Driving the golf ball hundreds of yards is fun and all, but what’s really going to change your scorecard is sinking less putts each round. The only way to achieve that? By having focused practice, understanding how to apply small tips to help shave strokes.
In the video above, GOLF Teacher to Watch Sarah Stone helps with that, providing three putting warm-up drills that will build your confidence each time you use the flatstick. See below for Stone’s advice.
Test the firmness of the green
Sure, if you’ve paid attention to the weather report, there’s good chance you think you know how the course will play. Dry, hotter weather typically means the course will be firm. Damp or foggy conditions usually means the course will be softer.
But that’s not always the case, as courses may overwater during the summer season, and may use fans to dry greens during wetter seasons.
How this putting aid helped me read greens like a pro
To help get a better idea of green conditions, Stone suggests simply dropping three balls and listening to the sound each makes upon impact.
“If you hear a soft sound, the golf course conditions are probably going to be very soft, so you’ll want to adjust your putting style for that,” Stone says. “If it sounds super firm, like it’s hitting a wooden floor, you’re going to want to adjust your speed for that as well, because it will be playing much faster than maybe the conditions from the day before.”
Work on uphill and downhill putts
Naturally, every golfer will want to test out as many different putting scenarios as possible before each round. This means getting an idea for speed control by practicing both uphill and downhill putts.
“You’re not going to have a target or anything,” says Stone. “You’re just observing the ball rolling across the surface of the putting green to help your brain start to see what kind of speed the ball is going to be traveling.”
Stone then says doing three downhill putts, followed by three uphill putts, should give you a good sense of the speed.
Actively work on three different putting speeds
Now that you understand how firm or soft the putting surface is, and you’ve seen how the ball rolls both uphill and downhill, the final putting warm-up tip is actively practicing different speeds.
To do this, Stone says you need to get a feel for your putting stroke, practicing how far your backswing is going, and how much your following through with each putt.
This fun practice game will help improve your putting inside 10 feet
“A lot of people don’t understand that, not only does the backswing control how far the ball can travel, but also how fast you transition it from the backswing to the ball can change how fast the ball moves.”
Here’s what Stone recommends.
“Place three balls about a putter grip away from the hole,” she says. “The first putt, I want you to hit it into the hole the slowest you possibly can so that it just drips over the edge of the cup.
“The second putt, I want you to increase your pace a little more.
“And then the third one, I want you to hammer it in there off the back. You might even miss that one because it’s moving too fast to drop into the hole.”
Stone then explains what the purpose is of testing these three different putting speeds.
“It’s for you to understand that, maybe you’d like to use the first speed for downhill putts, and then the third speed is going to be for maybe your uphill or very long putts.”
Armed with the information above, Stone’s putting warm-up drills will help give you confidence and touch as you make your way toward starting your round. Now go out there and start reaping the benefits!