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This is a good drill to improve your speed and feel on the greens.

The two important things you need to be a good putter are the right line, and the right speed. 

That’s why this drill is designed purely for speed control. You don’t really need a hole to do this, as you’re not actually focussing on a target, but it may help you settle better over the shot. I am putting to a hole here but I’m working purely on feel.

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If you pick the right line at the wrong speed, the ball won’t go in. That’s the theory of the drill. Place a marker down about 15 feet from your ‘target’ and, about six feet from that, there is another tee.

The idea is to put the first ball as close as possible to the ‘target’ – either the hole or a tee in the ground – without hitting it. Now see how many balls you can get in that six-foot area without the balls touching each other.

I usually do this drill with about four or five balls. From 15ft, you want your first putt to get to 15ft, next putt to 14ft, next to 13ft, and so on.

This drill works to enhance your feel and makes you think about feel, without you focussing on hitting your target or trying to hole out.

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You can try it anywhere, even at home on your carpet if you really wanted to. All you need are your tees for markers and your golf balls.

Speed is vital to holing putts. If you pick the right line at the wrong speed, you’ll not hole out as much as you should. Remember: speed is just as important as line.

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