CAN YOU IMPROVE YOUR PUTTING 

Mark's putting practice reminds me of a bunch of studies done on the difference between blocked and random practice (eg. doing the same putt 1000 times vs random putts around the green). Results showed that blocked practice made you better (in the short term) but better skill retention was seen with random practice. From memory, the theory is that the process of mentally planning for the skill is incredibly important to long-term retention and when you practice the same putt repeatedly, you're not giving yourself the opportunity to practice the mental planning.

Mark the only thing that you needed to expound more on was confidence. Coach said it best in the Iceland videos that he may not always get the line right but he was sure of the weight (speed) of the putt...of course that is where you have been leaving them short for almost that whole series. Coach has gotten that confidence and that is where I think block putting is helpful. It ingrains confidence.

My current instructor is teaching me "how to practice", which I think is very important. I spend quite a bit of time at the range, watching golfers "banging" balls, hitting putts, etc. with no rhyme or reason to their "practice" session. This was a good instruction video on how to practice your putting. Practice sessions at the range should be so much more than just banging a bucket of balls! Great video Mark!

I'd love to see more of these extended discussions with Coach, Dan, and other pros on every golf topic under the sun. Awesome content.

My putting improved massively with this three step routine. 1. Read the green by walking all the way around the hole. 2.Use the line on the ball to line up your read line.(the line which you think the ball will travel) 3.Set up behind the ball and take a few practice strokes to get the feel for the distance.Once you got it set up square to the line on the ball which should already be lined up to your read line and hit it with the same stroke you just did in the feel practice stroke. You will improve with this guaranteed.

I think a really interesting point this video shows is how important it is to switch on and off when practicing. Mark is chatting to Lockey (in between putts) which is just what happens during a real round. Then there is a moment where he ‘switches on’, hits the putt, reacts and moves on (back to the chat again) This type of relaxed practice has got to be beneficial, and arguably more so than 1000 putts in solidarity, especially if you want to compete as a player, as this is a challenge you will face on the course. Great stuff as usual, keep it up

Just jumped from RU-vid to Google search looking for pros in my area that do putting lessons with a putting monitor. Another great video here, this week's been a belter for the vlogs, thanks braw!

I've found getting to the course 1 hour earlier than your round and practicing on the green for at least 30mins of it is making a massive difference for me with speed control on the greens.

Coach is spot on. practice your putting based on percentages. Lag putting is more about speed practice rather scoring, right? Those 6 footers have a much higher return on the scorecard. Army Strong!

Great video again, Mark. I think another thing that will help us average amateur players is just getting a bit of perspective on putting! The number of medals i've played and you see 18 hcp players berate themselves for missing an 8ft putt - even Tour pros are only making just over half of those (Mark Broadie's Strokes Gained book has all the stats in). TV doesn't help as all we see are Players flushing every shot and making every putt, when the reality is much different. Long way to say that just lowering expectations will help massively. We should not be expecting to make every putt we stand over!

Your analysis of putting for birdie vs par (vs bogey) is held up really solidly with the stats on tour. The deeper psychology is that we as humans have a greater fear of failure than our desire for success and the odd example of this not being the case is evident in a Tiger Woods or Jordan Spieth who are so competitive that they likely don't see failure as an option.

Mark. I appreciate your logic and analysis. You do represent a fixed mindset. The answer is clear with a growth mindset... absolutely we can improve.

My putting has improved just by going to the putting green and understanding how putting works. Practice makes perfect and the more effort you put in to a practice the more situations you can adjust for

I've found that the pelz putting program has helped my putting immensely but also confidence is a massive factor. My holing out has always been poor but now confidence helps with those 6ft in and thus improving my scores. By practicing your improving your confidence and technique

The biggest help with my putting was a SAM lesson to pick up on any faults and then a clock drill on different slopes to learn my tendencies and allow for those when put in a similar situation in the course. I think it's the confidence factor that helps the most. My own putting dramatically improved after one SAM lesson and just a couple of times doing a clock drill

I bought the putt out training aid and my putting improved hugely. Obviously that was down to the improvement in stroke. I now have a 1.98 average. Easily the strongest part of my game. I use the puttout the night before a round to get my stroke going.

