Forget The Hole When Putting On The Practice Green... Try This Essential Pre-Round Drill Instead
Too many amateurs focus on holing out on the practice green before heading out onto the course, but you can gain an edge by trying this essential putting drill
Heading to the practice green after your driving range session is a great way to tidy up your performances with the putter, especially if you stick to the best putting tips and drills, but what about your pre-round warm up?
Too many amateurs are fixated with holing putts on the practice green before their round, which is not the best use of their time - in fact, just forget the hole all together.
After missing more than they convert, they then feel nervous standing over their first putt on the course, but this drill could be the game-changer that fires up the flatstick.
In this article, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Paul Foston shares a fantastic speed control putting drill that will help you to avoid 3-putts and feel more confident heading out onto the course...
Essential Pre-Round Putting Drill To Master Speed Control
Paul has worked with a number of Tour professionals over the years, and is proud to have successfully coached over 40,000 students. In 2005, he set out to design his own academy with a ‘world class’ coaching infrastructure of technical advancement and a tailor made short game layout to practice every real life challenge experienced on course.
You can’t tell anybody how far to take the putter back or how hard to hit it – and, of course, green speeds vary from course to course – so this drill is ideal ahead of a round.
You’ll need to adjust your speed on a regular basis if you play different golf courses. Set up a speed station on the putting green with two markers 15 inches apart.
This speed control drill for putting is so easy to set up, with just two tees and a few balls needed, but it can give you valuable instant feedback that you can use on the course
Dave Pelz says 'the perfect speed for any putt is 15 inches past the hole', so if you finish between the two markers we’ll call that good speed – dead-weight nearer the first tee and perfect speed nearer the second one.
This putting drill is a good indicator of your ability to judge speed. If you’re six inches short of the first marker or beyond the second one, we’ll call that just a tad short or long.
The misses we’re trying to avoid are the levels beyond that, when you’re hitting it four or five feet short of or past the tee-pegs.
The Test: How Did Baz Get On?
When I tried this drill before my most recent round of golf, I was surprised how much more relaxed I felt heading out onto the course.
I didn't have the negative thoughts about the putts I had missed on the practice green lingering in my mind - Instead it was replaced with an aura of confidence that I understood the pace of the greens I was about to face.
It's important to temper expectations here. The first time I tried this drill I didn't nail the pace, but with a few run throughs I noticed a clear improvement.
This drill provided instant feedback and clear data that I could actually use on the course - which is much better than making one 8-footer out of five attempts before trudging dejectedly over to the first tee box.
Confidence on the greens is crucial, so the right preparation before my round is key
What's The Best Way To Grip The Putter?
Learning how to grip a putter is a crucial skill for all golfers, as it can be very different from the perfect golf grip with any other club.
There is a lot more variety with putting grips, as even the best players in the world use different methods and sometimes switch things up when the putter goes cold.
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler moved to the claw grip for putting, which proved to be a very positive move for his putting performances, while other Major champions like Jordan Spieth prefer the left hand low putting grip.
The best thing to do is try a little putting grip experiment to test each out, then work out which suits you best. Just remember to practice before you take it out on the course.