Recommend a drill

[SGC001]

What drills would you recommend, if any and why?

I was given one to wake up putting after a winter off. It helps you make the most of your stroke, encourages you to hit putts at a good pace and is good for confidence despite having the potential to frustrate at the time.

Recommended after a game (not before) or on a day off. Please remeber to stand up and stretch yor back out every so often.

Pick a flat putt

5 putting stations

I use 5 balls

30 foot
15 foot
9 foot
6 foot
3 foot

Putt from 30 foot until you hole 1, then move to 15 foot
Putt from 15 foot until you hole 2 on the bounce, then move to 9 foot
Putt from 9 foot until you hole 5 on the bounce, then move to 6 foot
Putt from 6 foot until you hole 10 on the bounce, then move to 3 foot
Putt from 3 foot until you hole 20 on the trot.

If you miss a putt you stay at the same distance, you just have to start form zero again.

It can get a little frustrating and may take a little time, don't quit; just allow enough time to complete the drill. The day after you'll feel the benefits as you'll have holed something like 95% of putts taken from 6 foot and in.

The idea isn't to complete it in as few a shots as possible, it's to spend some time putting. Thanks to the lady who gave me this drill.

(Edited for spelling in thread title)

 

[Macster]

Ive just got an AEG Cordless with 2 Li-Ion batteries, Charger, and Drill set for £100, and its fantastic.
Dont know how I managed without it tbh.......makes the job so much easier.....

 

[bobmac]

Ive just got an AEG Cordless with 2 Li-Ion batteries, Charger, and Drill set for £100, and its fantastic.
Dont know how I managed without it tbh.......makes the job so much easier.....

I see you went for the 36 hole Li-Ion battery and not the cheaper standard 18 hole one. Good decision?
I've heard Titleist have started making drill bits too

 

[SGC001]

Ive just got an AEG Cordless with 2 Li-Ion batteries, Charger, and Drill set for £100, and its fantastic.
Dont know how I managed without it tbh.......makes the job so much easier.....

Wow, what a tool I suppose you should be careful what you wish for.

 

[CallawayKid]

Ive just got an AEG Cordless with 2 Li-Ion batteries, Charger, and Drill set for £100, and its fantastic.
Dont know how I managed without it tbh.......makes the job so much easier.....

I resisted the urge but I knew someone wouldn't let us down...I prefer Makita drills though!

CK

 

[Shaunmg]

They should bring back conscription. A good old fashioned Drill sergeant would sort the yobbos out

 

[Crawfy]

It's gotta be Hilti for me...

A big masonary number...pppppppowerrrr !!!

 

[bladeplayer]

Ive just got an AEG Cordless with 2 Li-Ion batteries, Charger, and Drill set for £100, and its fantastic.
Dont know how I managed without it tbh.......makes the job so much easier.....

Feck ya macster i had DEWALT with the lithium battery written earlier & i deleted it

 

[john0]

Putt from 30 foot until you hole 1, then move to 15 foot
Putt from 15 foot until you hole 2 on the bounce, then move to 9 foot
Putt from 9 foot until you hole 5 on the bounce, then move to 6 foot
Putt from 6 foot until you hole 10 on the bounce, then move to 3 foot
Putt from 3 foot until you hole 20 on the trot.

If I start now I might complete the drill by the start of April

 

[AMcC]

Putt from 30 foot until you hole 1, then move to 15 foot
Putt from 15 foot until you hole 2 on the bounce, then move to 9 foot
Putt from 9 foot until you hole 5 on the bounce, then move to 6 foot
Putt from 6 foot until you hole 10 on the bounce, then move to 3 foot
Putt from 3 foot until you hole 20 on the trot.

If I start now I might complete the drill by the start of April

Darkness and divorce proceedings would interfere with me completing this one.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Pick a flat putt

5 putting stations

I use 5 balls

30 foot
15 foot
9 foot
6 foot
3 foot

Putt from 30 foot until you hole 1, then move to 15 foot
Putt from 15 foot until you hole 2 on the bounce, then move to 9 foot
Putt from 9 foot until you hole 5 on the bounce, then move to 6 foot
Putt from 6 foot until you hole 10 on the bounce, then move to 3 foot
Putt from 3 foot until you hole 20 on the trot.

