In an effort to stop leaving putts short (or at least reduce the issue)…
…I’ve been trying out a new putting drill designed to improve pace feel and confidence putting across a range of distances.
Keeping the task simple - old and new drills
I still use the drill where I have two balls and work around the putting practice area trying to putt “under par”, with par being two putts to get each ball in the hole. Using two balls allows you to hit a putt (the first for each hole is normally long-ish, so if that doesn’t go in then it should be followed by a shorter one or even a tap in), aiming for a better result with the second ball each time given what you learnt from the first.
Recently though, I’ve been struggling with being too tentative on course. I’ve felt no confidence, leaving putts short all the time (not always very short, but rarely giving the putt a chance of going in). I saw a really simple drill online. (I think it was an Instagram reel that I didn’t save… because it was so easy to setup that I didn’t need to keep the instructions!)
The image for this post shows the setup. You can use any backstop you have handy, position it about 45-50 cm (18-20 inches) past the hole. In the photo above I’m using the pin’s short marker on the practice green as a backstop. Then use a tee to mark first just one putter’s length from the hole and putt three balls from there. The putts must go in or past the hole (but not far enough to hit the backstop). A short one is a fail and means you start again at that distance with three balls. If you succeed with all three balls, then you move the tee marker one more putter’s length away from the hole and try three balls from there.
The way this drill extends the putting distance gradually on the same line helps you build a sense of pace. This makes it good as a practice for just before a round, as well as a general practice session, although you do need to bear in mind that the pace of greens on course can be very different from the practice green if you’re about to head out.
I enjoy this drill. So far I find I do really well up to around four or five putter lengths. I hole a lot of putts when doing the drill and it has helped to build my confidence putting.
On course results
I do feel better when I’m standing over putts on course, but I’m still finding it difficult to judge pace out there. The first time after using my new drill I was hitting my first putts too far, because the practice area was slower than on course. Theoretically I should have been able to correct for that after the first hole, but I don’t think I was concentrating well enough for it to work out that day! I was happy that I’d not fallen into my habit of leaving everything short. More recently it’s clear that I’m still hitting some things way too hard.
More practice is needed, so I’ll be sticking with this simple drill for a while. Mostly I’ve been on the flat or slightly uphill for practice, so I should also try some downhill setups. My other drill, putting “under par”, still stands as a good way to practice reading slopes and seeing putting lines.
Overall, I also need to be a bit more thoughtful on course (ie engage brain), so I’m more ready to adjust to the speed of the greens (acknowledging that can be difficult when some are slower than others at the moment).
