Putting Speed Drill: Alternate Distances

Alternate distances on the practice green to help your putting speed!

Putting. It’s the easiest and quickest way to lower your scores and handicap. Just think about how many times in a round you rocket a birdie putt miles past the hole an three-putt for bogey? Or leave a six-footer short to save a gutsy par, walking away with a double or worse? GOLFTEC is here with a save-you-a-three-putt, don’t-blow-it-five-feet-past-the-hole, two-putt-and-get-out-of-here drill that breaks down the art of lag putting into one factor that’s more important than anything else on long putts: speed control.

Putting Speed Control Exercise: Alternating Distances

The idea of this drill is to hone in your speed from three different distances.

You’ll need three balls, a ball marker and of course, your putter. You’ll use the ball marker as your target from each of the three distances. Starting at 6 feet away from your mark, the goal is to have the first putt come to rest 6 inches past it, the second putt 6 inches short of it and the third putt right on it. As you’ll do at each of the three distances in this drill, repeat the process until you reach your goal. You’ll then move back to 12 feet and repeat the exercise. This time, the goal is to leave your putts 1 foot past, 1 foot short and on the mark with your third putt.

Easy, right?

Great. Now it’s time to move back to 24 feet, changing your goals to 2 feet past, 2 feet short and right on the mark.

When you’ve completed the 24-foot distance goals successfully, guess what – it’s time to pat yourself on the back because while we didn’t say this drill was easy, you should be well on your way to eliminating those dreadful three-putts!

Check out the video below as GOLFTEC’s Patrick Nuber illustrates in depth how alternating distances on the green can improve your putting speed.

Putting Speed Drill – Alternating Distances

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