Instruction – New Year, New Goals

Happy New Year! I hope 2024 will be filled with great memories and lower scores! 

What does a great putter consist of? Here are a few keys great putters do well: They hit the center of the clubface consistently (there are a couple PGA and LPGA Tour players who have won many tournaments and hit the toe of the putter consistently; with this being said, the most important thing is that you hit the same spot on your putter consistently), start the ball on their intended line, have good speed control and are good green readers. If you can do these four things well, you are sure to shoot lower scores. Putter is the only club you use on all 18 holes. Why not become better using it in 2024? 

When putting, it is important to hit the ball with an ascending blow, rather than descending. If you hit down on the ball with the putter, it causes the ball to hop, which makes it tough to be consistent with speed control and starting the ball on your intended target line.

To do this drill, stack three quarters directly behind your golf ball and putt, making sure not to hit the quarters. If you hit the quarters, you are hitting down on the ball; if you do not hit the quarters, you are hitting slightly up on the ball and making the ball roll truer end over end. Nobody wants a ball to hop down their target line … just saying, don’t you love watching the ball roll end over end on television? I sure do! 

For this drill, buy small furniture slides that would be placed under bar stools and place them just outside the width of a golf ball on your putter face. Practice hitting putts without hitting the furniture slides. If you hit the furniture slides, pay attention if the ball shot off to the right or the left. If the ball shot off to the right, you most likely hit the toe of the putter and need to stand closer to the ball. If the ball shot off left, the ball most likely hit the heel of the putter and you need to stand slightly further away from the golf ball at setup. Now, these are just some simple fixes for why the ball went left or right, there are many other things that can cause you to hit the toe or the heel of the putter besides distance away from the ball at setup. 

I love doing the quarter and furniture slide drill together. 

This drill is to ensure you hit the center of the putter face as well as start the ball on your intended line. Place two tees just outside the width of your putter head; these two tees will work as a gate to tell you whether you hit the center of the clubface. If you’ve ever watched Tiger Woods warm up, you will most likely have seen him do this gate drill. Three feet in front of your first gate place two more tees down just a little more than a golf ball width apart, one just inside your intended target line and one just outside your intended target line. If you can start your ball on your intended line consistently, you are sure to make more putts. 

I love feedback and questions; send me your 2024 golf goals and questions for help. kpikegolf@gmail.com