HOLE MORE PUTTS Five great putting drills to Get you putting better bb By Mark Wood PGA Advanced Professional UK S No 1 Golf Coach
MARK WOOD BIOGRAPHY I turned pro in 1996 after a fairly successful amateur career and my journey into the professional ranks was very interesting. As a kid I remember buying almost every instructional book, video and most of the monthly golfing publications as I was devoted and hooked in becoming a better player. I was like a kid so passionate about golf; my brain was a sponge soaking up all the different swing techniques and short game methods as I wanted to be the best golfer in the world. As time went on I soon realised that a lot of what I was reading and seeing was confusing advice and I was not advancing the way I thought I should be. So after a short time I decided that I needed a coach who would help me fulfil my passion and goals. I must have gone through 6 or 7 coaches before I found a great coach called (Nick Bradley) who was coaching some of the finest professionals in the world. Nick really helped me and my golf, I remember going to watch Nick coaching his professionals and I got a real buzz from that and I started to realise that the dream of becoming the best golfer in the world was not for me, I wanted to be a coach. That was quite an eureka moment for me as I could not understand that the tournaments that I was playing in I was more interested about the players swings and games than I was my own!! Even playing social golf outside of tournaments with friends I was always giving them advice of what shots they should hit and advice on their techniques, I was so much more concerned about everybody else s game apart from mine, and I was trying to make a living form playing golf!! From that point onward I turned my attention full time into becoming a great golf coach who is driven and passionate about helping golfers of all abilities improve. I get a great buzz from helping golfers starting out in the game as I do when one of my pro clients wins an event. Putting is a major part in anybody s round of golf and yet it s the least practised amongst most golfers throughout the world. On average putting makes up for at least 53% of most golfer s rounds and with this in mind you would have thought it is a must to spend some amount of time working on this very important part of your game. In this booklet I have given you some drills to encourgae you to practise and therefore improve your putting.
DRILL #1 THE CLOCK DRILL This is another drill that is used worldwide amongst the elite touring professionals and one of my favourites. You need 18 tee pegs and at least 6 balls, I always recommend that you practise short game and putting with the balls that you play with on the course so you know exactly how that ball feels and reacts on certain shots etc. 1. Start by placing the first ring of tee pegs 2 feet away from the hole going around in a clockwise fashion. Then place a ring of tee pegs 3 feet away in the same fashion followed by another ring of tee pegs 4 feet away from the hole (see picture above). 2. Then place one ball by each tee peg 2 feet away from the hole. 3. The drill then starts where you need to hole each ball from the first set of tee pegs before you move back to the 3ft set of tee pegs. Once you have holed from the 3ft set of tees move back to the 4ft set of tee pegs and hole all of the putts. 4. Try and do this drill at least 3 times from all the pegs without missing any putts, if you miss then start over from the first set of pegs 2ft away.
DRILL # 2 DISTANCE CONTROL THE TWO TEE PEG DRILL One thing I am always asked as an instructor is how I can improve my distance control I always leave my putts way short is the common complaint. When you address the putt try hard to keep your hands, wrists and forearms relaxed as tension takes away the entire feel from the putter head. You need to be able to feel the stroke to really improve your distance control. With this drill place two tee pegs 18 inches apart and place two balls on each peg so you can see them more easily from long range distances. The idea is to then go to some various distances of say 18ft, 20ft, 25ft and so on and hit 3 putts from each location; the aim is to finish each ball between the two tee pegs.
DRILL #3 BLU TACK DRILL FOR CENTRE STRIKES This is a great instant feedback drill for improving the quality and the centeredness of strike and therefore your distance control and accuracy. If you hit a putt out of the toe end of the putter, the face will open on impact causing the ball to start to the right of your line and will come up short. If you hit it out of the heel it will close the face causing the ball to start left and also come up short. This drill will most certainly get you grooving the strike from the centre of the putter, you will feel it if not!!
DRILL #4 NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST DRILL This drill is very similar to the clock drill but I am going to put a bit of a spin on this particular drill. I want you to find a hole on the putting green that is going to give you a downhill putt, and uphill putt, a left to right putt and a right to left putt. Then place your tee pegs in a North, South, East and West fashion approximately 4ft from the hole that is going to give you each of the described putt. Now I want you to work around each tee peg holing each putt 20 times. If you miss one start over again.
DRILL #5 PUTT DOWN CHALK LINE DRILL Another practise drill used by many Tour Professionals worldwide is hitting putts down a chalk line. Find a nice straight flat putt of about 10 feet in length and by using a chalk line you can get a line going straight into the centre of the hole. Hit putts of various lengths 2 feet, 4 feet, and 6 feet and so on, concentrating of just rolling the ball straight down the chalk line. It will also make you very aware of the shape of your putting stroke and if you have a tendency to swing the putter to the outside on the way back you can use the chalk line to correct this and you will soon learn to feel the correct path.
You ve Always Wanted To Play Better Golf. Now Is The Time! You ve always wanted to play better golf but never got around to taking lessons. You knew that you could improve your driving distance, increase your accuracy and lower your scores if you could just make a few adjustments. You ve always wanted to score better and now you can, because we are willing to share with you secrets of the shortcuts to lower scores. We have one of the areas most respected instructors, offering a unique new program of teaching that will quickly improve all aspects of your game. Soon, you will be shooting the best scores of your life and enjoying golf more than you ever have before. For more information, and to reserve your FREE Personal Swing Evaluation, call now. Mark Wood 07796 271661 www.markwoodgolfacademy.co.uk markwoodgolfacademy No1GolfCoach markwoodgolfacademy Mark Wood blog.markwoodgolfacademy.co.uk