Totally agree with the vlog message - it's not about relentless practice practice practice - it's all about feel - get a good grip of the club and you do need to know and have confidence in your putting stroke to knock in the 3 footers - but pace and line ( I know it sounds obvious) is what it's about - if you're 30 ft away lagging it up to the hole for a par/net par is job done - that's what needs to be practised - remember 60/70% of shots are from 100 yards in and most amateurs are rubbish at putting and from 100 yards in - I rest my cass - practise chipping & putting and you are. 12 handicapper! Sorted!!!!!!

I think the reading of greens is the most difficult. I am sure we as players have spent hours putting, whether it be at home with a putter or on practice greens, i played on Tuesday and had a putt that for the life of me was left to right, so i aimed left and it broke further left. I was only 15 feet away and realised that if you cannot read greens properly you are fighting a losing battle practicing stroke....how you learn to read greens correctly is a whole new can of worms! Give us a vid BRAH! :)

I think my putting has improved from working on routine. Routine takes care of pace and line. It eventually results in a more consistent strike and distance (compared to the hole e.g. 18" past). That allows you to work more on line and imagination. Inconsistent strike and pace makes it almost impossible to read greens and judge line

I found after changing my grip and also hitting past the hole has improved my putting and as you said put a bit of pressure into your putts helps as well. great vlog keep it up.......

Mark. You point about just playing the course is a very good one. I can be hitting it or putting well in practice at the range but not at all on the course, when confidence is lacking

That is a question I struggled with a long time. I did two drills last year which gave me first time ever the feeling of progressing. 1) alignment stick drill as you showed always from 6 feet on flat portion of the green (remove external factors) and 2) the 3 feet circle drill - place 10 balls in circle of 3 feet from the cup and sink them one after the other counting until you miss one. The second one is not so much about making 40 or 50 in a row. But getting in a rythm. Putt-31-putt-32-putt-33... today on the course I do two-three practice strokes before each putt within 6 feet, counting 61-62, hitting the actual putt-63. I feel making more clutch par saves, just because I get my mind into that drill conditions. And making those par saves its all what it is about.

Mark spent hours as a child stood head against a wall trying to line a putter up with a skirting board (that's a very sad image) and coach is a better putter than him. No wonder Mark seems so angry in the recent vlogs. Another good video lads keep it up 👍

Complete agree Mark, funny how you can hole a par saving putt more often than a birdie putt, all mental. Practicing consistent strike and pace control on the putting green, not even aiming at holes. When you go to different courses, sometimes you feel good on the greens sometimes you just don't and the latter generally become tough days.

Practice getting 2/3 ft past the hole from what ever length it is. Parfield is a good player but often comes up short!! Especially on birdie putts. Ball holds the line better & builds confidence. Cliché "Never up, Never in" great vlogs as Always cheers.

Agree with coach practice the area which is going to affect the score the most

Brilliant stuff on the mind set of different putts Mark. I'm struggling with that exact thing right now. I put differently when I'm putting for birdie or par. Don't want to hit GIR with a 25+ footer and 3 putt, I try and get it close instead of trying to hole it. When putting for par I feel like I have to hole it. This all coming from a 10 handicaper. I've been practicing more on putting greens with 8 footers and closer. However, I do go on the course by myself and play golf, then try several different putts on each green when no one is behind me.

The things to practice are starting the ball on your intended line, making the ball roll the correct distance and reading greens. Reading is the art of putting, line and distance are the mechanics. Getting a putting mirror is the best way I know of working on starting line.

Any hope of putting improvement has to start with a professional putter fitting. It might cost you the equivalent of 5 or 6 greens fees and take all day, but it is simply mandatory. The fitters have all the technology and expertise to zero in on the right stick for you. The bonus that comes with this type of fitting is they will tell you what the numbers are telling them about your stroke. They will give you things to help change any faults that come to the surface. You will leave knowing you have valid info about which putter is right for you and which things you should begin to change/improve about your stroke. Then it becomes all about learning to hit your chosen line more consistently and with the right pace. The read is always the wild card. Great question bro!

Great insight Mark. Keep the daily vlogs coming. Big fan.

