Getting better at putting doesn't just happen by mistake. It takes hard work, dedication and a clear putting improvement guide that focuses on highlighting and addressing your areas for development on the greens.
The best putting tips and drills should be engaging and simple to carry out, and these four examples certainly tick those boxes thanks to the use of a few quirky training aids that most of you will find somewhere in your home.
After helping golfers of all abilities for decades, from beginner players to elite professionals, Sarah Bennett is a true expert that we should all listen to if we are remotely serious about improving our game.
In this article, Sarah shares some of her best golf drills that could make 2026 your greatest ever year on the greens...
4 Putting Drills To Make 2026 Your Best Year On The Greens
I love these four putting drills for amateur golfers, as they utilise everyday household items to help your fire up the flat stick on the greens. Remember, going to a practice session without a plan is one of the seven things you should never do at the driving range.
So, save 15 minutes at the end of your next range session and take these four drills to the practice green with you to try...
1. Alignment Stick Drill
Attach two alignment sticks together with elastic bands approximately 3ins from the ends of the rods, placing the other ends under your armpits.
At first, just practise the feel and momentum of the stroke without a putter in your hands. You can even do this at home. The aim is for the shoulders to move in a connected, uninhibited putting motion.
Then, strike some putts letting the putter rest where the elastic bands are, with your hands underneath the sticks and your forearms resting on them.
This drill prevents too much independent wrist action and promotes a feeling of the forearms remaining level. Try it for both short and long putts.
2. Towel Drill
This is a super drill to improve your strike. Place a tightly rolled towel down, firm enough to maintain its ‘roll’.
Take your putting stance on the towel and, at first, just focus on maintaining balance and stability. Make a few putts concentrating on keeping the weight in the centre of your feet, not tipping towards your toes or heels.
When you remove the towel to hit some putts, you should feel rock-solid as this helps to stop unwanted lower-body movement.
3. Putter Face Position Drill
This drill offers feedback on face position at impact. Set two balls down together, place your putter head behind the pair and try to hit a 6ft putt.
Both balls should roll together, at the same pace, and finish level with each other. If the ball nearer your feet heads off first, you have opened the face (a push).
4. Centred Strike Drill
Striking the centre of the face is a key area to focus on to improve your putting, both for distance and direction.
Place two bits of Blu Tack (or similar) on the face a little wider apart than a golf ball, one towards the toe the other towards the heel.
The aim is to strike that sweet spot in the centre. After five successful strikes, make the challenge harder by moving the Blu Tack blobs closer together. You will, of course, know about it if you miss the centre – as the strike will feel ‘dead’ and the ball will veer off.
What Grip Should I Use When Putting?
As I referenced in my recent article for Golf Monthly, on whether it's time to try a new putting grip, there are plenty of options available.
The claw grip is a particularly popular method at the moment, used by many tour players including men's World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, but you can also try the left hand low putting grip or the reverse overlap.
The fundamentals around how to grip a putter are crucially important, so whichever method you try - be sure to get the basics right before trying it on the course.
Putting Improvement: A Key Part Of Your Winter Golf Rebuild
This winter, Golf Monthly's lead instruction writer Baz Plummer has been going through a complete winter golf rebuild with the help of two experts.
Head Pro at Sand Moor Golf Club, Alex James, has been helping Baz to sharpen up his golf game while fitness expert Mark Wilson has been supporting Baz with a series of fitness exercises that have already helped to make him a better golfer.
In the golf specific sessions, Alex has put Baz through his paces with some simple putting baseline tests - focusing on both short and long range putting.
Try this one for yourself the next time you head to the practice green, as it could tell you a lot about the types of drill you need to work in as you search for improvement on the greens.
Set up a box around 15-feet away from you using four tee pegs. Hit five balls, one after another, aiming to stop each inside the marked zone. Repeat this three times and try to beat your score.
Re-set this drill at different distances (10ft, 20ft, 30ft) and review your results. If you can get pace control right with the putter in hand, you have already solved one very difficult part of the equation.
Want to challenge yourself further? Try making the box smaller, or for shorter distances put the box around a hole, giving yourself one point for every ball inside the box and three points for each ball holed.
