Improve your putting by practising start line, distance control and short putts as separate tasks. Use a repeatable setup, a simple record of what happens and a practice surface that lets you judge the part of the game you are working on. Buying another putter or training aid is useful only when it addresses a clear difficulty.
Guide checked: 9 October 2026. This guide brings together the practical parts of our earlier putting articles and links to PGA coaching drills. It is general practice guidance, not results from our own equipment test or a promise of a particular score reduction. Source and related-guide links are direct.
Table of Contents
Identify the repeated miss
For your next practice session, choose one question: does the ball start where you intended, do longer putts finish near your target, or do you miss short putts from a particular side? Keep the task specific enough that you can notice a change.
Use a comfortable setup you can repeat. If you struggle to settle into it or your putter’s length makes it awkward, ask a PGA professional to review it. Equipment adjustments and stroke changes need to work together; a universal stance or height-to-length chart cannot settle every fit.
Practise starting the ball on line
A simple gate drill gives feedback on a chosen start line. Set a pair of markers just wider than the ball on a short, relatively straight putt and try rolling the ball through without touching them. Begin with enough clearance to make the exercise useful, then narrow it if appropriate.
Keep a note of whether misses are consistently left, right or scattered. This exercise helps you observe the start direction; it does not, by itself, tell you whether the cause is aim, setup or the way you deliver the face. The linked PGA gate-drill coaching offers a further demonstration.
Practise distance control without chasing every make
Choose several distances on a practice green and aim to finish close to the same target. Change the order so you have to judge each putt instead of repeating an identical stroke until it happens to work. Record short and long misses as well as successful finishes.
Use the PGA lag-putting drill for another way to organise a pace session. Compare results on similar surfaces; a change of green speed makes the comparison different.
Include short putts from several directions
Practise around one hole rather than only from a single easy position. The PGA’s putting-drill guide includes a short-putt circle exercise. It also separates start-line work from distance-control practice.
Record attempts and makes together. “I made eight” means little without knowing how many you tried and whether you repeated the same putt. Treat a session as useful feedback, then look for a pattern across later sessions instead of declaring that one good run has fixed the problem.
Adapt to the green you are playing
Use the practice green before a round to learn the pace and observe how putts respond to slope. Reassess when conditions change. A label such as links or parkland does not replace looking at the actual green in front of you.
Build a brief routine for choosing line and pace, settling into your setup and making the stroke. Keep it practical for the round’s pace of play. If you cannot identify a repeated issue, a coached session can help decide which practice task deserves attention.
Buy practice equipment for a defined job
A mat can provide a repeatable home surface, while a mirror or gate can offer setup or start-line feedback. Neither recreates every outdoor pace or break. Measure the available floor space and check the task the aid actually supports before ordering; our home putting-mat guide covers the equipment comparison.
For a club change, use our putter selection guide. Check fit and several shot lengths rather than assuming a new model will solve a reading or pace problem.