Practice breeds confidence, confidence equals better results. I spend 10-20 minutes every day if I can, just practicing 3' and 6' putts on my auto return putting machine I very rarely miss a 3" putt on a real green any more and it has improved my putting overall. I still miss the 6 footer , but I'm getting better. My playing partner gets annoyed when I just step up to a 3' putt and don't even set up for it. It's all confidence. And that comes from practice....

I completely underestimated the importance of strike with the putter - now that I'm hitting the middle of the putter my pace control has improved massively and so have my stats - STRIKE IS KING!

Bob Rotella’s book on putting is good. It’s all mental.

Coach is correct. SAM lesson is great but need to be able to do it on the course when the stroke counts. So practice putting is important to insure you can do it during the round.

Just like the other clubs and shots in your bag, practice is about improving your consistency. You can hit 1000 iron shots on the range and you'll miss random shots too. It's about creating a consistent base that you can take on the course before adjusting for the different factors a round of golf throws at you.

Blocked practice for mechanics, random practice for feel. I used to be a serial 3 putter. Probably averaged about three 3 putts per round. It was more of a lag issue with me. A few weeks doing alternating single putts from 40, 30, 50, 40, 60, 30 foot made a massive difference. That plus downsizing to a slimmer grip for more feedback on distance control. I went from 16 to 10 handicap in 5 weeks.

I recently changed my putter to one that gave me better forward roll, my old putter was generating backspin causing the ball to skid across the green creating all sorts of problems. I would also add, get a putter that fits your natural stroke don't try to fit your stroke to the putter. And don't chose a putter just because it's the one everyone else is using. My putting has improved dramatically. GET FIT.

I practice 2 putts. I have taken a putting lesson on how to read greens, looking at grain, which way the green slopes. Then i can usually hit 20 feet to pin, and practice that distance. My goal is to hit 1 foot past hole. If it goes in great, its a birdie, but 1 foot par tap ins are great

I only got better at putting when I learned to lag my long putts into a 3 foot circle around the pin......Feel, roll, reading break, and squaring the putter face all came to me as a result..........Good putting is essentially distance control and face control. Under no circumstances, do I stand on the practice green and watch myself miss shorter putts over 3 feet .....I practice those short ones at home in a controlled environment....3 feet of different types on my putting mat...Then 4, 5, 6.......I also roll 50 putts over a dime from a foot away, as a warm up before I start my practice routine.

Thanks guys, that's changed my drills practice

Drill short distance for confidence and practice lag putts for green reading and pace. Both will lower score more so than trying to hammer a bucket full of drives.

Also having the right putter helps. I had a putter that didn’t suit me. I got fit for a new putter and it made the world of difference

A great drill I saw for developing feel is by david orr called the traffic light drill of trying to hole the same putt at varying speeds, if you can hole the same putt at 3 different speeds that’s going a long way to developing your feel 👍

I felt my putting was uncontrollable until I started using more of the small take back and a pop style with a handsy feel rather than ideas of a pendulum or shoulders. Its a handsy feel but actually using the arms with a kind of a pop. Concepts like do a bigger take back to go more distance usually led to uncontrollable results like failure in direction and random distance being off by considerable amounts.

I think getting the ball started on your line is the first step. After you're confident on that, speed is the 2nd step. Reading the greens is a whole different set of skills that I don't really include in putting practice. JM2C

Something I enjoy doing is putting to the same hole from 4 different breaks. Straight up, left to right, right to left, and straight down. I move from 3ft to 4ft to 5ft to see how far I can get and comfortably aim within the hole to sink the putt. Also I think there's something to be said for hearing the ball drop in the cup over and over to boost confidence so don't putt with headphones in and always take the practice green pin out.

I putted really badly this week guys at the Shire. There were loads of impacting factors such as heavy rainfall, some greens had been sanded, some greens were really exposed and the wind was pushing underhit puts everywhere. I spent a good 25 minutes on the practice green before the round, but it went totally to pot when on the course......

Sometimes u feel quite comfortable on a putt other times u feel uncomfortable it's a mental thing like the rest of the game. I'm a beginner hit my best shot so far to the centre of the green on a par 3. but was not aware there was water at the front and right of the green. but now the hole stresses me knowing the water is there. the water is now a magnet for my ball.

A better pudder? I’d like to improve Marks Atlantic pronunciation for a start! Love the vlogs brahs!

