The majority of amateurs do not complete an effective and efficient putting practice before a round of golf and this can be a major cause of dropping shots on the opening holes of a round. This failure to practice properly results in the following types of errors:

Putts that barely make it 50% of the way to the hole Putts that take a trajectory away from the hole Putts that run past the hole leaving difficult second putts

For all amateurs, the value of spending some time on the practice green can pay huge dividends by saving you shots over the first six holes. Here is a five minute drill to be performed before a round of golf that will help you zone in on your putting alignment and gauge the speed of the greens.

Alignment

Line up for a long put using whatever preferred technique you regularly use. Place a short iron against the toes of your shoes then step away from the club and look down its line. Is it the line you had intended in your setup? This line is going to show the starting trajectory of your putts so you want to have this as accurate as possible. If the line is off then maybe your technique for lining up shots is a little off. Try picking a point closer to the ball instead of closer to the hole to start lining up your shot.

Distances

With any practice drill for putting distance you want to focus on getting a feel for the greens speed over short, medium and long distances.

Beginning with a long putt, you want to try to make 10 of these long putts and you should focus on making the distance the ball travels accurate (to establish long green speed).

Next choose a medium length putt around the 10 foot distance and preferably a distance which you experience often. Again, take up to 10 practice putts and try to get to within a meter of the hole. Being accurate is important with this drill so you wish to have some putts going in.

And lastly, perform some short putts close to the hole so you get a high number of putts going. This is good for your confidence and will be good practice for the large amount of one metre putts that happen in any round of golf.

These simple drills can benefit all players and save you shots in the early part of the round so always try to put in some practice before a round to establish a confidence in your putting accuracy and distance control.

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