Develop a solid, repeatable stroke, by practicing the best indoor putting drills in the comfort of your own home.
In my experience I have found there are two types of golfers. Those that live on the golf course and those that only get the chance to play 2-4 times a month. When the latter player is finally on the golf course he is usually upset and unsatisfied with their abilities.
The game of golf is hard enough, even to the golfer that plays on a daily basis.
Half of the game is played on the putting green. Next time you play, count how many putts you had for the round. The PGA Tour average is 29.
The idea with these indoor putting drills is to give you the best opportunity to improve your game without spending a lot of time or having to leave your house. So when you show up to the golf course at least your putting will be sharp.
The point of all these indoor drills is to provide convenience, instant feedback, and quality to your putting practice. Here is a quick list of my favorite putting training aids that will assist in your putting performance to be used indoors and outdoors.
Dave Pelz Putting Tutor Training Aid
This is the most widely used putting aid by playing professionals. Dave is all about introducing instant feedback into your practice. With this putting tutor you can select the difficulty level with the steel balls at the end. Pick your target, setup the aid, and stroke the ball through the steel balls. Push or pull it and you will quickly know.
Eyeline Golf Edge Mirror Training Aid
A similar device as Dave Pelz method instead with a mirror. The added mirror feature allows you to check your eye alignments over the ball. If you are not positioned properly over the ball it could cause all sorts of visual problems with the line of sight. You can also add tees in the ground for the tunnel affect to show if you are pushing or pulling putts.
1. Dave Pel’z Pillow Drill (for tempo)
So much of excellent putting is the ability to keep a smooth stroke through the ball. I am hear to tell you that a smooth stroke is not something you are just born with and can be learned with two pillows and a metronome. (you can download one onto your smartphone for free) This drill is done without a golf ball.
Set the cadence on the metronome to a comfortable tempo that lets the putter swing freely of muscle tension. Usually somewhere between 70 to 95 bpm. Typically the taller you are the slower the cadence.
Place a pillow at each end of the stroke. At the “tick”, complete your backswing and hit the back pillow and on “tock” touch the front pillow. Vary the distance between the pillows for different distance putts. Always keep the same cadence no matter how short or long the stroke. A 40 foot putt should take the same amount of time as a 5 footer.
Remember your specific cadence number to take with you to the golf course. Close your eyes and feel the stroke.
2. Two Ball Drill (for clubface control)
The slower the clubhead speed, the more important the face angle is at impact in determining direction. In putting, your path can be way off and if you still manage to strike the ball with a square face to your target line chances are you will still be rewarded.
Place two balls side by side and make a stroke. If the ball furthest from you wins the race your toe closed to quickly. Vica-Versa if the ball closest to you starts first, your face was open and the heel made contact first. Your objective is to get both balls to roll together. This means your face was square through impact.
3. Yardstick Drill (for proper starting line)
This drill was shown to me by one of the best putters I know out on tour. Before every round he warms up with the yardstick putting drill. This drill is great for indoor practice but can also be used on the putting green. Place a metal yardstick down on a level surface.
Put the ball at one end of the yardstick and try to keep the ball rolling on track the entire length. Try this will different speeds to see what your tendencies are.
4. Coin Drill (for solid contact)
As you know if the speed is slightly off the ball will miss the hole. Any off center hit will affect the speed and hurt your consistency.
showed me this drill during a clinic at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.
Place a small coin or poker chip on the ground in place of your golf ball. Since the coin is very low to the ground you will be forced to be accurate with your attack angle. You want to putt the coin so it skids on the ground. Do this successfully 20 times to get the feel before trying a golf ball.