Putting · Drill
Hole Five in a Row With Your Real Routine
Part of our putting programs for reading greens, putting yips. Build a program with it
This short-putt drill builds real pressure. Set five balls about a putter length from the hole. Hole them one at a time. Miss one and you start over from zero. Here's the key. Use your full on-course routine for every putt. Read it. Take your practice stroke. Don't rush. You'll feel the nerves as you get close to the fifth. That's the point. Once you can do it, move back to five or six feet on a sloping hole.
The drill
- Set five balls a putter length out.
- Use your full routine on each one.
- Miss and start again.
- Notice the pressure near the end.
- Move back to five or six feet.
Why it works
Short putts are lost more to rushed routines and tight nerves than to poor technique. The start-over rule makes each putt matter, so you practice making the stroke under pressure. Using your full routine every time ties that calm stroke to the habits you will actually use on the course.
Common mistakes
- You skip the read and practice stroke on the easy putts and only use your routine near the end.Run the same full routine on all five balls so the routine is a habit and not a reaction to nerves.
- You rush the last putts because you want the drill to be over.Take the same time you took on the first ball, and step away and restart your routine if you feel hurried.
- You let a miss slide and keep the count instead of starting over.Pick up all five balls after any miss and begin again from zero, with no exceptions.
How you'll know it's working
- Your putts start on your chosen line and drop in the center of the cup without needing to be pushed or guided.
- The pace is steady, so a miss would finish only a short distance past the hole.
- Your routine takes about the same time on ball five as it did on ball one.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Move the balls closer to the hole or reduce the count to three in a row until you can finish the drill.
Harder: Move back to five or six feet on a sloping hole, and use a fresh read for each ball.
Common questions
How far should I be from the hole for a short putt drill?
Start about a putter length away so you can build success and feel the pressure. Once you can hole five in a row, move back to five or six feet on a sloping hole.
Why does my putting get worse under pressure?
Nerves often make you rush your routine and tighten your stroke. Practicing with a consequence, like starting over after a miss, lets you rehearse staying steady in those moments.