Reading all these comments is as good as watching the video. It is very clear that everyone has different approaches and different ways of learning which I believe comes out in their golf. In this case putting. One person May believe the "proper" fitting for the person is the secret, another may say green reading is key, another person is a grinder working on stroke, path etc. I see all different types of "learners" in these scenarios. Obviously all these coming together on a round, which happens for all of us now and again, is the goal. and when it does happen I almost forget putts. Like when you hit a great 8 iron or something and stick it close. You remember that particular shot. But when your putting well, for me anyway. I literally just don't remember. All the factors coming into sinking a putt take over my brain so much that memory isn't involved. And this is the scenario, somehow, that needs to be repeated to become better... 2 cents.... Or maybe like 10 ;) Canada getting cold booo

Putting is a tricky thing. Confidence is everything!! So is strike, weight and line tho...

Our putting green was built 10 years ago it I nothing like our greens on the course. Only use it before a round so I can work on stroke.

Looks good!! Will listen to it soon I'm sure!!!! 👍

Interesting that the great Bernhard Langer is very briefly shown at the end of this video, and there's not one word from him about his phenomenal career putting. Bernhard Langer has won at least nine of the last ten years' European Championships, and his putting stats constantly put him in the top ten on the European Champions Tour (isn't he #1 in putting for the past six years in a row, a world record?). One way to improve putting is to try to emulate some of the unique putting techniques of the top pro putters, and find out which of their unique techniques, if any, are personally helpful. For example, Bernhard Langer putts with his shaft at 79-80* lie angle, which is most unusual and right at the maximum lie angle permitted in the rules; Steve Stricker putts with his shaft held at 74*, even though his putter is constructed at the standard 70* lie angle; Luke Donald swivels his head to lead the stroke into impact, a heresy for most instructors who are nowhere close to Luke's record (three #1 rankings in putting, and the best five-year putting record in the history of the American tour); Brad Faxson bends his knees slightly into the impact (another heresy, by the #1 putter on tour for three years out of a five year stretch); Jordan Speith practices lag-putting by putting though a four-inch gate half-way to the hole (consistently among the top putters on the tour, especially from distance). Putting styles are too many to count, and both 'block' putting practice and 'creative' putting practice work. Mark and Coach are exactly correct: putting skills can be improved. Would've been nice to have Bernhard Langer's very expert opinion.

Like any skill, putting can be improved with practice. I do find putting to be totally feel based. It's no longer about simply swinging the club hard and watching it fly in a predictable path and distance like I do from tee to 80 yards. With putting, there is only the database I build in my head of feelings pertaining to how hard I hit the ball and how much I think the ball will roll one way or another on a green. So I think it can be practiced and improved upon, but the corrections are very unique to me and my feelings. I don't think anyone else can tell me how hard to hit a putt before I've struck it. There is no measurable gauge of power. There's no gears to shift into. There are only feelings. That's what makes it tough.

It's a miracle I hole anything!! Again a great vlog mark but how can you practice different scenarios if you aren't a member of a club?

I once watched a RU-vid video talking about Rory mcilroys putting warm up. They said he only practices 6ft putts and shorter. But surely it's all relative because he's mainly going to be approaching the green into about 6 ft away. When you're a normal club golfer I like to practice short 3 ft and up to 30 or 40ft sometimes as that's what I'll likely do in the round.

Its simple, if you have fun in putting you will be good at it.

The thing is, there are times when, as soon as I start the putt, I know it’s going in. Sometimes you have to dig deep for that right feeling, so that you can let it happen. More than practice, I feel that what is important is being able to find that inner space in which the ball just has to go in. You used to have that a lot, Mark. That is what you are really looking for now, isn’t it? I am not saying that that special feeling is everything, but it isn’t nothing either.

Really interesting vlog. My putting is terrible compared to the other parts of my game - at least that's what Gamegolf tells me. My putts per hole average is around 0.4 higher than an average player of comparable score which I interpret to mean my putting is relatively bad. Interestingly, my putts per hole shows a lot of 'noise' over all of the rounds played but is virtually a flat line - I.e. It hasn't come down at all from when I got the Gamegolf kit (couple of years ago?). Everything else that is charted has improved e.g. Score, driver distance, GIR etc. Maybe I need a lesson.......?

