Putting accounts for around 40% of the strokes in any round of golf for most golfers.
In any given event on the PGA Tour, the winner often had a hot week with the putter. Cameron Smith at this year’s Open Championship is a recent example.
Former Tiger Woods caddie Steve Williams kept detailed stats on Tiger’s rounds. Based upon these stats he determined that Tiger won 80% of the tournaments he played when he three-putted one time or less for a 72 hole tournament.
4 Keys to Great Putting
Golfers at all levels can improve scores immediately by improving these four basic putting skills.
These four keys are:
- Consistent contact on the putter face
- Starting the ball rolling on the intended line
- Speed control
- Green reading
In this post we are going to focus on consistent contact.
Creating Consistent Contact On the Putter Face
Consistency of technique is perhaps the biggest influence in putting performance. If a player can accomplish a consistent impact on the putter face, he/she has a chance to control the distance the ball rolls.
Testing has shown, the same putting stroke hit on the toe, heel and center of the face will travel different distances and directions.
Therefore, if a golfer cannot hit consistently in the same spot on the clubface, good putting is just not gonna happen.
A great drill to help improve this fundamental, and to identify potential issues with your stroke, is the Gate Drill.
Gate Drill
- Select a 3 foot straight putt on the practice green.
- Place a tee just outside the toe and heel of the putter when in the address position (about ¼ inch on either side).
- The goal in the drill is to make the 3 foot putt and not contact the tees with the putter face. (the closer the tees are to the edge of the putter, the more difficult the task)
- You may notice one tee will get hit more than the other. This will indicate your dominant tendency so you can make adjustments.
Tiger Woods was known to use this drill to finish off his sessions with 100 putts made in a row. And, I’ve seen him use it with just one hand on the putter as well.
I think it’s also a great idea to do this drill before a round of golf, just to help give you some confidence before heading out on the course.
Now, get to work!
