You’re not a bad putter. You’re practicing wrong. Fix alignment, speed, and confidence with 3 drills that actually lower your score starting today.

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Let me say this the way Dave Stockton would:

You don’t need more drills.

You need better intentions.

Most golfers don’t have a putting problem.

They have a practice problem.

I see it every week in Phoenix. Guys roll 50 balls, chase feels, try three different grips… and leave the green the same player.

Because they’re working on the wrong things.

Good putting comes down to three truths:

  • Start it online

  • Control the speed

  • Trust it under pressure

That’s it.

So if you’re serious about lowering your scores, here are the only three drills I’d keep in your bag.

1. The Gate Drill

Mantra: Start it online

If your putter face isn’t square, nothing else matters.

Not your read.

Not your stroke.

Not your confidence.

Set two tees just wider than your putter head.

Now roll the putter through.

  • Hit the inside tee? You pulled it

  • Hit the outside tee? You pushed it

Simple.

But here’s what most golfers miss…

This drill isn’t about avoiding the tees.

I want you to feel like:

the face is looking at the hole longer, not flipping past it

Start from 3 feet.

Make 3 in a row without touching a tee.

Then step back.

Take this to the course:

This is your 4-footer for par after missing the green.

If you can’t start it online, you don’t deserve to make it.

2. The Ladder Drill

Mantra: Die it at the hole

Speed is everything.

You can read a putt perfectly and still miss by three feet… because your speed was off.

That’s why great putters don’t “hit” putts.

They roll them.

Set a zone about 6 paces long.

Now start rolling balls into it:

  • First ball just inside the front

  • Next ball slightly past it

  • Keep climbing the ladder

Every ball must finish farther than the last, but still in the zone.

Miss the pattern? Start over.

Here’s the key:

Don’t think mechanics.

Think:

“How far does this need to roll?”

Let your eyes tell your hands.

That’s how putting actually works on the course.

Take this to the course:

This is your first putt on a long par 3.

Your only job?

Leave it tap-in close.

Do that, and you eliminate 3-putts overnight.

3. The 3-6-9 Drill

Mantra: Make the ones that matter

This is where most golfers break.

Not physically.

Mentally.

Set three spots:

  • 3 feet

  • 6 feet

  • 9 feet

Make all three from 3 feet.

Then 6.

Then 9.

Miss?

Start over.

Yeah… It’s brutal

Good.

Because that’s what the 18th green feels like.

Here’s what I want you to focus on:

  • Pick your line

  • See it clearly

  • Commit to it

  • Roll it

No steering. No second-guessing.

Confidence isn’t something you hope for.

It’s something you earn.

Take this to the course:

Same feeling. Same pressure.

Now you’ve already been there.

How to Practice (Without Wasting Time)

You don’t need two hours.

You need 30 minutes with a purpose.

  • 5 minutes → Gate Drill (start line)

  • 15 minutes → Ladder Drillspeed)

  • 10 minutes → 3-6-9 (pressure)

That’s it.

No random putting.

No mindless reps.

Just work that transfers.

The Truth Most Golfers Don’t Want to Hear

You’re not missing putts because you need a new stroke.

You’re missing because:

  • You didn’t start it online

  • You didn’t control the speed

  • You didn’t trust it

Fix those three, and everything changes.

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