In terms of shaving strokes off your rating, the most effective abilities you possibly can refine is lag placing. By creating your really feel and distance management, you’ll go away your first putts inside a makeable distance, eradicate pricey three-putts and even enhance your probabilities of making these lengthy birdie putts.
There are numerous nice methods to develop your really feel on the greens, however Chris Como, a GOLF Prime 100 Instructor, just lately posted a drill from Xander Schauffele’s placing coach, Derek Uyeda, that I believed was value sharing.
Under is a condensed model of Uyeda’s “Eyes Closed Time Drill” from Como’s GolfPass collection “Swing Expedition.”
How Uyeda’s “Eyes Closed Time Drill” works
So let’s break it down. As Uyeda explains within the video, his drill is straightforward. Begin by setting as much as a 30-foot putt and hitting it along with your eyes open to substantiate that you just’re making constant center-face contact. Based on Uyeda, it is a important a part of lag placing.
“You’ve gotta hit the ball clear,” Uyeda says.
That’s as a result of constant center-face contact is important to supply the identical quantity of pace on each putt.
When you’ve established constant contact, shut your eyes and hit that very same 30-footer. After you’ve hit the putt, attempt to predict when and the place the ball will come to relaxation. You’ll be able to verify how shut you’re by having a enjoying accomplice watch your putts or by recording your self along with your cellphone.
Why does this drill work?
The eyes-closed approach works, Como explains, as a result of it helps you perceive how lengthy your ball goes to be in movement relying on the size of your stroke.
“That is essential for really feel as a result of a giant a part of the pace of a putt is principally represented by how lengthy it’s shifting on the inexperienced,” Como says.
The higher you will get at realizing when your putts will cease, the higher your likelihood is of leaving it inside just a few toes of the opening.
Como says this drill can be good for lag-putting as a result of it calibrates your notion.
“[This drill] is a good instance of coaching really feel, or our notion of issues, versus actual, the truth of what’s happening,” Como says.
Calibrating your notion earlier than a spherical will enable you to belief your really feel and cease guessing on lengthy putts, leading to a extra assured stroke and a stable strike each time.
Subsequent time you’re on the course, give this tour-trusted drill a attempt to turn into a greater lag putter and make extra two-putts — and perhaps even one-putts.
