Putting · Drill
A Tee Gate to Start Putts on Line
Part of our putting programs for start line, reading greens. Build a program with it
Good putters start the ball on line. That comes from a square face. Build a small gate to check it. Pick a straight putt of about six feet. Put two tees about a ball and a half apart, a foot in front of the ball on your line. Roll putts through. If you hit a tee, your face wasn't square. Now you know if a miss came from your read or your stroke. Narrow the gate once you can go ten for ten.
The drill
- Pick a straight six-footer.
- Set two tees a foot ahead.
- Roll putts through the gate.
- Hit a tee? Work on the face.
- Narrow the gate as you improve.
Why it works
The face angle at impact controls most of the starting direction of a putt. The path matters far less at putting speed. A gate a foot in front of the ball gives you instant feedback on where the ball started, so you can separate a face problem from a misread. Because the ball has barely rolled, the break has had almost no effect yet.
Common mistakes
- Setting the gate on a putt that breaks.Choose a truly straight putt so the gate shows only your start line, not the slope.
- Placing the tees too far from the ball.Keep the gate about a foot in front of the ball so the read has no time to bend the roll.
- Aiming the putter by feel and not lining it up with the gate.Pick a spot at the center of the gate, set the face to it, and then make your stroke without adjusting.
How you'll know it's working
- Ten putts in a row pass through the gate without touching a tee.
- The ball rolls end over end with no wobble after it leaves the face.
- Your misses at the hole come from speed or the read, not from a start line that is off.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Widen the gate to about three ball widths and move it closer to the ball until you start getting clean passes.
Harder: Narrow the gate to just over one ball width, or move back to a longer putt while keeping the gate in the same place.
Common questions
How far apart should the tees be for a putting gate?
Start with about a ball and a half between the tees. Narrow the gap once you can roll ten in a row through it.
Why does my putt miss even when it goes through the gate?
Your start line is good, so the miss comes from speed or the read. Check your pace and look again at the slope.
