Golf Tips » January 2001 – Putting, Part 3: Drills

As mentioned in my November and December Golf Tip of the Month, I recently attended the "1 Putt Golf School" in Winston Salem. This month’s tip features part 3 of that experience. The first drill is called the "Push Drill" and is designed to help you kinesthetically feel the correct movement of the arms and hands throughout the putting stroke. The overall objective is to allow absolutely no breakdown between the forearm of the leading arm and the putter shaft. This ensures a perfect pendulum stroke. It also helps tremendously with distance control because the hands are completely passive and will not get involved in "hitting" the ball, which causes loss of distance control. This drill takes six weeks to perfect, but you can practice at any time, at the office or at home for just a few minutes a day. Week 1

No 1No 2

Put the putter directly behind the ball as in picture No.1. Without taking the clubhead back, simply push the putter head through, keeping the putter face square and the putter head low to the ground as in picture No.2. Do not use a target, just make sure you feel the upper part of the leading arm controlling this movement – no hands are to be involved at all. Notice that the angle between the leading arm and the shaft has not changed between picture No.1 and picture No.2. Do not progress to week 2 until you can keep the putter head path going straight through and able to hold the ptter face perfectly square on the follow-through.

Week 2 This is a similar drill, but you now need a ruler or a yardstick. Place the ball at the 6" mark, and the putter head at the 3" mark, as seen in picture No.3

No 3 No 4

Now push the putter head through to the 12" mark, again making sure that you feel the upper part of the leading arm controlling the "push" with no breakdown between the forearm and the shaft. The toe of the putter must stay parallel to the ruler, and the putter face must remain square. As you see in picture No.4, I have a "very slight" breakdown myself when I do this drill, and so I will continue to work on the "Push Drill" until I have it perfected.

Week 3 Finally, put all of this together by making a continuous putting stroke, still using the ruler, still taking the putter head back half the distance of the follow through. Week 4, 5 & 6 are the same as 1, 2 & 3 but with a target. Combining the first two lessons in November and December with these drills will make you a much better putter than you ever dreamed of!