The Big Tips Around

Many students want to go directly to the driving range for every lesson in a series. Truth be told it would benefit them more if they would allow us to work on a putting drill and head to the practice putting green. It has been proven time and time again that the quicker that you improve your putting the quicker your scores will come down. With that being said, practicing a putting drill just does not sound as sexy as pulling out the driver and seeing how far that you can blast a ball down the fairway.

To improve your putting, try this one-hand putting drill. Once they get over the shock of the thought of attempting to putt with just one hand, it has helped many of my students to improve their putting stroke and in turn lower their golf scores. This can easily help you do the same.

Two reasons that I highly encourage my students to practice this one handed putting drill is that it gives them the exact feel of a proper putting motion and it develops a feel for the proper impact position for the putting stroke. This is a very simple thing to implement into your putting practice. Take your grip stance and posture and proceed to setup to stroke a putt from just two to three feet away from the hole.

Take your usual putting grip for a putting stroke. Assuming you are putting right handed, take your left hand off the putter leaving only your right hand on the putter in the hands usual position. Now you should have your putter in its regular position and the ball position placed in your usual position as well. The palm of your right hand should be equal to the direction of your putter face.

One reason for doing this putting drill from such a short distance as two or three feet is the backswing will not need very much movement. This should allow you to “feel” the putter head as it moves through the motion no matter how strong you are. The right wrist should keep the same angle throughout the stroke as at address and will not break AT ALL during this stroke from this distance.

With the correct grip pressure, you will be able to feel your putter load against the index finger of your right hand (again, for a right handed golfer). This load that is properly stored will be delivered to the golf ball during the forward stroke and will be lost just after impact. If you use a stripped range ball while doing this putting drill, place the stripe so it is parallel to the green surface and make your stroke under the stripe on the range ball. Your right hand should be ahead of the ball at impact. To finish the putting drill, hold your finish to a slow count of three. The putter head should be under your hands and not way out in front of your hands. Remember, your right wrist angle should not change.

With this simple putting drill, it will not take long at all and you will begin to hit your putts more and more solid and will be watching them go into the hole. Once this happens you will watch your scores go lower and lower.