Putting Clock Drill

Here is a great drill that you can use to really improve your putting. Everybody knows that practicing putting is boring. However, way too little attention is paid to this important facet of the game. Par is based on an allowance of two putts on each green for an expert golfer. That equals exactly half of a score of 72! This means that putting is a lot more important than many of us realize.

If you watch much televised golf, you might have noticed that Phil Mickelson has a somewhat unusual preshot routine on the greens. As he sets up to make a practice stroke, he is usually not set up square to the hole but is rather to an angle to the side of the ball. This is nothing more than his re-creation of a very common and useful practice technique known as the “clock drill”. Take six golf balls and place them in a circle approximately three feet from the hole.

The objective of this drill is simple-Hole all six putts in a row.

Now that may sound easy, and it may be easy, but once you can make all six balls in a row the next step is to move back to four feet from the hole. As you get progressively farther from the cup, the task becomes a lot more difficult. The terrific key to this drill is that each of the six putts is an entirely different line and speed. This is one of the best ways for us to start to feel these vital aspects of good putting.

Goal setting is an extremely important element in developing good practice techniques. This drill gives you a goal-to make all six putts in a row before moving back from the cup. If you use this drill properly, your putting will improve dramatically and your scores will get better as well.