Tips FROM A PRO The Putting Gate Drill

Cody Mager — Head Professional at the Classic at Madden’s

Are you having trouble consistently returning the putter face back to square at impact during your golf rounds? If so, you might find yourself pushing or pulling putts. Fortunately, the putting gate drill is an excellent way to develop your putting stroke swing path and ensure that you create a more consistent putter swing path. By achieving a more consistent putter swing path, you will find yourself hitting your putts on your intended line more often. The drill is so effective that even Tiger Woods uses it during his pre-tournament round warm-up sessions.

To perform the putting gate drill, start by placing two tees slightly wider than the head of your putter 3-5 feet away from the hole. This creates a gate for your putter to swing through. Make sure that the two tees are inserted into the green surface snugly. You can give yourself some room for error when first trying this putting drill. During this drill, the objective is to strike your putt while allowing the putter head to pass through the gate without hitting the inside or outside tees that you have inserted into the green surface.

To achieve this, your putting stroke should be straight back and straight through. This allows the putter head to pass through the gate square to your intended line. Practicing this drill regularly will help you make more of the short putts.

This drill is a great tool to practice while you are at your favorite golf club. I highly recommend practicing this drill before your tee time and you should see more made putts inside five feet.