phil mickelson: develop your feel for distance on long putts

Here’s a drill I’ve watched Phil do over the years to hit putts with great speed. He finds a hole on the practice green and sticks three tees in the ground, at 30, 40 and 50 feet out. His goal is to roll three putts in a row from each tee into an imaginary three-foot circle around the hole. He starts at 40 feet and putts from there until he gets three in a row. Then he goes to 30, then 50—going out of order like this means you can’t just get in a groove.

Distance control is the big thing on long putts. If you judge the speed right, you’ll almost always have a simple second putt. But if you judge it wrong, you might leave yourself 10 or 12 feet. On long putts, I like the stroke to be a little longer and slower, so you can put some hit on the ball. When most golfers try to hit it harder, they get quick and jabby, which usually causes a mis-hit. You want the putterhead to accelerate through the ball, so think long and smooth.

Phil’s drill is a great test. And don’t just practice from one angle. If you start with downhill, right-to-left putts, next time go uphill, left to right. Any 50-foot space will do—even use a water bottle for the hole ( above). You’ll quickly see a difference in your distance control.