I saw this earlier in work and thought it had to be a wind up. Who in their right mind is really going to dedicate that much time especially with the distances and number of consecutive putts being asked. Life's way too short and I'd rather be out playing and three stabbing

 

[SGC001]

Admittedly the lady who gave me the drill had been in the Welsh amateur squad and it was a drill they used, but it ain't that hard; although I believe they might have had to finish it before been allowed to leave .

I've completed it in mid 40's, but that wrecks the exercise; so I redid it the next day. You should be able to finish it in around an hour. All the putts are known and from the same 5 spots and are the flatest putts you can find (any break and you learn it). It can be frustrating as I warned, but the next day has the potential to make you feel surprisingly good and confident on the greens. It's not a technical drill, but can help you get the best out of your stroke.

It was a serious post, as I thought it may benefit someone and they in turn may have a drill that would benefit me. Our head pro, now uses this drill.

 

[bobmac]

I like to keep my practice putting the same as I do on the course.
ie One ball. One target.
Dont see the point of having 5 goes at one putt.
On the course, you only get one chance to guess the weight and line correctly. Why not practice that?

 

[MashieNiblick]

I like to keep my practice putting the same as I do on the course.
ie One ball. One target.
Dont see the point of having 5 goes at one putt.
On the course, you only get one chance to guess the weight and line correctly. Why not practice that?

I agree.

The only time I'd hit lots of putts from one spot is to practice knocking in 4 footers.

Otherwise just take one ball and play round the practice green trying to take as few putt as possible.

 

[SGC001]

Bob you don't get 5 goes to make it, you have to make all 5.

Do you think we should take 1 ball idea from putting through to the rest of the game? Should only ever play and never practice, do you advocate that or are other types of practice worthwhile?

I'm certainly not against 1 ball putting and chipping drills, as it helps to ensure you care about the result. They have their place, but to limit yourself to them is to limit your practice, imo.

It's more of a pre-season drill after months of winter greens to wake up your putting stroke, or it can help get confidence into your game and bring your pace up to scratch as it encourages you to knock the shorter ones a couple of feet passed the hole (the 18th one left on-line in the jaws strengthens this resolve.

It applies pressure as when you're getting close to 10 or 20 or whatever it is, you want to hole it to go home and it's a lot harder to hole 20 3 footers than 1, practicing harder than on the course is good practice for an essentially simple task (putting).

I'll also do blocked and random practice with multiple balls to wake up my distance control at the start of the season, you start of with blocked practice (5 from 40 foot, 5 from 60 foot, 5 from 20 foot) and then randomise the practice in effect 1 putt at a time) after you have woken up your pace control.

I should have said yo can adapt this drill for difficulty: change the numbers to 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 or shorten the distances or allow yourself 1 mulligan at each station (adapt the drillto a level that is possible, but taxing).

Edit: If you're meaning only use 1 ball to complete this drill fair enough, but that's a lot of walking and serves to make it even more difficult. I use 5 to keep this to a minimum, but still mean I do have to get up and reset my address and aim at times. IO also make a point of standing up between putts (as much for my back as anything)

 

[MashieNiblick]

As I see it the thing about using one ball comes down to what you are practising.

To groove a mechanical action fine. That's why i think it works for short putts.

For long putts what I want to practice is translating what I see in terms of the line and distance into a mechanical action to make that putt. I think you have to learn to be able to do that first time. You only get one go on the course.

If you hit multiple putts you are not translating what you see into your stroke. You are simply adjusting what you did when you hit the last putt. Subsequent putts are made relative to the last result rather than to the target - i.e. instead of thinking I have to hit to that target you are thinking I have to hit this a bit harder than last time.

Might be codswallop of course but I know that's what happens when I am hitting more than one putt to a particular hole.

 

[Tiger]

I'm a one ball man now. I did used to play with two balls but I didn't find it as effective. If you just stroke one it gets much harder and more like the real thing.