Jackson Reid
Speed control is one of the most crucial elements of putting in golf. If you can control your speed more effectively, you will get the ball closer to the hole, which will give you a much better chance of making your second putt. There are several ways to improve your speed control, such as using drills and practising on the greens. One of the best ways to improve your speed control is to focus on your stroke, ensuring you are hitting the centre of the putter face consistently and repeating the timing of your stroke.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Importance of speed control | Speed control is one of the most crucial elements in putting. It helps to lower scores, keep the ball closer to the hole, and reduce the number of putts in a round. |
| Common mistakes | Many golfers neglect speed control, focusing instead on alignment and keeping the ball on the line. Sudden wrist movements can also impact speed. |
| Drills for speed control | The Leapfrog Drill, the Loft Control Drill, and the Speed Cake method. |
| Tips for speed control | Practice with tools like TIBA Putt and HackMotion. Focus on the mechanics of your swing, including rhythm, tempo, and swing length. Understand the concept of texture in putting. |
| Distance considerations | Speed control is important at all distances, from 8ft to 30ft. On longer putts, speed may be more important than the line. |
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What You'll Learn
Practise on the greens
Practising on the greens is essential to improving your speed control. Putting is the most important skill on the greens and arguably the most difficult part of golf. It accounts for roughly half of your strokes in a round of golf, yet many golfers neglect to practice this aspect of the game.
To improve your speed control, you need to develop a practice plan that includes different speed drills. There are many drills available on the internet, and you can also join a golf academy to get expert guidance. One drill suggests finding a flat spot on the green and setting up two ball marks about 18 inches apart, front to back, to represent an imaginary cup. From there, set up ball marks about a foot apart, gradually moving back to 15 feet from the "cup". The goal is to hit putts toward your imaginary cup, aiming to get each putt to stop within the 18-inch target. This drill helps you focus on speed rather than stroke or direction.
Another important aspect of practising on the greens is understanding the relationship between the length of your putting stroke and distance control. The length of your putt determines the right speed needed, and you need to control your speed effectively to get the ball closer to the hole. This means understanding the green speeds and adjusting the length of your stroke accordingly, which takes a lot of concentration and practice.
Additionally, improving the quality of your putting stroke is crucial. You can achieve this by consistently striking the centre of the putter face, also known as the "sweet spot", and repeating the timing of your stroke. This will help you improve your distance control and make it easier to get the ball closer to the hole.
By spending time on the practice greens and incorporating these techniques into your routine, you will improve your speed control and, ultimately, your overall golf game.
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Understand 'texture'
According to Golf Top 100 Teacher Jamie Mulligan, understanding "texture" is key to putting speed control. Texture in putting refers to how a perfectly stroked ball comes off the putter. Every golfer has a unique way of doing this. For instance, Tom Watson liked speedy putts, while Tiger Woods preferred a medium speed.
To understand texture, Mulligan suggests the following:
- Practice hitting basic 15-foot putts, but don't treat these as if they are for a certain score. Hit three to four balls, and feel which one comes off perfectly. The shot should make it past the hole, and it should feel like the smoothest and simplest ball rolled. Once you have that sensation and can repeat it, that is your texture.
- To get that roll sensation, buy a golf ball line marker. Once you have the line on your ball, hit some putts and try to see the ball rolling end over end.
- Hit a five-foot putt with your eyes closed, trying to feel the best sensation for you to make the ball go in the hole.
Additionally, here are some other tips to improve your speed control:
- Spend time on the practice greens working on your speed. Play games that challenge you to lag putts to certain distances around the hole.
- Improve the quality of your putting stroke by hitting more putts closer to the center of the face and focusing on the timing of your stroke.
- Develop the correct distance control to hole more putts and reduce the number of putts in a round.
- Control your speed more effectively on the greens to keep the ball closer to the hole, giving you a better chance of making your second putt.
- An even rhythm in your stroke is crucial for controlling ball speed. With better rhythm, the stroke will feel more fluid and repeatable.
- The more centered you hit your putts, the more predictable the distance traveled will be.
- Use drills like the LeapFrog Drill to train pure speed feel without any concern for the line.
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Focus on rhythm and tempo
To improve your speed control on the greens, it's crucial to focus on rhythm and tempo. Rhythm and tempo are essential for developing efficient acceleration profiles and building up energy in the right way. Here are some tips to help you achieve this:
First, understand the concept of rhythm in the putting stroke. The putting rhythm refers to the ratio between your backswing time and your downswing time. Adjusting your backswing length is key to maintaining the same tempo while rolling the ball different distances. If your backswing is too slow or too short, you may compensate by hitting at impact, resulting in inconsistent putts.
Next, strive for a smooth and controlled putting stroke. Avoid over-acceleration, which can lead to inconsistent putts. Instead, aim for a consistent tempo throughout your swing. This will help you control the speed at which the club travels.
Additionally, work on maintaining a stable wrist angle throughout your swing. Excessive wrist movement can affect your angular speed, making it challenging to control. Tools like HackMotion can provide feedback on your wrist angles, helping you optimize them for better speed control.