Lot of good information to put in the ol brain bucket and let roll around, nice job.

I should prefix this by saying that I am not talking from a point of knowledge, just personal opinion. I liken putting practice to snooker practice. All putting greens/course have variances and you will generally get better on the table/course that you practice on because of the speed awareness you will have from that practice. But, if you work specifically on stroke, strike and distance control, you will be able to play better on all tables/greens. I personally find that a combination of drill work and random work is the most efficient for me. If you listen to snooker pros and some PGA tour pros, they generally state that the practice routine that they have developed since turning pro has got much short and more effective. Essentially, they say it is not about the quantity of practice and more about the quality.

Getting better at putting is very much around your ability to read the green. You can have excellent speed/distance control but if you cannot read what the greens are doing your still beat

Lots of people struggling because they are not long enough with the first, second or third shot to reach the green in regulation, so does it make more sense to pratice more the short game from 100yards and less? To get as close to the hole (your personal distance in which you make 80% or more) you make it with one put? What are your thoughts?

Absolutely agree with variation of putt and that drilling reality. But expectations of a putt being for par, birdie, don't 3 stab, must make bogey not double, surely its every shot as it comes. One at a time. Past and future are irrelevant.

That TUI advert haunts my dreams...

Ive practiced short putts alot around 3-5 feet and ive definitely improved in that area but my longer putting is not improving from practice im not sure why

I practise putting by just using 1 ball around the practise green trying to make sure there’s no 3 putts. I find using 3 balls just gets you into a rhythm that you don’t get on course.

knowing the line and speed will make you a better putter.

Question: Why wouldn't you practice 6-8ft putts like they're for birdie every time? Whether they are or aren't. You place context around the putt (on in one, on in two, etc.) - but that has really nothing to do with making the putt. I do this too - don't do silly things when putting for birdie for example - but it doesn't really help me make more birdies does it?

£50 says that as soon as those lift doors closed, Coach tried to persuade Rickie to switch to Callaway.

Doesn’t play properly through my appletv 4. No sound and single frames frozen and then jumping to another. Ok on my iPad.

Would a bad putter not have more of a 60/40 split but with practice of contact, pace, lessons etc maybe reduce the miss percentage to 30%.

I started putting 1 foot into a small hole, then working out to 2 feet then 3 feet. I'm at 4 feet now and can drop into the hole 80percent of the time. What I am miserable at is reading a green. It's really hard to see what is going to happen.

Hey Mark, do you have any tips for alignment? I can see the line when I'm standing behind the ball, but I lose it when I take my stance.

Practice makes permanent not perfect. If you practice a bad stoke you will make it permanent. You need to find out your issues fix them with a change then practice the change until it is comfortable. My problem at the moment is I can see the putter head wobble in the back stroke and I don't know how to stop it.

I think the only way to improve your putting is to practice your speed control. Practice all sorts of different length putts, and get to the point where you can consistently roll the ball a certain distance passed the hole. You will never be perfect, you can get to the point where you are consistently rolling the ball ~1-2ft passed the hole the majority of the time. If you can do that, then you will start reading greens better because what you visualize will coincide with your consistent speed control, you'll start rolling the ball more consistently on the line you see because you have predictable speed/pace control, and more putts will go in. Making a putt becomes very statistically unlikely outside of 8ft, it becomes more about luck and other factors. So if you can get yourself to where you have good pace control over how you putt the ball, then you'll be able to roll the ball much closer from whichever distance you are at, and give the ball the best chance to go in. But if you read a putt to break 2ft from 15ft away, then you jam the ball 10ft passed, you have no pace-to-line control, and the ball has almost no chance to go in.

Surely one of the most important factors is making sure you are using a putter that fits your eye/stroke etc?

I use both practice techniques: Random- on the putting green never putting to the same hole twice in a row, and making a two put from 20 to 50 feet Block- 3-5-7 drill to make 3 in a row, on flat green, from each distance without a miss (nice competitive edginess). For "random" I am working to improve my pace feel. For "block", it's repeatability, mechanics and precision. Laying 8 balls down and putting them to the same hole from the same spot does not make a lot of sense to me. There is too much iterative corrective learning that does not translate to the course where you get one chance to get it right. As for the 3-5-7 drill, when I have a 3 footer to win a match, I am feeling confident because of the many hundreds (thousands) of times I have done the drill even though I fail to complete it 99% of the time (it's really hard so you learn to accept failure).

