Practice Distance Control to Become a Better Putter

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Are you a good putter?

If you are, consider yourself fortunate.  Putting can be the great equalizer to an otherwise reasonable game.

However, if you are not a good putter, there are a few things you can do to help you get on the right track.

Putting comes down to two basic elements: line and distance.

A common mistake I notice with most players is too much focus placed on line, and not enough focus placed on distance.

Every good putter has a good feel for distance control on their putts.

A great exercise I have my players practice is to outline a circle using tees around a hole on the putting green, and practice stopping your ball inside of that circle from different length putts.  The circle should be approximately 6 feet in diameter, or a 3 foot radius circling the cup.

The reason I like this exercise is because it allows the player to visualize the appropriate distance a ball should come to rest from the hole.

By practicing plenty of putts from different distances and learning to stop your ball inside of that circle, your feel for distance will improve, and your putting will become much less stressful.

But what if you don’t have a hole to outline and practice to?

Fortunately, there are a few other great practice exercises that don’t require a hole.

Another great exercise to practice distance control is to practice putting to the collar of the green.

The collar of a green is that point where the green ends, and the regular cut begins.  Again, practice from various distances and work on stopping your ball as close to the collar as possible.  It’s a great idea to find putts with different slope involved to rehearse all possibilities you may encounter on the golf course.

One other great practice is to stick a tee in the ground and practice putting to it from different spots on the green.

Again, the objective is to stop your ball as close to the tee as possible.

As you can see, there are many different ways to practice distance control on your putts.  As important as proper line is, proper distance is what will ultimately allow you to improve as a putter.

By practicing the exercises I have mentioned, you will be on your way to becoming the type of putter you’ve always dreamed of becoming.

 

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