t have to be precise. Just vary the distances and types of breaks for each shot. Play the shot all the way into the hole and try to avoid 3 putts.
This is great practice. It requires more focus than the usual of just hitting 5 balls from the same spot on the practice green. It’s also a great warmup that gives you a feel for the greens.
Golf Aids: The Putting Mirror
The putting mirror is one of the few golf aids I’ve seen pros use consistently. It achieves a few things. One, the mirror allows you to see where your eyes are and if you are aligned correctly above the ball. Two, most mirrors allow you to put tee’s into them at various positions. This allows you to do the gate drill we talked about earlier. Third, the markings on the mirror help maintain path control. It’s simple and effective.
There are a ton of these on Amazon, but I found the one below for $15 which allows for tees to be placed in it.
Link: GoSports Golf Mirror ($14.99)
Putting Experts
Ross MacLeod (@rossmacleodputt on Twitter and @rossmacleodputting on Instagram) is a great follow. I’ve featured his content on T2C many times already.
Phil Kenyon of @KenyonPutting on Twitter is another great follow. I just started following him recently but you really can’t go wrong with these two. Anything you would ever want to know on the subject of putting can be found here along with excellent drills.
Books
There are a couple of good books on putting if you are someone who really likes to dive deep into a subject.
Your Putting Solution by James Sieckman
Wrap Up
That’s all I got for today. If you have any questions about any of the drills or putting in general comment below or email me at the2ndcut@substack.com.
Til next time.
