There are so many proclamations about how easy it is to fix any part of our golf game that I thought I would jump on the bandwagon. Working/fixing our golf game is easy depending on the starting point. If you are new to the game or have played for a long time, the progress and success of your development will change. Using myself as an example, changes to my game, with a tremendous amount of practice and study, will gain me a stroke per round, at most, over the course of ten rounds. Some days I will play better than others, but the average score will not vary much over the long haul. Therefore, I would conclude that fixing or improving any part of my game will take time, patience, and focus to make the magic happen. You might feel that way as well and improving in golf is definitely not a quick fix.
Continue readingputting drills
Putting Games That Lower Your Golf Score
The saying that 100% of short putts never go in is a complete truth. Of course, this is a tongue in cheek statement to over simplify the need to get the ball to the hole (at least) while putting. I am strong believer in putting the ball past the hole between 8 to 17 inches. My research and experience tells me that this distance past the hole offers the greatest chance to sink the putt. Using this knowledge, I have developed my putting style such that putting past the hole is a key component of my short game. To be honest, I do not always accomplish this feat 😦 , but the intent is always there. Fortunately, there are thousands of drills/games to use to improve your short game and I found a video with three that you might light.
Continue readingBecome A Better Putter!
We are fooling ourselves if we think putting is not the great equalizer in golf. This simple stroke can make or break you score. Since most of our shots of any round happen on or near the green, it only make sense that we spend a large portion of our practice time on our short game. Putting is by far the most important area of play if you are planning on lowering your golf score. I have talked about putting a great deal at The Grateful Golfer and today, I will provide three putting drills that could improve your game.
Over the years, I have offered many putting drills. The ones today fall into new, old and I am not sure with respect to usefulness. Regardless, I think it is important to see different drills as some may resonate home better than others. For now, here are the three drills:
The new drill for me is placing two elastic bands on the putter head. This is a very simple drill and I can see the value of ensuring we hit the ball on the center of the club face. It is adjustable, sustainable, and repeatable; talk about a great drill. I definitely recommend this drill. If we combine the elastics with two tees as gates, then something special might happen improving the consistency of our putting.
The right handed putting drill is not new. It is something I have talked about before and provides a stable connection between the club and our body through our right (or left) hand. I figure if Tiger Woods uses this drill it has to have value. I have used this drill in the past and found that it helped me control the putter head to ensure square faced contact between the club and the ball. Overall, this is a great drill.
The coin on the back on the putter. To be fair, I have never used this drill and I will have to give it more research before assessing its value. In principle, I see the value. However, during execution I am not so sure. Again, I will not assess this drills value without experimenting more. If you have used this drill, please drop me a line and tell me how it worked for you.
There you have it. Three new drills to help improve your putting. Improving our flat stick results will definitely lower our golf scores. You may not like all the drills presented, however I am sure there are a few that will help your game. It is up to you to pick and choose. Regardless of which drill is good for your game, practicing your putting is a sure fire way to lower you golf scores.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
Push Drill To Improve Your Putting
Putting is a key skill that many players overlook when practicing. They hit the range, hit a bucket of balls, and then spend three minutes putting before heading to the first tee. Sound familiar? I tend to reverse that trend. I will hit balls for about 20% of the time I have to practice or warm up. Then, I hit the chipping/putting area to hone my game. It is something I adopted about 20 years ago and it has greatly improved my overall game. Knowing all of this, there is a drill I use from time to time to ensure my putting stays sharp and consistent during my practice times.
Continue readingValuable Practice On My Short Game
I finally had time to hit the practice green and work on my short game. After about 15 minutes of chipping, I spent another 20 putting various distances and very few breaks. I was working on my setup, foot position, and aim points. After about 5 minutes of freelancing I decided to set up one of go-to putting drills. It works on my aim and distance control and forces me to focus on two important aspects of putting at the same time. Two very important aspects of putting the improves my making distance from six foot or less!
Continue reading
The Grateful Golfer 