One of my Favourite putting drills is called "The Snowman Drill" which I discovered through putting expert Dr Paul Hurrion.
Set-up Instructions:
Find a uniform slope on the putting green with a slope somewhere between 2% and 3%.
Once you have a uniform slope try to find the zero line from both sides of the hole. The zero line is simply the straight downhill putt which will be 12 o clock, and the straight uphill putt which will be 6 o clock. You can mark this with a string line if necessary. If a uniform slope is difficult to find with where the holes are located, a host hole can also be used.
Place twelve tees in the ground at the ‘12 clock face’ locations, each 12ft from the hole. This is always your starting point. The aim of the drill is to hole two consecutive putts at the furthest distance possible for each location.
To begin you must hit your first putt from the 1 o'clock tee location, if you miss then move the ball 1ft closer to the hole on the same line. If you hole the putt then you must try and hole 2 consecutive putts from 11ft. If you miss simply move forward again and repeat until you hole two consecutive putts. Once you have completed a hole simply mark it on the chart below and move to the two o clock marker.
Chart from www.paulhurrion.com
This drill is a fantastic way to help you identify what putts are your strongest, and also what areas around the hole may need work in future. It should also allow you to identify a "Safe Zone" which means that when you are within those distances you should be exceptionally confident in making the putt. When doing this drill I would recommend starting with 1 o'clock and sticking to odd numbers the first time around, then once you have completed them switch to even numbers second time around.
Chart from www.paulhurrion.com
The safe zone is also worth some consideration when you are playing close chip shots and bunker shots. Is there an area that you could leave the ball in to help you increase the odds of making the next putt?
If you are an elite player along the lines of a scratch handicap or better, try to complete the drill using three balls! You must hole three consecutive putts for each clock face position. How does it now compare doing 3 balls vs 2?
Paul has some more fantastic drills on his website, make sure to check him out at www.paulhurrion.com
Comments