Instruction
The Three
Skills of Putting
by PETER WEISEL
DIRECTION
Starting your putt on the intended line
is an important variable to holing more
putts. The primary factor that determines
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the start direction of the golf ball is the
direction the clubface is pointing. To
improve your start direction, practice
putting with the Tee Gate Drill.
The Tee Gate Drill requires two golf
tees, a golf ball and your putter. Find a flat
surface on the putting green and place a
ball down four feet from the hole. Stick
the golf tees down in the green parallel to
each other halfway between the ball and
the hole. The tees should be stuck in the
ground roughly half an inch wider than
a golf ball on each side. Then start to roll
putts towards the hole with the objective
of hitting your putt through this tee gate
V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | J U LY / A U G U ST 2 0 1 9
and into the hole. To adjust the difficulty,
you can change the width of the tee gate.
DISTANCE CONTROL
Rolling your putts at the correct speed is
very important if you don’t want to waste
strokes on the green. You don’t want to
three- or four-putt after hitting an approach
shot onto the green. If distance control is
your weakest skill, try the Goldie Locks
Drill the next time you practice putting.
Grab three balls out of your bag and drop
them down about 25 feet from the hole.
Intentionally hit the first putt too far past
the hole. Hit the second putt intentionally
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A
lmost every day, I hear from golfers
that bad putting derailed a round
of golf. Putting can be difficult, but
improvement is not impossible like many
golfers believe. In fact, many golfers are good
at one or two of the skills required in putting
but could use some practice to sharpen up
their other skills. If you struggle with any of
the three skills of putting, try the following
drills to straighten out your putting game.