Free golf putting practice tips

Golf putting practice does not have to take hours and it can be lots of fun!

The only way for me to putt well consistently is to spend time on the practice green and practice my putting with a purpose.

See below five great drills I use to keep my putting sharp and to also build confidence for taking on those pressure putts during my round.

Here is a very nifty practice aid I came across a while ago - it is a stunning device to really improve accuracy on the greens.

I like to start my golf putting practice session by closing my eyes and simply swinging my putter back and forth a few times.

This drill helps me get into a good frame of mind to make solid, free flowing strokes with no jerky movements.

From the golf putting practice tips listed on this page, this one is crucial. If I don't hit the ball out of the middle of my putter head it is almost impossible to achieve consistency in my putting.

I use a very effective putting practice drill to promote pure ball striking:

1. I place a coin on the putting green directly behind my ball.

2. I then narrow my focus on the coin as I stroke over the middle of the coin with the 'sweetspot' of my putter. As I stroke over the middle of the coin, I hit the back of the golf ball with the middle of my putter head.

This exercise really helps me to 'zone in' and hit the ball out of the sweetspot of my putter head.

Putting really is all about 'feel'. Though it is important to put some good putting fundamentals in place, it is crucial to develop good 'feel' on the greens.

When I talk about 'feel', I really mean developing a good feeling of the speed of the greens and how they are running on the actual day I am playing the course.

The greens at different courses will run faster or slower depending on the type of grass the greens are made of, weather conditions and so on.

The important thing is to get a good 'feel' for the greens I am going to play on before stepping out onto the course as this will help me to be well prepared and score well on the greens.

We all face at least three or four short pressure putts during a round, so it makes sense to devote time improving this part of the game.

I like to practice by placing balls all around the hole, about 4-5 feet away. The idea is to work my way around the hole and sink as many putts as possible.

This little drill will develop great confidence before stepping out onto the course.

Some courses have huge greens and we may sometimes be left with long-range putts of 50 feet or even longer!

Before I play a golf course with really big greens (St Andrews Old Course comes to mind), I devote some extra time on the practice green to work on my long-range putting.

I use the following drill to help me practice these long-range putts:

1. I start by placing 3 golf tees in a straight line around 2 feet from each other so that the line formed by them is about 3 feet from the hole.

2. I move about 15-20 feet away from the hole and place another golf tee at this point (the line with 3 tees is now behind the hole I am facing).

3. From this position I start by hitting balls toward the hole. The aim is to hit the balls into the hole, but if I miss, the balls should not go further than the line formed by the tees behind the hole.

4. When I am happy with my progress, I move further back from the hole and repeat the drill until I am feeling confident with my long-range putting.

This drill is also an excellent way to practice getting down in two putts.