Table of Contents:
- Why Putting Drills Are Your Fastest Path to a Lower Handicap
- Distance Control Putting Drills
- Short-Putt Confidence Putting Drills
- Green Reading and Routine Putting Drills
- How Your Putter Affects These Putting Drills
- Putting Drills: Frequently Asked Questions
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Start Improving Your Putting Today
Want to shave strokes off your scorecard without rebuilding your swing? Putting drills are the fastest way to lower your handicap — and you can practice most of them in your living room.
Tour pros spend 10 to 15 hours a week on the putting green. That's because putting accounts for roughly 40% of all strokes in a round. A few three-putts can turn a solid round into a frustrating one.
The good news: putting is about mechanics and feel, not athleticism. This guide covers 10 proven putting drills for distance control, short-putt confidence, and green reading — the same areas pros work on every day.
Why Putting Drills Are Your Fastest Path to a Lower Handicap
The math is simple: 40% of your score comes from putting. That's more strokes than any other part of your game.
Putting drills pay off quickly because you're not rebuilding your swing. You're working on mechanics and feel — areas that respond to short, focused practice. No swing path fixes, no clubface rotation work, no body posture overhaul.
A three-foot putt counts exactly the same as a 300-yard drive. Mastering the short game is where most recreational golfers have the most room to improve.
Distance Control Putting Drills
Distance control is the foundation of good putting. Hitting a putt 25 feet past the hole leaves you with a long, confidence-shaking comebacker. These three drills train your hands and eyes to dial in pace before you worry about line.
The Ladder Drill
Place three to five tees in a straight line extending away from the hole, starting at three feet and adding three feet between each tee (3, 6, 9, 12 feet). Hit one ball from each tee, working your way back.
Your goal is to hole each putt or leave it just past the hole — never short. This drill builds feel for progressive distances while reinforcing the habit of putting through the ball.
The Lag Putt Ladder Drill
For longer putts, the goal shifts from making the putt to avoiding a three-putt. Place an alignment stick or spare club one to two feet behind the hole. Drop balls at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 feet.
Your target zone: past the front edge of the hole, but stopping before the club. This trains your brain to think in zones rather than trying to hole every lag putt — a more realistic approach to long-range putting.
The Eyes-Closed Drill
Find a straight five-to-ten foot putt. Set up normally, square your putter to the target line — then close your eyes just before you start your backswing.
Stroke the ball entirely by feel. Focus on the length of your backswing and the moment of contact. Keep your eyes closed after impact and predict where the ball went before you open your eyes to check.
This drill removes visual distractions and cures 'peeking' — one of the most common causes of a twisted putter face at impact. When your eyes are closed, your head stays still naturally.
Short-Putt Confidence Putting Drills
Pros don't get gimmies. They spend hours on two-to-six foot putts because missing a short putt is devastating to a score — and to confidence. These drills turn the putts you used to worry about into automatic makes.
The Clock Drill
Place four to eight balls in a circle around the hole, equally spaced like numbers on a clock (12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions). For best results, choose a hole on a gentle slope so you practice uphill, downhill, and breaking putts.
Putt in order around the clock, following the same pre-putt routine each time. If you miss any putt, restart from the first ball. Once you complete the full circle, move back to four feet, then five, then six.
The 3-Foot Circle Drill
This drill was popularized by Phil Mickelson, one of the best short-game players in history.
Place six to ten tees exactly three feet from the hole in a circle. Set a ball at each tee and putt them all without missing. If you miss, start over. After enough repetitions, three-foot putts start to feel like tap-ins.
You can also set up the circle on a breaking putt to learn how the ball behaves near the hole.
The Tee-Gate Drill
Set up about six feet from the hole. Place a tee on each side of your putter head with about a quarter-inch gap on each side. Make your stroke without hitting either tee.
To make it harder, add a second gate 18 to 24 inches from the ball — slightly wider than the ball — on your start line. Hitting either tee means the clubface was not square at impact.
