To make birdies, you must make putts. And one of the critical elements to good placement is speed control – from all distances. Many players can judge the line correctly, but just can’t get the speed right. Here’s how to solve the problem.
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The most read rules question of the year involved where to stand when one decides
Jessica Marksbury
Find a flat area on the practice green and place an alignment club behind the hole. From the hole, walk 10 steps away and place a pin on the ground. Two feet beyond that, place another spike. Then two more feet after that. Do the same until you have five tees on the green. From the first tee, putts roll. The goal here is to either make the putt or put the ball between the hole and the club. Going short is a no-no. (Those shots never go in.)
Once you’ve managed to get three balls either in or over the hole without hitting the club, move on to the next tee. Then continue to step 5. Set a time limit—like 15 minutes. When you start seeing putts that spin at different speeds from different lengths one after the other, you’ll really start to control your rolls. I do this with rec players and my Tour students. It works like magic.
Mike Bender runs the Mike Bender Golf Academy at Magnolia Plantation GC, Lake Mary, Fla.
