5 drills to transform your putting
I’m like Jack Nicklaus,” Andy Sullivan says, “I’ve never three-putted.” The 34-year-old from Nuneaton might like a laugh and a joke, but he’s actually quite serious when it comes to his putting, for he knows that it’s one of the strongest parts of his game. So, what’s his secret?
For starters, he enjoys the art of putting. Watch him go about his business on the practice green (as we recently did at The Belfry) and that much is clear. There are other reasons, too – five of them, you might say.
Over the next few pages, Sullivan talks us through his favourite putting drills – exercises that have become part of his routine in the lead-up to tournaments, immediately prior to play and back home at Stratford-on-avon Golf Club. He swears by them, and if you’re serious about improving your performance on the greens, you’d do well to adopt one or two yourself.
1
This is my go-to drill when working on pace control. I start by marking out a five-foot gap between two tees. Then, I pop another tee down about ten feet away to mark where I’m going to putt from. The aim is to ‘stack’ the balls up in the gap. Each one has to go further than the last. However, no ball is allowed to finish outside this five-foot zone. My first putt has to make it inside this area, too. If it doesn’t, I have to start again.
I once saw Marc Warren get 11 in, which is pretty impressive. Normally, if you can get five in, you’re doing really well. When I’m dialled in, I can just inch each ball slightly further than the last. I love this drill because there’s no hole involved, and it gives me a great sense of the pace of the greens before I go out and play.
Try repeating this drill three or four times before you go out and play at the weekend – as opposed to quickly just throwing some balls down and trying to hole them – and I guarantee it’ll be a more effective warm-up.
Stack 'em up
2 The spiral
I tend to do my three- to eight-foot spiral drills on a Tuesday or Wednesday before a tournament, not during actual competition days. In fact, I have a Huxley Golf mat in the garden, so I can do this sort of stuff at home.
I’ll aim to hole the closest putt and then move on to the next one. Miss and I’ll stay where I am. I’ll keep doing it until I get all the way round without missing.
The more you hole of these and the more you see the ball going into the hole, the greater your confidence will become. If you’re kind to yourself, and give yourself nice flat putts, it shouldn’t take that long!
However, ideally you want some shallow breaks, so every putt is slightly different. It gets you used to matching pace and line. With any drill where you’re scoring yourself – so, record how many attempts you’ve had – it adds a bit of pressure and it tests your perseverance as well.
3 Two-putt test
Before I tee off, I like to hit putts from roughly 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 feet – so five putts in total – and I challenge myself to two-putt every one. It’s another good pace challenge – and, of course, read – with a bit more emphasis on the outcome.
I think a lot of amateurs feel like it’s a hassle to set up a drill, but this is so easy – you don’t need 20 million tees! It doesn’t matter if your practice green is small – the drill can still be effective when putting from 10, 20 or 30 feet. I never like to leave the putting green until I’ve successfully completed this drill.
4 Holing out
Again, this is a really simple drill. Put a tee down at three, four and five feet from the hole – longer if you like – and just move back after holing each one.
These outcome drills are necessary, but I think club golfers can get a little too hung up with them. They’re great if you can box them all – but what happens if you don’t? It’s why, as with the spiral drill, I do this kind of work on the days leading up to a tournament, not during the actual competition itself. And it’s why drill number one (pace control) would be my favourite, and one I’d probably recommend amateurs try adopting more than any other, certainly immediately before teeing off.
5 Pace drill
The aim is to get each ball to finish a foot behind the hole (if it doesn’t drop). Just put down a tee or club behind the cup to mark that spot.
I remember playing Jordan Spieth in the 2011 Walker Cup and every putt of his seemed to go in at the same pace, no matter where he was putting from – and, if it missed, it would finish 18 inches to two feet behind the hole. It was ridiculous.
For amateurs, I recommend taking the hole out of the equation as much as possible. Drills like this one will encourage you to get more into read and pace. You can add a scoring system to challenge yourself: minus a point for leaving it short, two points for holing it and a point for leaving the ball a foot behind the hole should it miss.