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Golf Putting Drills Used by Professional Golfers

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Golf Putting Drills that will Build Self Confidence and Improve Your Rhythm

The goal of golf putting drills are to not only improve on your putting fundamentals but to also build self confidence and become consistent in your game. 

A high level of self confidence is absolutely critical if you are to become good at putting and this can only be acheived by hours of practice and patients.

There is nothing more fustrating than having a great day off the tee and fairway but to end the day with a lousy score because of the number of missed putts. Often times a lot of those missed putts were fairly simple routine putts that ten or fifteen minutes on the putting green before the game with the right golf putting drills could have prevented.

Learning to trust your putting abilities and eliminate negative thoughts, like any other sport, takes practice. The average golfer does not devote nearly the amount of practice time to putting like the professional golfers do.

The golf putting drills I will cover here are fairly simple but they are highly effective in building your self confidence and consistency and help you eliminate those three putt greens.

Golf Putting Drill for Building Self Confidence

Short Putt Warm Up Drill

The main benefit of this golf putting drill is so you can quickly gain your confidence and get a smooth rhythm going.

Just like a musician before a concert needs to warm up to get his or her rhythm and tempo flowing. Although this is a fairly simple drill by a series of rapid fire short putts that you well be able to sink most of the time your feeding you subconscious with positive reinforcement.

Most of the professional golfers will practice this drill often both at the beginning of their practice session and at the end. If you only have a few minutes to spare before a game practice this drill so your in a good frame of mind from the start. I feel this is much more productive than taking only a few very long random putts in which you probably may not sink any. Probably the most important factor in successful putting is maintaining a high level of self confidence.

To Perform this Drill:

  • Begin by laying five to six golf balls in a circle around the hole each about a clubs length away from the hole about three feet.

  • Next start by putting each one in and continue until you can get all the balls in the circle in with out missing.

  • Repeating this drill will help you quickly gain confidence and develop a smooth pace to your stroke.

You want to get in a nice smooth rhythm and putt with a even pace to your stroke. Keep your eyes directly over the ball and your putting stoke length the same for your forward and back stoke lengths. Your putting stoke should stay parallel to the target and the club head must be square at impact.

Once your able to get the entire circle in without missing, then start another circle but this time place every other ball five feet away.

Now you will be hitting a three foot putt then a five foot putt which adds a slight variation in distance to each putt.


An excellent habit to get into to build confidence is to stop taking "Gimme Putts". This simply adds negative feedback to your subconscious. The more gimme putts you take your telling yourself that your not capable of being a good putter. By eliminating this bad habit you will find that your overall game will improve.

Another good technique for building your self confidence is to visualize a successful putt before you take your stroke. Seeing the putt in your mind before hand will greatly increase the number of putts you make. It is the old adage of if you believe you can do it then you can do it.

Finally use your memory bank to your advantage. Think back to some of the great putts you have made in the past and use that feeling as positive reinforcement. The feeling one gets from a previous accomplishment is a momentum boost to our level of self confidence.

Remember that a High Level of Self confidence is a Critical Element to becoming Excellent at Putting.

Demonstration of the Three Foot Putting Circle Drill

by Golf Trainer Hill Marks

The three foot golf putting drill can help lower your handicap and improve your self confidence in your putting game.
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Golf Putting Drill for Developing Rhythm

Straight Line Distance Drill

Another simple but very effective golf putting drill is the All in a Row Drill.

This is and excellent drill for working on your rhythm but also developing your feel for the correct distance. By practicing this drill you will also working on fine tuning your setup, posture and putting stoke fundamentals.

If you are having any problems becoming proficient with any of these golf putting drills you may want to revisit your putting stroke fundamentals. For help on this go to Golf How to Putt where you will find a detailed lessons on the fundamentals of putting. Make a list of the key points and use this list by checking off each one that your successfully performing. What works best is to give the list to a friend and have him or her observe you putting on the practice green and let them check off the ones that you are doing correctly. This is often a more objective means of assessing yourself.

To begin this Putting Drill:

  • First line up a half a dozen balls in a row. Space the balls two feet apart and begin the row two feet from the hole.

  • Begin putting the closest ball to hole.


  • Next move to the second ball to the hole and putt. Keep moving putting father out until you have putted all of the balls in the row.

  • On each putt your line of putt is the same so the only variable here is distance.

  • You will begin to develop a feel for how long of stoke you need to make for each putt.

  • Your goal is to keep your body aligned to the target line and adding a little extra stroke length to each putt.

The thing you want to keep in mind is that your controling distance with the length of your stroke and not by any wrist action.


Second Step to This Drill: Now make two different rows. With the first row space the balls two feet apart and start the row two feet from the hole. On the second row also space the balls three feet apart and start this row three feet from the hole.

Start with the first row and the ball closest to the hole. Then go to the second row and the first ball closest to the hole. Then rotate back and forth between the rows. What we are adding is a different line of putt and a slight variation in the distance between each putt.

