



Everyone knows the importance of great putting, and the frustrations of missing those must-make putts. However, there is little ever written on how to become an awesome putter.





I decided to give you my favourite ever putting drill. It sure as hell is tough, but how else would you expect to become awesome. To build on an article I recently wrote called ‘ I’m practising – why am I not getting better?’ I decided to give you my favourite ever putting drill. It sure as hell is tough, but how else would you expect to become awesome.





So here is it. Written below is why it works so well, and how to personalise it to your own technique and ability.

















Why it works





There are two key aspects that form the foundation of learning a skill. The first one is continually repeating something that is suitably difficult. This causes your body to make the adaptations needed to become better. The second condition needed is highly accurate feedback on your outcome (where the ball finishes) and movement (what you did to hit it there). If either of these two are missing you will STOP learning and progressing.





In the video above I’m putting to a target smaller than a golf hole from 16-feet. I can tell you this is very challenging. When I was turning pro I practised this drill every morning for 20 minutes. My current record still stands at 46 hits in a row, and I’ve annoyed a lot people holing putts from everywhere for years after.





The key factor determining where the ball’s direction is your clubface angle at impact. To hit a target from 16 feet your clubface has to be exceptionally square. To help even more the round target tells me if I had a direct hit, or the ball was going in the left or the right hand side of the hole.





This level of feedback allows me to continually refine my movement from putt to putt, always searching for a squarer clubface.





The fact I know I am aiming directly at the target (due to the laser) allows me to hone in my alignment and the putting aid confirms I will not miss due to a swing path fault. The second key to the drill is feedback on my technique.The fact I know I am aiming directly at the target (due to the laser) allows me to hone in my alignment and the putting aid confirms I will not miss due to a swing path fault.





If you are aiming to take the putter back square-to-square (Luke Donald style) then the putting aid I have is ideal. However if you wish to putt with more of a curved arc (Jordan Spieth style) than a putting arc will work better for you. I’ve coached both, and the guys named above suggest you can be world number 1 with either (so no excuses).





If you’re a real nerd like myself then you can grab a laser to ensure you’re aiming straight to begin with.





How to begin





Once you have the equipment above, or your own set up, here is how to begin.





sound when you hit it. Align your training aid and place a weight on it to stop it moving too easily. Place the target 5 to 10 feet away. A vinegar/sauce bottle is ideal, and makes a nice ‘ping’sound when you hit it. Align your training aid and place a weight on it to stop it moving too easily.





Hit 20 putts and count how many you can make out of 20. Write this down and keep a tally of your progress.





Once you hit the golden total of 20 out of 20, move back to 2 feet and aiming for 20 out of 20 again. Or if you are short of room, just replace your target with a smaller one.





One final benefit of this is the psychological advantage you feel as you move onto the golf course. At my putting height of frequently hitting 47-48/50 every morning I never felt like I was going to miss from 10-12 feet when I looked at that giant hole in front of me.









Enjoy, and let me know your progress. If you would like fresh info on how to improve emailed straight to you



This post includes affiliate links to products used. If you click and purchase the product it does not cost you any extra, but I do earn a small commission. Please feel free not to use the links if you wish. Thanks and happy golfing, Will.

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Labels: golf performance, golf practice, golf putting, golf science, motor learning