Putting Technique Drills

In this video on putting technique drills, Dan Grieve, Head Professional at Woburn Golf Club, offers some fantastic advice on how to improve your stroke.

Putting Technique Drills

Setup

It’s important that your eyes are over the ball – or somewhere in the region of the boundaries of the ball – so that when you tilt your head at address to see the line, they are tracking down the line of your putt. If you are standing too far away, then you will tend to have your eyeline pointing to the right. If you’re too far over the ball, your eyes will start to track to the left.

So, try this: get into your address position and drop a ball from your eyes. If it lands on or around the ball on the ground, then you know you’re in the right position.

Another factor is making sure you have a hip-width stance – really imagine that your lower body is encased in concrete. It should be really solid because we don’t want a lot of excessive hip movement during the stroke.

Related: Beginners Guide To Chipping  

Different Putting Grips

There’s no right or wrong grip – it’s about personal preference. However, I would not recommend adopting the same grip you use in the long game, as this is designed to create wrist hinge and speed through the shot whereas, with putting, it’s about locking your wrists for maximum control.

Reverse Overlap

The reverse overlap, shown here, is the most commonly used putting grip. The great thing about this grip is that it locks your left hand, meaning you’ll get good control of the club face through the stroke.

Left Hand Below Right

One of the reasons why some players opt for this grip is that it gives a little bit of an arch in the left wrist. It can level up the shoulders and encourages a lower, stronger follow through; it’s a grip that will help you if you are pulling your putts.

Claw

Here, the fingers of your right-hand rest on top of the grip with your thumb underneath. Players like this because it feels like it takes a little bit of right hand out of the grip.

Start lines

Try this simple drill to establish whether you’re able to consistently start the ball on line.

Place two tee pegs a foot in front of you at address, a ball to a ball-and-a-half’s width apart, creating a gate.

Hit 10 putts and see how many you can get through the gate. Most golfers have a pattern. If you’re consistently hitting the ball through the middle, then you’re starting the ball on line.

However, if, for example, you’re hitting the right peg three or four times, that should trigger an alarm. It may be something to do with your setup or your stroke, but at least you have diagnosed it and you can go about fixing what would be a push.

Technology Can Help

Alignment is arguably the most important factor when it comes to putting and, if there’s any advantage you can get, you should definitely consider it.

The TaylorMade Pix golf balls feature a ClearPath Alignment that not only helps with aim, but it shows how well you’re rolling the ball end over end.

Related: TaylorMade TP5 Pix Balls

I’m using them in the video above (also pictured), and I can recommend giving them a go.