Hello, fellow golfers! Sarah Chen here, your Golf Instruction Editor for The Daily Duffer. As a PGA-certified instructor with over 15 years of experience, I’ve had the privilege of working with players at every level – from weekend warriors eager to shave a few strokes to touring pros fine-tuning their game. My philosophy is simple: with the right guidance and dedicated practice, anyone can improve their golf game. Today, we’re going to dive into a crucial aspect of putting that often gets overlooked, inspired by some insights from the world of professional golf.
I recently tuned into Episode 43 of GolfWRX’s Fore Love of Golf podcast, which featured Drew Page, the Player Relations Rep for Scotty Cameron on the PGA Tour. It was a fascinating listen, offering a peek behind the curtain into the meticulous world of putting at golf’s highest level. Drew shared some incredible insights into how tour players approach their putting, the details they obsess over, and the equipment refinements that make all the difference. While we might not have a dedicated Scotty Cameron rep personally fitting our putters on the range, we can certainly learn from their dedication to precision and consistency.
The Power of Consistency: Feedback from the Pros
One of the recurring themes from Drew’s conversation, and something I emphasize with all my students, is the importance of consistency in your putting stroke. It’s not just about sinking putts; it’s about the consistent roll, the consistent speed, and the consistent path. Tour players are constantly searching for that repeatable motion that gives them confidence over every putt. As Drew mentioned, observing these players up close reveals their commitment to this process.
“Drew gives us some great insight on life traveling with the Tour, new wands in the bags of some of the big names…”
This “new wands” comment isn’t just about shiny new equipment; it speaks to the continuous quest for marginal gains. Even slight adjustments to a putter’s balance, weight, or even grip can have a profound impact on a player’s feel and, subsequently, their consistency. For us, it highlights the importance of understanding our own putters and how they interact with our stroke.
Understanding Your Putter and Your Stroke
Many amateur golfers tend to focus solely on the putter face at impact, but the reality is much more complex. The path of your putter, the angle of the face throughout the stroke, and the tempo are all critical. A small inconsistency in any of these areas can lead to a missed putt, even from a short distance.
“Drew gives us some great insight on life traveling with the Tour…”
When you hear about the dedication of someone like Drew Page, who travels extensively with the Tour, it underscores the constant attention to detail these players give to every aspect of their game. They are always analyzing, always refining. We can adopt this mindset even without a tour schedule.
Actionable Drills for a More Consistent Putting Stroke
Let’s translate these insights into concrete steps you can take on the practice green. Remember, the goal is consistency in your setup, your stroke, and your feel.
Drill 1: The Gate Drill for Path and Face Control
This is a classic for a reason! It gives immediate feedback on your putter path and face angle through impact.
- **Set Up:** Place two golf balls (or tees) about ½ inch wider than your putter head, creating a “gate” for your putter. These should be placed just past the front of your putter at address.
- **Execute:** Address a third ball positioned right in the middle of your gate. On your backstroke, focus on keeping the putter head moving straight back without touching either gate. On your forward stroke, ensure your putter head goes through the gate without touching either side.
- **Why it Works:** This drill forces you to keep your putter head square to its path through impact. If you hit the inside gate, your path is too far inside. If you hit the outside gate, your path is too far outside or your face is opening too much. The ideal is to glide smoothly through.
- **Try this:** Start with short putts (3-5 feet). Once you’re consistently clearing the gate, you can try closing the gate slightly (making it a bit tighter) to increase the challenge and precision.
Drill 2: The Coin Drill for Strike Location
Where you strike the ball on the putter face profoundly affects roll and distance. Center contact is king.
- **Set Up:** Place a coin (a dime works well due to its small size) directly in front of the sweet spot of your putter face.
- **Execute:** Practice putting, focusing on rolling the ball over the coin. The goal is to strike the ball cleanly without scuffing or moving the coin.
- **Why it Works:** This drill provides immediate feedback on your strike consistency. If you scuff the coin, you’re likely hitting the ball too low or too high on the face. If you move the coin to the side, your strike is off-center.
- **Try this:** Once you can consistently roll over the coin, gradually reduce the size of the coin or try using a piece of tape instead for an even finer target on the sweet spot.
Drill 3: The “Eyes Over” Alignment Check
Achieving a consistent eye position over the ball is a fundamental yet often neglected element of good putting setup. This directly impacts how you perceive your line.
“Drew […] even a peek into his own collection.”
This phrase, about his “own collection,” reminds me that even a connoisseur of putters like Drew Page understands the personal connection to a well-aligned and well-understood tool. Your putter, and how you set up to it, is YOUR most personal “collection” on the course.
- **Set Up:** Get into your normal putting address position.
- **Execute:** Hold a second golf ball over the bridge of your nose. Drop it. Where does it land?
- **Why it Works:** For most golfers, the ideal position is for the ball to drop directly onto your ball or just slightly inside. If it lands significantly outside, your eyes are outside the ball, which can make you perceive the line differently and lead to pulls. If it lands too far inside, you might push putts. Finding your consistent “eyes over” position is key to seeing the line accurately every time.
- **Try this:** Experiment with your setup until the dropped ball consistently lands in the ideal spot. Use a mirror or have a friend check your eye position from time to time to ensure you maintain this consistent setup.
Embrace the Process
In my teaching experience, the golfers who improve the most are those who are patient and dedicated to understanding the ‘why’ behind their technique. They embrace the practice process, even the repetitive drills. Just like the pros Drew Page works with, they understand that consistency isn’t magically found; it’s painstakingly built.
You might not be traveling the PGA Tour, but you can certainly bring a tour-level mindset to your practice. Take these drills to your practice green, focus on the feedback, and trust in your ability to improve. You’ll be amazed at the difference a more consistent putting stroke can make to your score and your enjoyment of the game. Happy putting!