What you should start to experience is that you will begin to sink a lot of putts.

With only a slight variations between each putt you will begin to get the feel for how much speed you need to apply to the ball.

Again we are working on distance but also developing a sense of pace and rhythm.


Once you have become fairly proficient at this drill notice how much length your back and forward stroke is for each distance. For example if your roughly six feet away and your back stroke length is twelve inches write that down or take a mental note of it. Then repeat that for various distances.

Then when your in an actual game and faced with say a ten foot putt remember from your practice session how much stroke length this took. By continually practicing this you will develop a second nature of knowing how much speed is required for various distances on putts.


MENTAL PUTTING TIPS:

- Start your routine by hitting short putts to gain confidence.
- See the putt in your mind first.
- Trust in your natural instincts and hours of practice.
- Focus on positive results.
- Stop taking "gimme putt" because they develop negative mind set.
- The more relax you are the more likely you will be able to avoid the "putting yips".

Demonstration of the All in a Row Drill

by Denis Pugh PGA Master Professional

In this video Denis illustrates the All in the Row Golf Putting Drill and explains how it will also help your Pace and Rhythm.
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Recommended Training to Further Improve Your Putting Game

Putting Secrets Reveled

by Scott Myers
Golf Teaching Professional

DESCRIPTION: Scott helps simplify the putting game and is a well known golf trainer and has published other top golf instructional books. This training program well have you improving your putting game in as little as five minutes!

The instructions are easy to follow and you can absorb a lot of information in a short period of time. If you want to finally get serious about your putting game and get rid of those three putt greens you must try Scott's book.

Best of all it comes with a 60 Day Money Back Guarantee if you are not completely satisfied!

Click Here for [ MORE INFO ]

Add to Your Golf Training Library with DVD and Books from PurePoint Golf.

PRECISION PUTTING
by Bobby Eldridge
This is an excellent DVD on putting that will compliment the Putting Secrets Reveled by Scott Myers. The PurePoint Precision Putting DVD is jam-packed with all the information you need to gain a consistent, repeatable putting stroke, accurately control your distances and get a straight-as-an-arrow putting stroke. [ More Info ]

THE GOLF SWING BOOK
by Bobby Eldridge
Head Golf Teaching Professional

This book helps you to overcome the 3 Biggest Swing-Related Problems facing the average golfer. The Golf Swing Book also comes with a 100% Money Back Guarantee if you are not completely satisfied. [ More Info ]

Golf Putting Drill to Develop a Feel for Distance

Practice Golf Putting Drills with Your Eyes Closed

Probably the best way to really develop a feel for distance that will become second nature in your subconscious is to practice with your eyes closed.


By practicing some of your golf putting drills with your eyes closed you will also be better at visualizing putts in your mind. Your ability to control speed and distance will dramatically improve and you will begin to develop a trust in your stroke.

Go back and repeat the short putt warm up drill with your eyes closed. Just before you are about to take your stroke close your eyes. On the first practice sessions you had already gotten the feel, so now you want to ingrain that feeling in your subconscious.

Once you are comfortable with the three foot putts move on to the long putts with the all in a row drill and practice that drill with your eyes closed. Every professional golfer will incorporate putting with their eyes closed into their practice putting sessions.

Remember your goal is to ingrain that feeling for distance into your subconscious. The added benefit is that the better you get at it you will develop a higher level of self confidence.


For other highly effective golf putting drills that help in other aspects of your game visit Golf Putting Drills where you will also find a recommend 8-Week Practice Routine that only takes fifteen minutes a day.

For complete lessons on putting fundamentals visit Golf How to Putt where you will find easy straight forward lessons on grip, setup, posture, putting stroke and reading greens.

Break Through Putting Secrets Reveled by Scott Myers

More Golf Putting Drill Lessons

Golf Lessons to Improve Your Game


Putting Stoke Length Drill: The main benefit of this golf putting drill is to enable you to get the correct distance in your putts by controlling the length of your putting stroke. The length of your backstroke should be about the same distance as your follow through length.

Golf Putting Drill for Distance Control: This drill well help you with practicing your putting fundamentals and improve your ability to become more consistent and control distance.

Tunnel Putting Drill for Accuracy: main benefit of this golf putting drill is to help you with keeping the putter club face square to the target line and improving your accuracy. It also helps with practicing your setup routine.

Wrist Control Golf Putting Drill: The main benefit of this golf putting drill is to help you keep your wrists from turning during your putting stoke. This drill also teaches rhythm and flow and gives both hands an equal role and helps prevent either hand from becoming to dominating.

Golf Putting Drill Articles

Tips on Improving Your game

Various published articles on Golf Putting Drills
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JRP1953

About the Author: John Paolino is the website developer of Golf Lessons and More a site which offers golf video and article lessons on every aspect of... more »

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