Winter Improvement #1 Indoor Putting Drill

Well the snow is flying in many parts of the country and all of that white stuff makes it difficult to maintain or improve your game. Over the next few weeks I am going to be posting tips, thoughts and ideas on how to keep your game in shape during these long winter months.

It goes without saying that putting is one of, if not the most important aspect of this game. Good putting makes a good player a great player. It is also the most under practiced aspect of the game. One of the reasons why it is the most under practiced aspect is the fact that most golfers just do not know what to practice. Throughout my 7 years as a golf professional I have worked with hundreds of golfers on their putting game. The most consistent basic problem that I witness is the premature movement of the head and eyes. When a golfer moves their head and eyes too early, their shoulders and hips open. This leads to very inconsistent contact on the putter face and pushes and pulls occur. The bottom line is you must keep your head and eyes still over the ball well after contact has been made. This will keep your body from opening thus keeping your putter face on a square and consistent plane during your stroke.

You can work on this all winter long using this simple yet effective drill. Take a coin and place a ball on top. Take a stroke and without following the ball with your head keep your eyes focused on the coin. If you repeat this drill this winter it will train to eyes to stay down which will keep your head still and your body from opening up. Less movement equals more consistent contact which equals more putts made. Sounds like a good equation to me!