Control Your Elbow Bend for Better Putting Accuracy

This drill teaches you how to keep the bend in your elbows stable during the putting stroke. That matters because changing your elbow angles through impact usually means your forearms and hands are taking over. When that happens, the putter face becomes harder to control and the ball is more likely to start off line. By training your elbows to stay quiet, you encourage the stroke to be driven by your shoulders and larger muscles, which is one of the simplest ways to improve consistency on the greens.

How the Drill Works

The idea is straightforward: set up to a putt, then monitor your elbows as you make the stroke. Instead of focusing only on the ball or the putter head, you briefly shift your awareness to whether both elbows maintain the same amount of bend from address through impact and into the follow-through.

In many golfers, one of two things happens when the hands become too active:

The trail arm begins to straighten too much through the ball.
The lead arm starts to fold or bend more than it had at address.

Either pattern changes the structure of your stroke. Once the elbows start changing shape, the putter is no longer being moved in a simple, repeatable way by the torso and shoulders. Instead, you are adding timing with the smaller muscles of the arms and hands.

This drill gives you immediate feedback. If you can keep the elbow angles looking the same as the putter swings back and through, you will start to feel a more connected stroke. That usually leads to a squarer face at impact and better start-line control.

Step-by-Step

Set up to a short putt on a flat section of the green. A putt of three to six feet works well because it is long enough to make a normal stroke but short enough that you can focus on movement quality.
Take your normal putting grip and posture. Before you start the stroke, notice the amount of bend in both elbows at address. You do not need to lock them straight. You simply want to recognize their starting shape.
Glance at your elbows and make a slow practice stroke while paying attention to whether that bend stays constant. The goal is not stiffness. The goal is consistency.
Hit a putt while keeping your awareness on the elbows. You are trying to make the stroke without letting the trail arm push out or the lead arm collapse.
Repeat for several putts, using a short, smooth motion. If you notice one elbow changing shape, slow down and shorten the stroke until you can keep both elbows stable.
Once the movement feels easier, return your eyes and attention to a more normal setup, but keep the same sensation of quiet elbows and a shoulder-driven stroke.

What You Should Feel

When you do this drill well, the stroke should feel less like a hand action and more like a connected rocking motion. Your elbows are not frozen, but they are also not actively adding hit through the ball.

Key sensations

Stable elbow shape from setup through follow-through
Shoulders moving the putter rather than the wrists or forearms
Quiet hands through impact
Even pressure in both arms, without one arm dominating
Softer, more centered contact as the putter returns more predictably

Checkpoints

At address, both elbows have a natural amount of bend.
Through impact, that basic structure stays intact.
The trail arm does not suddenly extend to “hit” the putt.
The lead arm does not buckle or pull inward.
The putter keeps moving because your torso is controlling the stroke.

If you are doing it correctly, the stroke may feel simpler and quieter than what you are used to. That is a good sign. Many golfers are surprised by how much cleaner the ball starts when they remove the extra forearm action.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Locking the elbows rigidly: You want stable bend, not tension. Too much stiffness can make the stroke jerky.
Watching the elbows so much that posture falls apart: Maintain your setup and balance while using the elbows only as a checkpoint.
Trying to steer the putter with your hands: If the ball starts online only when your timing is perfect, your hands are probably too involved.
Letting the trail arm straighten through impact: This often adds a shove and can send the putter face off line.
Allowing the lead arm to fold: This changes the radius of the stroke and makes distance and direction less reliable.
Using too long a putt at first: Start short so you can focus on movement quality before adding stroke length.
Rushing through the drill: Slow, controlled repetitions are what teach the correct feel.

How This Fits Your Swing

This drill is part of a bigger principle in good putting: using the larger muscles to create a repeatable motion while minimizing unnecessary hand and forearm manipulation. Stable elbows help preserve the structure of your setup, and that makes it easier for the putter face to return squarely.

It also pairs well with any connection-based putting work. If you have practiced keeping your arms and torso working together, this elbow-bend drill gives you another way to confirm that the stroke is staying connected. Rather than making a hit with the hands, you are learning to move the putter as part of a unified motion.

In the bigger picture, better putting often comes down to controlling the ball’s start line. Speed matters, but even a well-paced putt has little chance if it starts offline. By keeping the bend in your elbows consistent, you reduce the small breakdowns that twist the face or alter the path at impact.

Think of this as a quick maintenance drill. If your putting begins to feel handsy or inconsistent, spend a few minutes checking your elbow structure. It is a simple way to restore a more connected stroke and get the ball rolling on your intended line again.