Where do you like to practice putting?
The golf course, your home/office…do you feel more comfortable one place or the other? Do you find yourself hitting golf balls on the range instead of spending time on the putting green? Or do you just not practice at all or don’t know the best way to practice putting? Thanks for your time and input. Have a great week.
I like to practice at home to work on my setup and stroke, but some time at the course for speed control is very helpful of course.
The drills I do at home seem to be the most helpful though. I use an Eyeline mirror for my setup and I will roll putts on a thin steel yardstick. I also find pushing the ball to special disc I have helps me with my stroke. I’ll push 4-5 balls and then putt 4-5 and keep alternating from various distances.
Of course, on the practice greens if possible. Always try to spend 30-40 minutes after practice or a round on the practice green if I have time.
The weather has not been cooperating recently, plus all the new golfers have not learned golf etiquette or even have the common sense on the shared space. They crowd the practice green like ants mounting on a sugar cube.
The first thing I teach a new golfer is to be aware of what others are doing on the putting greens. When finished at one location, exit the immediate area around that cup/flag so the others could use it. I have seen so many new golfers finished putting on one location just standing around the cup to putt to another location. We don’t really need our mothers to tell us what not to do in a public shared space, do we?
I often find a corner without a cup/flag and stick a tee in the ground for the target or place another golf ball as the target. Don’t really need putting to a real cup to get satisfaction of sinking a practice putt,
My winter retreat for putting and chipping is on the rug of my family room. It has builder’s grade carpeting (cheap carpet material for high traffic area) so it is very close to a real putting surface. Mostly for practice direction and contact. It performed well with short chips as well.
One of my kids printed a putting cup for me. I used it on a stretch of 11’-12’ space in the family room.
Very nice. Thanks for sharing.
Both indoors and outdoors.
Indoors is more technique focused, working on a steady consistent smoother stroke and also working on squaring the path and face at impact.
Outdoors is predominantly two things, #1 being distance / speed control to various targets at various ranges over various breaks. The other main part of my outdoor practice is the Around The Clock drill.
Also picked this up this season…
I’ve gone through a lotta training aids over the years but, honestly not a plug for See More, this is one of the simpler + durable + effective gadgets I’ve come across … it’s really helping me groove a better putting stroke!
Thanks for sharing. Good information.
Putting mat is fantastic!! Thanks for sharing. Everyone should have one of these or the CT mirror. Have a great week.
I spend at least as much time on the green as range.
I like to alternate range practice / putting one day and short game / putting the next, splitting 50/50% each.
My green sessions are exclusively with one ball. Only get one on the course, why wouldn’t I practice that way? I see people dropping 2-3 sleeves, no idea what they’re accomplishing. I start with random, longish lag putts (40-60 ft), preferably up- and downhill, to get a feel for speed, break, grain, etc.
Next, I set up for 3-point drill (detailed on another post; briefly: set a tee 2’ behind hole, a start tee 20’-40’ from the hole and two dimes about midway. Read the putt, adjust the dimes a putter-width apart on the intended path. Hit putt. Point for gate, another point for ball finishing between cup and 2’ tee and 3rd point for make). I’ll reset everything and repeat, making note of a) misreads, b) distance control and c) start line errors.
If a hole is available, I’ll hit 2.5’, 5’, 7.5’ and 10’ putts on 8 compass points. If not, as @Dewsweeper says, I’ll find a vacant spot and throw down a ‘false’ cup (a dispos-all gasket). The 3-point and compass drills represent the bulk of my putting practice.
If possible, I’ll finish up with a zig-zag tour of vacant holes (20’+) where I try to two-putt max each.
I have an ankle issue so I can bear no more than 2 hour sessions, but I try to get in two practice sessions per week (plus 2 rounds played). Made me a helluva putter!
Hope this helps!
Thanks for sharing. Nice insight. Appreciate your time.
I prefer to practice on the putting green at the course, I can spend all day there. I use a mirror to help check on ball position and eye position.
I also will practice at home with a mat or in the office with a putt out putting trainer.
Thanks for the post. Great place to spend the day :)) ! Mirror is a great way to reinforce your fundamentals. SeeMore offers a very nice one as well. Keep up the great work @Motown.
My building has a practice green, of all things. Artificial turf, but better than nothing. About 25’ max length, and a subtle break to a lot of the holes.
Ideally, I’d like to spend no more than ~20% of the time practicing putting, but it’s a lot easier to take a break there than to get into the car and scoot to the range. Or go walk to the pipeline right of way I practice pitching on. So I putt.
Goal is to ingrain setup, routine, path, feel on downswing—almost like letting the clubhead fall and letting the LAB voodoo do its thing. (Sorry SeeMore. You guys make great putters though.)
I’d prefer a bit longer stretch to hone speed, but you can’t have everything. I really need a lot of work on green reading. I’m abysmal at it.
Sounds as if a great place to practice.
