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Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Build Confidence on Short Putts with a Simple Stroke Drill

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Execute a confident three-foot putting stroke without unnecessary wrist movement
  • Understand how to maintain club face control for better accuracy
  • Develop a reliable baseline stroke to improve your start line on short putts

In this drill, you'll learn how to develop a confident stroke for short putts, specifically focusing on three to four footers. By practicing a shorter, assertive stroke, you'll improve your consistency and reduce anxiety when facing these crucial putts.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.560
This drill is building a confident three foot stroke.

2
00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:12.850
So I have some students who really struggle on the short putts, especially the

3
00:00:12.850 --> 00:00:13.200
three to

4
00:00:13.200 --> 00:00:19.040
four footers, those ones that I think you can see the hole out of the corner of

5
00:00:19.040 --> 00:00:19.520
your

6
00:00:19.520 --> 00:00:21.680
eye so it can be kind of daunting.

7
00:00:21.680 --> 00:00:23.160
You feel like you should make it.

8
00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:27.160
A strategy that I use for these three to four foot putts is basically figuring

9
00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:28.160
out the shortest

10
00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:32.280
stroke you can make confidently and rehearsing that.

11
00:00:32.280 --> 00:00:37.470
So confidently meaning some good acceleration while maintaining my overall good

12
00:00:37.470 --> 00:00:38.320
structure.

13
00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:41.650
What I find that a lot of golfers do on these short putts, if you struggle with

14
00:00:41.650 --> 00:00:42.280
it, is either

15
00:00:42.280 --> 00:00:48.890
having some body rotation or a drag of the putter with tends to open the face

16
00:00:48.890 --> 00:00:49.520
or too

17
00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:53.940
big of a stroke and then kind of slowing it down and as you do the putter face

18
00:00:53.940 --> 00:00:54.480
closes

19
00:00:54.480 --> 00:00:56.000
and you tend to hit some pulls.

20
00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:59.780
So it boils down to club face control, but I find that golfers struggle with

21
00:00:59.780 --> 00:01:00.300
club face

22
00:01:00.300 --> 00:01:04.910
control when their tempo isn't very good because they don't have a measured

23
00:01:04.910 --> 00:01:05.880
length of backswing

24
00:01:05.880 --> 00:01:07.160
to go back to.

25
00:01:07.160 --> 00:01:11.930
So the task is we're going to try to make the shortest, but kind of a confident

26
00:01:11.930 --> 00:01:13.280
or assertive

27
00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:17.760
stroke without moving my legs and without using a whole lot of wrist.

28
00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:22.440
So I'm basically going to get here and my, I'll rehearse it a couple times.

29
00:01:22.440 --> 00:01:28.200
So this is my shortest confident stroke and that looks something like that,

30
00:01:28.200 --> 00:01:29.080
typically

31
00:01:29.080 --> 00:01:35.590
goes about three feet on a like a 10-stimp green, slightly uphill like this

32
00:01:35.590 --> 00:01:37.960
scenario here.

33
00:01:37.960 --> 00:01:44.170
So this is going to be my baseline for most short putts and I'm training that

34
00:01:44.170 --> 00:01:44.960
if I make

35
00:01:44.960 --> 00:01:50.150
this stroke, my start line is going to be good enough that if I aim it right, I

36
00:01:50.150 --> 00:01:50.280
should

37
00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:53.630
feel like I don't have to necessarily look at the hole, I just have to make the

38
00:01:53.630 --> 00:01:53.960
good

39
00:01:53.960 --> 00:01:56.920
confident stroke and the ball is going to go in.

40
00:01:56.920 --> 00:01:58.560
Now it also gives me a reference.

41
00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:02.590
There will be times where you have a really sneaky downhill putt and I still

42
00:02:02.590 --> 00:02:03.280
don't want

43
00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:04.280
you to decelerate.

44
00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:05.280
So you have two options.

45
00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:09.600
You can either make a shorter than comfortable stroke or a slower than normal

46
00:02:09.600 --> 00:02:10.360
tempo, but

47
00:02:10.360 --> 00:02:15.200
still kind of keeping that good assertive quality to it.

48
00:02:15.200 --> 00:02:21.360
So the shorter stroke would look, that's about as small as I can do that's not

49
00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:22.720
comfortable.

50
00:02:22.720 --> 00:02:28.190
So it's about half the distance of my comfort stroke and that goes about a foot

51
00:02:28.190 --> 00:02:29.160
and a half.

52
00:02:29.160 --> 00:02:34.830
Or I could make my comfortable stroke and I'm just going to slow it down just a

53
00:02:34.830 --> 00:02:35.440
little

54
00:02:35.440 --> 00:02:38.960
bit kind of play with the tempo.

55
00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:41.600
And so they go about the same distance.

56
00:02:41.600 --> 00:02:45.670
I can't say I love one more than the other, but there are two different ways

57
00:02:45.670 --> 00:02:46.200
that you

58
00:02:46.200 --> 00:02:51.640
can adjust your normal three or four foot stroke cut it in half.

