Practicing Putting Fundamentals

Consistency & Distance Golf Putting Drill

Posted by Admin on Monday, September 21, 2009 Labels: , , , ,

Overview: The main benefit of this golf putting drill is to make sure that you get your ball either in the hole or just past it. This drill well help you with practicing your putting fundamentals and improve your ability to become more consistent and control distance.

A good habit is to closely inspect the conditions around the hole. When a putt losses it's speed it well follow any minor slope around the hole. Often times we see putts get to the hole but roll to the side and miss it by a few inches.

Your objective is to get in the habit of not coming up short. You should apply enough speed to the ball that if you do miss the putt you should ended up past the hole by eight to ten inches.

You will be able to sink more putts if you routinely get your ball just slightly past the hole.


To Practice This Drill:
  • Begin by laying 3 clubs around the hole so they form a opening and they are about a club lenght away from the hole.
  • The hole should be about way between the 2 clubs that are not touching.
  • Start to take roughly ten practice putts from ten feet from the hole.
  • Your goal is to get all the putts either in the hole or inside the cage but not touching any of the clubs.
  • Practicing this drill will help in your decision making when determining distance and get you in the habit of applying enough speed so you do not come up short.
  • Keep in mind that if you do miss you will be only left with a very short putt.
  • Your objective is to get all the putts in the hole or inside the cage but not touching any of the three clubs.
Next Practice from Farther Out: Repeat the entire putting drill by practicing farther away to say 20 feet. Continue practicing until you can get all 10 balls inside the cage. Your goal is to become more consistent at each distance level your practicing from.


Your distance should be controlled with the length of your stoke. Continue to maintain a smooth rhythm and tempo to your stroke with no quick burst of power.

By extending your distance you will be able to consistently get with in three feet of the hole on your long putts.

Practice with Your Eyes Closed: Repeat the entire the drill again but this time with your eyes closed. Prior to hitting the ball close your eyes. You have already gotten the feel from the first round, so now you want to ingrain that feeling in your subconscious.

There is no better drill for practicing distance control then practicing with your eyes closed. The ability to visualize a putt in your mind will significantly improve your speed, distance and to trust your stoke. We recommend practicing with your eyes closed on several of these putting drills because of the significant improvements it will make to your over all putting skills and judgment.

A PRACTICE GREEN TIP: Before a game you can take the small flag pole and set it behind a hole about eighteen to twenty four inches. Begin your practice putts to either go in the cup or end up between the flag pole and hole.

The next golf putting drill lesson well focus on developing accuracy.

Continue to Next Lesson Accuracy Golf Putting Drill