The Ladder Drill

[Texas Wedge]

From the Golf Channel e-mail I received...here's a good way to work on your putting during the winter months where you may not get to play much, if at all. Here is the link if you want to see the photos that go with it...although I think you can probably get the idea easy enough just from reading it. :-)
Instruction - Online Lesson Details - Golf Channel

Ladder Drill

Game Improvement Techniques

Golf Channel

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second lesson in the Game Improvement Techniques series of drills you can do during the off-season to keep your short game sharp. If you missed last weeks lesson you can catch up by clicking here.

The Ladder Drill is a great drill to improve your distance control on long putts. It builds feel with the putter and teaches you to control your distance. This makes it easier for you to lag it close to the hole and make more two putts. Distance control is the main reason for three putting and being able to cut the three putts out of your round will dramatically lower your scores. This drill can be done anywhere and will keep your touch sharp year round.

This drill can be done indoors or outside on a putting green. It is a great drill to practice in a hallway or anywhere you have the space to putt from 20 feet. This can be done from any length that you choose shorter or longer than 20 feet. You will start by putting to a door or object trying to get the first ball to stop just before your target. Now for the next ball, you want to try and lag it just short of the previous putt. The goal is to see how many balls you can putt in a row, with each one stopping just shorter than the last. The balls will end up in a row and will get closer and closer to you, forcing you to adjust your distance on each stroke. If you hit one past the previous putt, you start the drill over again. You should get to where you can get the balls very close to each other all in a row till the “ladder” reaches you.

I think I may need to work on this myself this winter. My biggest problem is adjusting to the speed of greens from one course to the next.

[pick-it-up]

Nice drill- tried and true!!

Originally Posted by Texas Wedge

My biggest problem is adjusting to the speed of greens from one course to the next.

That's my problem too. Seems like it takes me 6-7 holes to get them figured out.

And the practice greens are never the same as the ones on the actual course.

[coralpro]

I think this only helps those that have a problem hitting the same putt approx. the same distance over and over and can't seem to adjust to the same type putt later. On courses we have graining, moisture, change of elevation, mowing habits. Many times you putt the first putt too long and then the next one is uphill slightly but you adjust to the feel of the stroke from the first hole and leave it way short. That doesn't happen very much on carpet or a smooth practice green. Generally when most people practice it is on a controlled surface where the moisture is not a factor or the surface doesn't vary in heighth or slope. Personally I never practice putting until I get to a course I'm playing that day unless I have issues just with the stroke direction itself. Generally that can be fixed the day of the play. I've tried some of the putting tips such as this but it didn't seem to help me on the greens at the course.

[Leaguegolf]

Most of us don't have the luxury of playing perfect greens that are always the same speed. My home course( public) has nice greens and maintains them well. That doesn't mean that the speed is the same on every green or that the overall speed of the greens is the same from day to day. If I play in the morning on Monday after they've just cut and rolled the greens I can't expect the greens to be the same when I play Tuesday in the afternoon.

Most putting drills are helpful in one way or the other but I find the ladder drill one that I wouldn't use.