Finally, practice drills that specifically focus on speed. For example, the LeapFrog Drill is a great way to train pure speed feel. Place a pile of golf balls at your starting point and set two tees or coins 5 feet and 20 feet away, creating a 15-foot target zone. Start by hitting your first putt just past the first tee, and then try to make each subsequent putt go slightly farther without jumping the final tee. This drill helps you understand the relationship between swing length and speed, improving your ability to control the ball's distance.
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Use drills to improve speed control
Golfers tend to focus on distance when they should be working on speed. Speed control is one of the most underrated yet most frustrating parts of putting. Greens change every round, and uphill and downhill putts react differently. If you want to putt well consistently, you must adapt to these changing conditions.
The Loft Control Drill
Use the Loft Control Drill in the HackMotion app to work on your wrist angles. Take your normal putting setup and wait for the app to recognize your address position. Hit a few putts and observe how much flexion (lead wrist bowing) or extension (cupping) shows up in your stroke. Use the vibration feedback from HackMotion to feel when your wrist angles move out of range. Work toward minimizing excessive movement by focusing on maintaining a more stable wrist angle throughout impact. Continue practicing with HackMotion until you can consistently stay within the app’s target zone.
The LeapFrog Drill
Place a pile of golf balls next to your starting point. Set a tee or coin 5 feet away from you, and another one 20 feet away—creating a 15-foot target zone. Hit your first putt so it just passes the first tee. Hit your second putt so it finishes just past the first ball. Continue putting, trying to leapfrog each ball slightly farther without going past the final tee. This is a favorite among competitive golfers because it trains pure speed feel without any concern for the line.
Alignment Rod Drill
This drill, demonstrated by Shawn Clement, shows how the grip and swing of hammering down sideways can be applied to the golf swing. It just uses an alignment rod, so it’s great for practicing at home.
The Baseball Pitcher Drill
This is a simple drill, demonstrated by Seb Twaddell, that can be worked on at the range. Coil your body up like a baseball pitcher does right before they unleash the ball. You’re just winding up your golf swing, rather than pitching your arm! Bringing your front leg up and across your body emphasizes the wind-up in your backswing, then shift all the weight forward into the swing. This drill will really help the sequencing of your body and downswing, and it’s great for golfers who struggle with inconsistencies in their swing.
The Pull Down and Stop Drill
This drill works on helping train the hands to accelerate early in the downswing. By stopping your hands at the position where the shaft is parallel to the ground, you increase your strength all at the same time. Swing to the top with a full turn. Rapidly pull the stick down to P6 (shaft parallel to the ground). Stop abruptly. Repeat in sets of 5–10, gradually increasing speed while keeping control.
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Learn to read the greens
Learning to read the greens is an essential skill that can significantly improve your golf game. Here are some tips to help you master this skill:
Start Early
Reading the green should begin as you are walking up towards it. Take in your surroundings and get an idea of the undulations within the green. You should be reading the green from 100 yards out before you even hit your pitch/approach. Once you get there, you already have 90% of it sorted out.
Observe the Grass Grain
It is important to accept the influence of the grass grain if you want to make more putts. The amount of grain on a putting surface varies significantly. Some say if the grass is growing over the edge of the hole, the grain around it is in that direction. Others say the grass tends to grow toward the sun, and hence the grain goes in that direction (often towards the south or southwest in North America).
Understand the Terrain
When reading the greens, remember that every putt has a high point, a spot on the green where the ball begins to break toward the hole. If you are using the line on the ball, make sure to do it accurately. You can do this by checking it out a few times from behind to make sure it's close.
Use the Plumb-Bob Method
Many golfers use the plumb-bob method to gauge the slope of the green. Hold your putter by the grip and let the head dangle. Align the shaft with your target line and observe how the putter head hangs. If it points to the left, the green slopes left, and if it points to the right, the green slopes right. This method can help you determine the overall break of the putt when reading greens.
Visualize the Putt
Imagining the roll of the ball towards the hole is what green reading is all about. You may have to visualize the putt a few times before your mind and body connect, allowing you to hit a good putt. Practice the Two Dime Drill to improve your visualization skills. Grab two dimes and five golf balls, then head to the practice putting green. Find a medium-length putt of about 20 feet with a good amount of break. Place one dime as the starting point and the other about six feet away to identify the starting line. Hit all five putts from the same starting point and try to roll the ball over the second dime.
Remember, reading greens takes practice and patience. Spend time on the putting green refining your skills, and you will soon find yourself sinking more putts and improving your overall golf experience.
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Frequently asked questions
Controlling the speed of putts is a crucial aspect of golf. The right speed, along with the correct line and a good stroke, will help you make more putts. An even rhythm of your stroke is important to control ball speed. Striking the centre of the putter face more consistently will help with distance control.
The Leapfrog Drill is a great way to practice speed control. Place a pile of golf balls next to your starting point. Set a tee or coin 5 feet away from you, and another one 20 feet away, creating a 15-foot target zone. Hit your first putt so it just passes the first tee. Now, hit your second putt so it finishes just past the first ball. Continue putting, trying to make each putt go slightly farther without going past the final tee.
Hitting putts harder does not increase your chances of making them. In fact, it makes the hole effectively smaller and makes it more difficult. Instead, focus on your speed control and distance control to improve your putting.
