Fundamentals of Putting

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• Main Menu
• Overview
• The Mechanics of Putting
• Diagnostics and Observation
• Putter Fitting
• The Grip
• Ball Position
• Setup and Alignment
• Lock and Rock
• Swing Plane
• Rhythm
• Eye Movement
• Pre-Shot Routine
• Pre-Shot Routine Template
• Green Reading
• Wind Effects on the Green
• Practice Drills
• Rhythm Drills
• Distance Control Drills
• Eye Movement Drills
• Speed Control Drills
• Pressure Putting Drills
• Before You Play
• Linking the FOP with the Mechanics
• ASSESSMENT

Practice Drills: Distance Control

Distance Control

Distance control is closely related to rhythm, so much so that the previous rhythm drill is an important part of improving distance control. >

Toss the Ball Underhand

To help students (especially beginners) understand distance control, have them toss a ball underhand at the hole from different distances. This will help them get a good feel for what they need to do to control distance in the putting stroke.

Looking at the Hole

This is a great drill to help your students understand how a ball reacts after being struck by a putter. By looking at the hole, the student can get a good feel for distance and then get instant visual feedback on the results. Another benefit to this drill is that the student who is distracted by the putter head movement as it moves away from the hole on the back stroke cannot do this, because he is looking at the hole and he doesn’t see the head even in his peripheral vision.

It’s appropriate to look at the hole on straight putts. However, on breaking putts, the student should look at the appropriate target on the line of the break and see the hole with peripheral vision.

Ladder Drill

The ladder drill is a classic drill that helps the golfer build confidence in distance control.

Basically, you insert tees at different points in a straight line from the hole. This creates a “ladder,” with the student putting from each of the tees to see how far back on the ladder he can go while making putts.

The ladder can be made more difficult by putting on slopes, with putts of different lengths. These challenges help the student understand the relationship between pace, break and distance.