59
00:02:51.640 --> 00:02:56.130
So basically if I have a short putt, if I'm anywhere around the hole here, I'm

60
00:02:56.130 --> 00:02:56.600
just going

61
00:02:56.600 --> 00:03:00.600
to be making, I'm going to trust my aim and then I'm going to make that stroke.

62
00:03:00.600 --> 00:03:04.800
What I find that bad putters do is they tend to get up there and they try and

63
00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:05.640
kind of guide

64
00:03:05.640 --> 00:03:10.020
it in in some fashion, we're trying to take that out by practicing these three

65
00:03:10.020 --> 00:03:10.920
footters.

66
00:03:10.920 --> 00:03:16.520
Alright, so now if I want to take that drill and apply it here, I'm basically

67
00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:17.200
going to

68
00:03:17.200 --> 00:03:22.920
place it so that the yardstick is going to the middle of the hole and I'm going

69
00:03:22.920 --> 00:03:23.400
to back

70
00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:27.610
it up just slightly so that my putter has about the right amount of room, I'm

71
00:03:27.610 --> 00:03:28.200
putting

72
00:03:28.200 --> 00:03:29.960
it just inside the end.

73
00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:35.710
So now if I was going to make that short stroke, I might have aimed a little

74
00:03:35.710 --> 00:03:36.560
left or I might

75
00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:41.160
have pulled it for the camera, let's see if we can do a little bit better one.

76
00:03:41.160 --> 00:03:42.160
There we go.

77
00:03:42.160 --> 00:03:46.320
So that was more center face or center path.

78
00:03:46.320 --> 00:03:49.730
But practicing these and getting really comfortable and doing some type of

79
00:03:49.730 --> 00:03:50.560
drill like the ring

80
00:03:50.560 --> 00:03:55.790
of fire while applying basically the same stroke every single time, not trying

81
00:03:55.790 --> 00:03:56.520
to change

82
00:03:56.520 --> 00:03:59.900
the stroke and guide it, but just trying to groove a comfortable three to four

83
00:03:59.900 --> 00:04:00.840
foot stroke

84
00:04:00.840 --> 00:04:04.790
and then applying that when you're on the course, I tend to that helps with a

85
00:04:04.790 --> 00:04:05.240
lot of

86
00:04:05.240 --> 00:04:11.040
golfers to get a little bit shaky on these almost must make putts.
Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.
Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Build Confidence on Short Putts with a Simple Stroke Drill

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Execute a confident three-foot putting stroke without unnecessary wrist movement
  • Understand how to maintain club face control for better accuracy
  • Develop a reliable baseline stroke to improve your start line on short putts

In this drill, you'll learn how to develop a confident stroke for short putts, specifically focusing on three to four footers. By practicing a shorter, assertive stroke, you'll improve your consistency and reduce anxiety when facing these crucial putts.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.560
This drill is building a confident three foot stroke.

2
00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:12.850
So I have some students who really struggle on the short putts, especially the

3
00:00:12.850 --> 00:00:13.200
three to

4
00:00:13.200 --> 00:00:19.040
four footers, those ones that I think you can see the hole out of the corner of

5
00:00:19.040 --> 00:00:19.520
your

6
00:00:19.520 --> 00:00:21.680
eye so it can be kind of daunting.

7
00:00:21.680 --> 00:00:23.160
You feel like you should make it.

8
00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:27.160
A strategy that I use for these three to four foot putts is basically figuring

9
00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:28.160
out the shortest

10
00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:32.280
stroke you can make confidently and rehearsing that.

11
00:00:32.280 --> 00:00:37.470
So confidently meaning some good acceleration while maintaining my overall good

12
00:00:37.470 --> 00:00:38.320
structure.

13
00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:41.650
What I find that a lot of golfers do on these short putts, if you struggle with

14
00:00:41.650 --> 00:00:42.280
it, is either

15
00:00:42.280 --> 00:00:48.890
having some body rotation or a drag of the putter with tends to open the face

16
00:00:48.890 --> 00:00:49.520
or too

17
00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:53.940
big of a stroke and then kind of slowing it down and as you do the putter face

18
00:00:53.940 --> 00:00:54.480
closes

19
00:00:54.480 --> 00:00:56.000
and you tend to hit some pulls.

20
00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:59.780
So it boils down to club face control, but I find that golfers struggle with

21
00:00:59.780 --> 00:01:00.300
club face

22
00:01:00.300 --> 00:01:04.910
control when their tempo isn't very good because they don't have a measured

23
00:01:04.910 --> 00:01:05.880
length of backswing

24
00:01:05.880 --> 00:01:07.160
to go back to.

25
00:01:07.160 --> 00:01:11.930
So the task is we're going to try to make the shortest, but kind of a confident

26
00:01:11.930 --> 00:01:13.280
or assertive

27
00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:17.760
stroke without moving my legs and without using a whole lot of wrist.