A third variation: place two tees level with the front edge of the hole, in line with the cup's edges. Hole five putts in a row without touching them. This version teaches precise aim rather than just 'near' the hole.
The Coin Drill
Balance a coin flat in the cavity on the back of your putter head, then make your normal putting stroke.
If the coin falls off, your stroke is either too jerky or your putter face is twisting through impact. A smooth, consistent stroke keeps the coin in place. Simple feedback you can use at home on a carpet or putting mat.
Green Reading and Routine Putting Drills
No amount of stroke practice helps if you're aimed at the wrong spot. These two drills build the skills that separate good putters from great ones: reading greens accurately and having a reliable pre-putt routine.
The Look-Up Drill
Instead of looking at the ball, stare at the hole during your stroke. Set up normally, read the green, and align your putter. Then, just as you start your backswing, turn your head to look directly at the hole — and keep it there through impact.
This lets your brain calculate distance and power instinctively, the same way you'd throw a ball to a target. It also breaks the habit of 'steering' the putter, which is a common cause of the yips.
The Pre-Putt Routine Builder
A consistent routine moves you from 'thinking' to 'trusting' on every putt. Place tees at 4, 5, 6, and 7 feet around a hole. For each putt, follow this sequence:
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Stand behind the ball ('think box'): read the break, visualize the ball falling in, determine your line and speed. No practice strokes here.
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Step up to the ball ('play box'): take one or two practice strokes while looking at the hole.
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Step into your stance, look at the target once to confirm, and stroke the putt.
Time your process — it should take 20 to 30 seconds, within a two-second window every time. If you miss a putt, restart from the first tee. The pressure builds the habit.
How Your Putter Affects These Putting Drills
You can run all of these putting drills with any putter — and you should. But the results are easier to maintain with equipment that doesn't fight your stroke.
Traditional putters are built so that the weight of the head causes the toe to hang downward. This creates a natural torque that wants to open the face on the backswing and close it through impact — requiring you to actively compensate with your hands.
Lazrus Golf's Zero Torque Putters are CNC-machined in Boise, Idaho and designed to keep the putter head square throughout the stroke — no hand manipulation required. The result is a pendulum-like motion that reinforces exactly the mechanics you're building with these drills.
If you're consistently missing putts left or right, or you can feel the clubhead twisting in your hands, it may be worth getting custom fit for a putter. A fitting matches the putter's weighting to your posture and tempo so your practice translates directly to the course.
Putting Drills: Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I practice putting each session?
Aim for 15 to 30 minutes per session. Research on motor learning shows that short, focused, frequent practice builds better muscle memory than long, unstructured sessions. Two to three sessions per week beats a single two-hour session on the weekend.
A solid structure: five minutes on stroke mechanics, ten minutes on distance and speed control, five minutes on pressure putting.
Should I practice putting on a green or at home?
Both have value. At home, you can work on stroke mechanics and starting the ball on your intended line — especially useful with training aids like putting mats or a PuttOut Pressure Putter. On a real green, you get feedback on distance control and green reading that no mat can replicate. Ideally, do both.
How quickly will putting drills improve my game?
With quality practice in 15 to 20 minute sessions, most golfers notice real improvement within two to three weeks. Putting is one of the few areas where deliberate practice produces quick breakthroughs — especially on speed control and eliminating three-putts.
Do I need an expensive putter to putt well?
No. Stroke consistency, green reading, and confidence matter more than price. A well-fit putter under $150 can perform as well as a $400 model. That said, a putter that doesn't match your stroke mechanics will always feel inconsistent regardless of cost. Fit matters more than price.
Start Improving Your Putting Today
Putting is the part of golf you can improve fastest — and these putting drills give you a clear roadmap for doing it. Start with distance control, then build short-putt confidence, then lock in a routine you can trust under pressure.
If you want to take it further, check out Lazrus Golf's Zero Torque Putters — CNC-machined in Boise, Idaho and priced at a fraction of what major brands charge. Same quality, direct to you.