The 5 Minute Putting Drill That Is Perfect For Busy Golfers

One problem I see frequently with a lot of amateur golfers is their lack of effective putting practice before a round of golf. They often make the same putting mistakes over the opening 6 holes of a round. Mistakes such as the following:

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

The benefit of taking 5 minutes to practice some putting can really provide benefits, especially the first few holes were many a bogie are made. The following putting drills make effective use of your practice time before a round and should help establish in your mindset the correct alignment when putting and a good feel for the green’s speed.

Alignment

Start by doing your normal routine of lining up a putt and address the ball as you normally would. Before taking the putt place a club down at your toes to show the line you are taking. Step away and look down the line of the club on the ground. Is this pointing toward the hole? If not, then perhaps your technique of lining up shots needs to be revised so try picking a different target to aim for (one closer to your ball) and try again with another technique. A simple alignment technique is to stand behind the ball and visualise the trajectory you expect the ball to take on the way to the hole. Then simply pick a target point along the trajectory that you wish to aim for and line up your body to this target.

Distances

The importance of performing a distance drill is that it establishes in your mind how the speed of the greens is over 3 distances. You can practice several distances if time allows but it’s usually simpler to focus on the feeling of putting a long, medium and short putting distance.

Start with a long putt. Try to make a dozen of these long putts and try getting the distance of your putt correct. Get the rhythm of your swing consistent and just vary the distance you pull the putter head back.

Next choose a medium length putt around the 10 foot distance and preferably a distance which you experience often. Again, take up to 10 practice putts and try to get to within a meter of the hole. Being accurate is important with this drill so you wish to have some putts going in.

Lastly, pick some short putts within one to two meters of the hole. You will want to get a confidence boost here by seeing a high percentage of putts going in.

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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