Let’s be honest. Many of us show up 10 minutes before practice time, run through a few tee shots, and then wonder why we hit the first three holes. Your warm up is just as important, maybe even more so, than your full swing warm up because you use your putter more than any other club.
Here’s a warm-up routine that takes about 15 minutes and will have you swinging the ball nicely by the time you hit the first green.
Start with short shots for feel
Don’t start your warm-up trying to RELATED easy throw. Find a relatively flat spot on the practice green and hit a few three-footers, but don’t aim for a hole. Just hit the ball and watch it roll.
This frees up your hands without pressure, gives you instant feedback on green speed and allows you to control your shot without worrying about scores.
Hit some of these short shots. Concentrate on making a smooth stroke with good rhythm. Your backswing and follow-through should be pretty balanced, with the follow-through just a little longer. Hear the sound of the shooter hitting the ball. A good shot sounds obvious.
Call in your remote control
This is the most important part of your warm-up. Distance control will save you more shots than taking a few extra shots. Find a hole about 30 yards away and hit five or six shots into it. Try to get them all to finish within three feet.
Pay attention to how hard you have to hit the ball. They are the fastest greens than last week? Slower? When you enter the course, you’ll already have a feel for the speed.
After a few 30 feet, move to different distances. Maybe some from 20 feet, then some from 40 feet. You are calibrating your internal distance computer.
Work on breaking shots
Now that you have a sense of speed, hit some kick shots. Find one that breaks about six inches and hit a few. Choose a specific target on your line and try to launch the ball over that target.
This makes you comfortable reading the greens while building confidence. When you see a few putts on the hole during the warm-up, you’ll trust the readings on the course more.
Shots that break both ways: some switch from right to left and some from left to right.
Make some short kisses
Time to build confidence by hitting some shots. Find a right one tripod and do five in a row. Lady one, start over. This may feel like pressure, but it’s good pressure that forces you to focus and execute.
After you’ve done five legs with three legs in a row, go back to five legs and do three in a row. When you hit the first green, you want to feel like you can make something within five feet.
Hit some late shots
For your final shots, find the longest shot on the green and hit three or four clean lag shots where you’re just trying to get close. This reinforces your distance control.
Long shots are all about pace. You’re not trying to make a 60-footer. You are trying to give yourself a knock. These last delayed shots help you avoid the three shots that kill the rounds.
The mental component
Throughout this warm-up, go through your pre-shot routine on each shot putt. Read the putt, pick your line, take your practice shot, execute. This makes your routine fixed so it is automatic in the course.
Build positive thoughts too. When you hit a layup, accept it. When you hit a putt, let yourself feel good about it. You are programming your brain for success.
What if you only have five minutes?
Sometimes you are late. Short version: hit three or four lag shots from different distances to get a feel for the speed, then hit five three-footers in a row. Not ideal, but much better than no heating at all.
Why does this work?
This warm-up works because it covers all the bases. you groove your stroke with short shots. You dial in distance control with a delay shot. You build confidence by taking easy shots. You practice your routine so that it becomes automatic.
Get to the course a little early, hit a few balls on the range, and then go through this practice routine. Eventually, it will become automatic. Tour players do much the same warm-up before each round, not because they need practice, but because the routine itself is calming and helps them focus. Putting makes up roughly 40 percent of the total strokes you take in a round, so it deserves at least that much time in your warm-up.
Show up early, do this routine and watch it improve immediately. It’s the easiest way to lower your scores without changing anything about your swing or shot.
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