28
00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:22.440
So I'm basically going to get here and my, I'll rehearse it a couple times.

29
00:01:22.440 --> 00:01:28.200
So this is my shortest confident stroke and that looks something like that,

30
00:01:28.200 --> 00:01:29.080
typically

31
00:01:29.080 --> 00:01:35.590
goes about three feet on a like a 10-stimp green, slightly uphill like this

32
00:01:35.590 --> 00:01:37.960
scenario here.

33
00:01:37.960 --> 00:01:44.170
So this is going to be my baseline for most short putts and I'm training that

34
00:01:44.170 --> 00:01:44.960
if I make

35
00:01:44.960 --> 00:01:50.150
this stroke, my start line is going to be good enough that if I aim it right, I

36
00:01:50.150 --> 00:01:50.280
should

37
00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:53.630
feel like I don't have to necessarily look at the hole, I just have to make the

38
00:01:53.630 --> 00:01:53.960
good

39
00:01:53.960 --> 00:01:56.920
confident stroke and the ball is going to go in.

40
00:01:56.920 --> 00:01:58.560
Now it also gives me a reference.

41
00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:02.590
There will be times where you have a really sneaky downhill putt and I still

42
00:02:02.590 --> 00:02:03.280
don't want

43
00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:04.280
you to decelerate.

44
00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:05.280
So you have two options.

45
00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:09.600
You can either make a shorter than comfortable stroke or a slower than normal

46
00:02:09.600 --> 00:02:10.360
tempo, but

47
00:02:10.360 --> 00:02:15.200
still kind of keeping that good assertive quality to it.

48
00:02:15.200 --> 00:02:21.360
So the shorter stroke would look, that's about as small as I can do that's not

49
00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:22.720
comfortable.

50
00:02:22.720 --> 00:02:28.190
So it's about half the distance of my comfort stroke and that goes about a foot

51
00:02:28.190 --> 00:02:29.160
and a half.

52
00:02:29.160 --> 00:02:34.830
Or I could make my comfortable stroke and I'm just going to slow it down just a

53
00:02:34.830 --> 00:02:35.440
little

54
00:02:35.440 --> 00:02:38.960
bit kind of play with the tempo.

55
00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:41.600
And so they go about the same distance.

56
00:02:41.600 --> 00:02:45.670
I can't say I love one more than the other, but there are two different ways

57
00:02:45.670 --> 00:02:46.200
that you

58
00:02:46.200 --> 00:02:51.640
can adjust your normal three or four foot stroke cut it in half.

59
00:02:51.640 --> 00:02:56.130
So basically if I have a short putt, if I'm anywhere around the hole here, I'm

60
00:02:56.130 --> 00:02:56.600
just going

61
00:02:56.600 --> 00:03:00.600
to be making, I'm going to trust my aim and then I'm going to make that stroke.

62
00:03:00.600 --> 00:03:04.800
What I find that bad putters do is they tend to get up there and they try and

63
00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:05.640
kind of guide

64
00:03:05.640 --> 00:03:10.020
it in in some fashion, we're trying to take that out by practicing these three

65
00:03:10.020 --> 00:03:10.920
footters.

66
00:03:10.920 --> 00:03:16.520
Alright, so now if I want to take that drill and apply it here, I'm basically

67
00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:17.200
going to

68
00:03:17.200 --> 00:03:22.920
place it so that the yardstick is going to the middle of the hole and I'm going

69
00:03:22.920 --> 00:03:23.400
to back

70
00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:27.610
it up just slightly so that my putter has about the right amount of room, I'm

71
00:03:27.610 --> 00:03:28.200
putting

72
00:03:28.200 --> 00:03:29.960
it just inside the end.

73
00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:35.710
So now if I was going to make that short stroke, I might have aimed a little

74
00:03:35.710 --> 00:03:36.560
left or I might

75
00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:41.160
have pulled it for the camera, let's see if we can do a little bit better one.

76
00:03:41.160 --> 00:03:42.160
There we go.

77
00:03:42.160 --> 00:03:46.320
So that was more center face or center path.

78
00:03:46.320 --> 00:03:49.730
But practicing these and getting really comfortable and doing some type of

79
00:03:49.730 --> 00:03:50.560
drill like the ring

80
00:03:50.560 --> 00:03:55.790
of fire while applying basically the same stroke every single time, not trying

81
00:03:55.790 --> 00:03:56.520
to change

82
00:03:56.520 --> 00:03:59.900
the stroke and guide it, but just trying to groove a comfortable three to four

83
00:03:59.900 --> 00:04:00.840
foot stroke

84
00:04:00.840 --> 00:04:04.790
and then applying that when you're on the course, I tend to that helps with a

85
00:04:04.790 --> 00:04:05.240
lot of

86
00:04:05.240 --> 00:04:11.040
golfers to get a little bit shaky on these almost must make putts.
Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.
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