Pre-round Putting Practice

I have a routine before I start a round of golf. The length of the routine depends on if I made it to the course on time and the quality the facilities. I like to hit a fair amount of balls on the driving range to warm up, chip a few from a sand trap, and then off to the putting green. The putting green is an interesting area watch how other people prepare for the most touch sensitive part of golf where strokes are won or lost. Here is how I loosen up the old putting game.

Putting Practice Routine

There are two areas for me to practice on my putting, touch/power and aim. (is that three? oh well). Only when they are working in unison will the ball have a half way decent chance to go in the hole. Let’s take a look at how I warm up these two area of my golf game.

Putting Touch Practice

This technique is simple and really useful if the putting green is packed on a Saturday morning. I take a coin or ball mark and place it a few inches from the fringe. Then I line up three golf balls a two to three feet away and try to hit the ball to the coin and not beyond. The key to this exercise is “aim small, miss small.” I want the ball to roll right on the coin in the center.

Putting Aim Practice

Next, I take my golf balls and drop them in three different spots three to four feet from the hole. I try to hit each one in the hole working a slightly different break. I march away from the hole if I sink all three. It is easy to sink the same putt and a challenge if you change your spot.

Real World Putting Practice.

Now that I have some touch and aim down, I take three shots from the same spot at a hole a good twenty feet away. This will be where I usually play from on the course so I can see how my long reads are and if my touch is tolerances.

Here is what the three putting practices look like.

The key is to find something that helps you get ready to sink those birdie putts. What is your routine on the practice green?