
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.
It’s about feeling the face stay square through impact.
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:
This is your putt to win the Big Game pot at Encanto.
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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