One problem I see frequently with a lot of amateur golfers is their lack of effective putting practice before a round of golf. They often make the same putting mistakes over the opening 6 holes of a round. Mistakes such as the following:
Their putts do not make it halfway to the hole Their putts take a line or path which they weren't expecting it to take Their putts overshoots the hole by a large margin
The benefit of taking 5 minutes to practice some putting can really provide benefits, especially the first few holes were many a bogie are made. The following putting drills make effective use of your practice time before a round and should help establish in your mindset the correct alignment when putting and a good feel for the green's speed.
Alignment
To zone in on correct alignment, you should try lining yourself up for a 10 foot putt on the practice green. Put one of your irons (say a 5 iron) down at your toes once you feel you are lined up correctly. Now look down the length of the iron on the ground. Is the alignment correct? Is the club pointing accurately towards the hole? If not, then try changing how you line up a putt. Pick a point to aim for that is closer to your ball, rather than closer to the hole.
Distances
You can practice putting at several distances but it's generally easier to recall the feeling of putting a short, medium and long distance putt. Here is the putting drill you should do.
Start with a long putt. Try to make a dozen of these long putts and try getting the distance of your putt correct. Get the rhythm of your swing consistent and just vary the distance you pull the putter head back.
Next, pick a medium distance that is somewhere around the 10 to 12 foot distance. You should pick a distance which you personally experience regularly. For better players with greater pitching accuracy this distance could be shorter. Again, try to take up to 12 putts and aim to get within a meter of the hole, and preferably not short of the hole. The accuracy of the putting line is important with this drill - you want to see some putts going in.
And lastly, perform some short putts close to the hole so you get a high number of putts going. This is good for your confidence and will be good practice for the large amount of one metre putts that happen in any round of golf.
These simple drills can benefit all players and save you shots in the early part of the round so always try to put in some practice before a round to establish a confidence in your putting accuracy and distance control.
Looking for more golfing tips? Stop by Tom's site where you can discover the Golf Swing Perfect for Amateurs. Each ebook comes with free extras covering golfing tips
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This post was written by Tom Brennan on March 6, 2010