Probably a stupid question but I'll shoot anyways. Any tips on concentration? I like going to practice but after about the 20 minute mark (sooner on the putting green) I get frustrated and can no longer focus. Just wondering if that's destructive or not. I've thought practicing more but in shorter periods would work but sometimes it's hard to get a spare moment...

Read Bob Rotella’s book: “Putting Out Of Your Mind.” Really helped me and a few friends to improve on the green.

Driving and putting...probably the two most over analyzed and most talked about aspects of the game. I think it boils down to the simple fact that if can’t drive the ball consistently well and can’t putt well, then you’re basically never going to improve in lowering your score over time. Can you improve your putting? Sure, of course you can. You can improve any mobility and mental task with the right instruction, practice, time and experience. What I learned recently from taking an on-course putting lesson was about putting strategy. Never really thought about it before. Always had the mindset of “hey I’m on the green and 40 ft away, so I’m trying to hole this putt.” Which is kinda funny because statistically holing putts from greater and greater distances the odds start stacking up against you really quick. I’m not standing behind every pitch shot or every iron in to green trying to hole it, so why take that approach with super low probability putts. I learned about the concept of ‘make it or lag it’. And to think beyond the hole and pick a spot where I want to leave a long putt for the comeback attempt...this way you mentally create about a 3 foot circle to try and lag the putt to that area with the hole in between. If the putt drops, awesome. If not, you can increase chances of the second putt by leaving it in a more makeable spot. Same basic concept as with chipping. I just never used that strategy with putting before. Going pretty good so far.

JUST TAP IT IN! see friends stand over a 1 footer for par and they visibly shaking! and then lipping out :-D just tap it in no one is gonna die if you miss bar me dying laughing Robert :-D

One thing I think you missed on is what is considered a good putt after all that practice. The biggest thing I notice between good putters and poor putters is that the poor putters almost always focus on if the ball goes in the hole, where as good putters are more focused on if they hit the line and pace they wanted. Golf is not a game of perfect and putting will be down to controlling the things you are in charge of and reading the variables properly to the best of your ability.

Dave Pelz's Putting Bible: The Complete Guide to Mastering the Green

Stroke, Strike, Line, Pace, you have to practice to understand and learn then you might make less errors to make more putts.

Putting videos brah👍👍👍

No HD quality?

Speed control is what I seem to struggle with. I don't play the same course twice in row and weather on the day and leading up to the game changes speeds dramatically as well as the course. This in tern effects how much break to allow on the slopes. I think golfer which play at least weekly have an advantage, as it allows them to adapt to average seasonal change. If you last played golf in July and go out in October then you're in for a shock for chipping as well as putting.

The more you practice the luckier you get !!! ...Simple....As long as practicing with a purpose your bound by the law of averages to get better. Repetition is the mother of all skills...ie repeat the same correct or purpose putting stroke your get better ie hole more..

Very unusual video this one.Both talking loads of sense.Great stuff.Now back to talking cobblers if you don't mind :)

I practice a lot of 15 footers because that's my miss radius on chips

Anyone have no audio?

What are you measuring against? What, to you, is the definition of "better"? To me, when you talk about standing on the putting green, hitting hundreds of putts at a time, that's one thing. Measuring how you do on six-footers when you're actually playing, over the course of, say, a season, is quite another. The whole reason for practicing is to be ready for the real thing, isn't it? It's a skill developed, like many others. You still have to be able to read a green, though. And that's where I think great improvements can be made.

Can we talk about how the American presidents cup team conducted the press conference? Some people found it funny but I thought the younger players conducted themselves badly. It seemed like some of them were drunk. Marc Leishman’s wife even blogged about her negative experience overall.

No sound on video bruh! I thinks it’s only mobile RU-vid though

No sound

all I am doing is trying to slow the rot - me too :)

Hi Mark, could you test those non conforming Japanese drivers?

If someone hasn’t mentioned it already - your title on screen is incorrect. “Can youR improve your putting” -