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 Six ball drill This drill will help you work on your speed. Start by placing two pieces of string on either side of the hole. Place your putter head in the hole, lay down the putter, and place the string at the end of the grip. Starting at the hole, walk off five paces and place a ball at three, four and five steps. Do the same on the other side. Putt six balls and alternate on each side of the hole as you go. The goal is to putt all six balls past the hole, but not outside the string. If you putt the ball past the hole and inside the string, you're even; if you make the putt, you're 1 under; but if you leave a putt short or hit it outside the string, you're 1 over. The goal is to finish all six balls and be even or under par. Once you have made putts from three, four and five steps, go to four, five and six steps, and so on. Vary the drill with uphill and downhill putts, or ones that break in different directions. Straighten up The putter shaft should be straight up and down at address. Most putters have 4 degrees of loft, which allows the ball to roll correctly. Many players have too much forward press in their setup, which delofts the putter blade. This can cause poor distance control and cause the ball to bounce after impact. Other players lean the shaft too far back at address, which can put too much backspin on the ball and lead to a loss of speed and distance control. Make sure your shaft is in a straight line at address and your putting will become more consistent. Align your forearms A major key to good putting is proper setup. Neither arm should be higher or lower as they hang from your shoulders, and your forearms should be neutral. The most common mistake I see is the right arm higher than the left. When this happens, the shoulders tend to get too open, thus creating an out-to-in path. The opposite is when the left arm gets too high and the right arm is low. A closed shoulder position will make it difficult for the ball to start on line and could force too much hand action during the stroke. Try to match your arms at address and your ball will start to roll better. Claude Harmon is a PGA teaching professional at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes. He can be reached at (281) 745-2348. |
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