Putting practice
The Best Drills for Putting Practice
In putting practice, drills that give immediate feedback instead of just filling a bucket.
Feedback beats volume
The best putting drills tell you something right away. A chalk-line start drill followed by 30-foot ladder putts works because the result is visible: start line, strike, face angle, or speed. In putting practice, you do not need a complicated station; you need a drill that makes the miss obvious.
Three reliable options
- In putting practice, gate drill: set two tees just wider than the clubhead or ball path.
- On the practice green, landing-zone drill: pick a towel, fringe spot, or painted range target.
- Before a putting game ends, random-call drill: change club, target, or shot shape every ball.
Coach’s tip: If a putting drill does not measure start line or speed, it is mostly wishful rolling.
Match the drill to the course
On the practice green, a drill should eventually look messy. On the practice green, golf gives you sidehill lies, odd yardages, different speeds, and nervous hands. When pace control is the goal, once you can do the drill in place, randomize it. In putting practice, that is where range skill starts becoming golf skill.