Putting Keys and Practice Drills
I’ve put together a few more drills practice drills for your putting, to get you consistently hitting the center of the putter and making more putts, especially under pressure.
1. Keep the Eyes looking down
I wrote about this concept in a previous putting drills article and it’s a very important one.
Problem: When we’re under pressure in tournaments, we tend to want to look quickly at the outcome of the putt. You probably don’t even notice it, but if you look up a split-second too early before you’ve finished your stroke, the left shoulder (for a right hander) lifts up resulting in mishits and putts hit with an open putter-face. This can result in several missed putts per round.
Solution: Better and more consistent putting comes from keeping your head steady. When you’re on the practice green, take a penny or a ball marker and place it on the green and put the ball on top of it. Make a putt of any distance and make sure you keep your eyes down in exactly the same position so after the ball as been hit, you’re looking directly at the penny or ball marker. Ideally you should be able to keep your eyes down long enough to say “in the cup”.
Try this repeatedly every time you practice your putting and you’ll quickly start putting more consistently under pressure.
2. Right hand release
Problem: Have you ever noticed then when you’re nervous about a putt you tend to leave the putter face open and cut across it causing a push out to the right? The cause of this is a tightening of grip pressure causing the right hand to not release properly through the putt and keep it on the intended line (yes, the putter opens and closes slightly through the stroke).
Solution: For most right-handers, the right hand is dominant in putting, meaning the left hand is passive and follows the direction of the right. By practicing the “Right hand only” drill regularly, you’ll learn the feeling of what’s need from the right hand, so when you put the left hand back on the putter it’s just along for the ride and the right hand is free to release properly.
Drill: From about 4-5 ft out drop several balls and putt them in to the hole with your right hand only. You’ll quickly feel that sensation of release through the stroke, which is key under pressure.
Photo by Galations Design
Free Mental Game of Putting Course
