Are you struggling with your putting and determined to lower your handicap?
This program is designed to transform the way you practice and perform both on and off the course. We must change the way you practice and play by implementing 4 pillars of success including: mental preparation; swing mechanics; set up; and practice habits.
1. Mental Preparation
I often hear golfers after finishing a round lamenting all the putts they missed and how they “should have” recorded their best score of the year. To avoid that frustration, every golfer should ask themselves two simple questions before striking a putt: Can I make this putt today? and where is the ball going to enter the hole?
These questions shape both the intended line and the speed of the ball as it travels toward the cup. One helpful way to visualize this is by imagining the hole as a clock face: the top of the hole is 12 o’clock and the bottom is 6 o’clock. An uphill putt will typically enter between 5:30 and 6:30, a right-to-left putt between 3:00 and 5:30, and a left-to-right putt between 9:00 and 6:30.
Practicing this simple visualization keeps a golfer present, focused, and connected to the task at hand. Too often, players sabotage their putting stroke by letting the memory of previous misses’ creep in, attaching unnecessary emotion to the moment – an easy path to developing the dreaded “yips.”
2. Proper Setup
The putting stroke must be the simplest motion in golf, but we make it so difficult because of the mental preparation and set up imbalances. Here’s a couple key elements at address to allow you to hole more putts during your round.
Posture
- Stand with feet shoulder width apart in a relaxed, athletic stance.
- Place the putter through your lifelines, keeping your elbows gently connected to your ribcage.
- Ensure the putter shaft and forearms form one continuous line.
- Tilt forward from the waist, letting the putter naturally fall into position.
- Position the ball slightly forward of center in your stance as this promotes consistent contact with the center of the putter face.
Creating this athletic position address will allow the putter to feel connected to the rib cage and allow the arms to swing naturally throughout the stroke.
Eye Line
- Address a ball as if ready to putt.
- Hold another ball between your eyes and drop it.
- The ball should land directly on or just inside the target ball. This confirms proper eye alignment.
As you improve on the set up, I really like visualizing a line to the hole with your favorite color and imagining the ball traveling along the line into the hole. It’s very important to recognize where your eyes are in relationship with your target line, allowing the body to react to the target.
Forearm Alignment
At address, your forearms and shoulders should run parallel to your target line.
Use an alignment stick with two elastic bands across your elbows. This creates instant visual feedback on shoulder and forearm positioning. This will allow your putter to travel on the correct path feeling connected to you rib cage.
3. Training Aids
The two key elements while using training aids is understanding where your putter face is aimed at address in the path in which the putter is traveling in the stroke these for training aids will help you develop a stroke that consistently makes more putts, and you will remember your specific recipe for success using a journal to record your best putts playing and practicing.
Putting Mat
- The Visio Golf Putting Mat (designed by Phil Kenyon: https://visioputting.com/) is an excellent tool for grooving the proper stroke arc and sharpening accuracy with gate drills.
- The putting matt is designed to assist the player with developing a proper putting stroke with a slight arc.
- Portable and very easy to set up.
Putting Mirror
- A mirror helps you check eye position and putter face alignment, common areas where golfers misalign at address.
- This will allow you to recognize where your eyes are at address forming a proper putting stroke that does not have too much variance.
Chalk Line
This will educate the eyes and square the putter at address.
- A chalk line provides visual feedback on face alignment and helps you learn how much putts break on different greens.
- Start by finding the fault line on a green (straight putt) and marking the ground with an 8 to10 foot line.
- Continuing to use a chalk line will allow your eyes to react and see the ball falling in the hole.
Tour Read App
- Created by Tour coach Ralph Bauer (https://tourreadgolf.com), this app teaches precise green reading, where to aim, and how much the ball will break.
Using it consistently builds confidence and leads to more holed putts.
Practice Journal
- True learning doesn’t come from, “muscle memory,” but from awareness.
- After each session, record your best putt: how it rolled, where it entered the hole, and its speed.
- Over time, this creates a powerful library of successful patterns to reinforce confidence.
4. Games & Drills
Par 18
- Play 9 “holes” that combine short chips and putts.
- Each hole is worth 2 strokes max.
- Track your weekly score with the goal of shooting 18 or under.
- This simulates real on course pressure while sharpening touch.
TEE Drill
- Confidence and speed control are crucial before stepping onto the course.
- Instead of putting 3 balls to a hole, place a tee in the ground as a smaller target.
- Start at 3 feet, putting from clock positions (12, 3, 6, 9).
- Move back to 6 feet, then 8 feet, all aiming for the tee.
- Training to a smaller target builds precision, consistency, and confidence under pressure.
By changing the way you practice, in play you will start to develop awareness of what it feels like to be put under pressure and those factors will become routine. It’s very important that you practice your putting stroke and set up positions weekly focusing on 50% games, 25% mechanics, and 25% mental awareness and preparation.
Conclusion
Putting can make or break your round. By mastering setup, using effective training aids, tracking progress, and practicing with purpose-driven games, you’ll develop confidence, eliminate doubt, and start holing more putts when it matters most.
