Hey y’all…
Been working hard on my putting lately and feel pretty confident about reading the breaks. But I’m really struggling with speed control. I can see how the putt is going to break, but I just can’t seem to get the speed right to match it. Sometimes I leave it way short, and other times I blow it past the hole.
If you’re a good putter, I’d love to hear your thought process on how you approach speed control. Do you have any tips or drills that help you dial in the right speed? TIA
Yo…Grab a few balls and head to an empty putting green. Don’t worry about aiming for a hole. Take a putting stroke like you’re trying to hit it 5 feet. Don’t stress too much about how far it actually goes—just focus on making a smooth stroke with good tempo. Then, hit the second ball to where the first one landed, then the third to the second, and so on. I usually stick to five balls. At first, you’ll probably hit some way past and some way short, but eventually, you’ll start getting a feel for the right speed. I always start my putting practice like this.
I’m not gonna lie, I’m not a great putter. When I was at my best a couple of years ago and was keeping track of my putts, I averaged 1.9 putts per hole and shot in the mid-80s. But then I stopped playing regularly for a while.
Honestly …why do people overthink putting. Just trust your brain to figure it out and get some practice in.
I totally agree, but I think you have to fully embrace that mindset to really be good at it. I’ve always seen putting as something you shouldn’t overthink. Sure, the green can be tricky, but at the end of the day, you’re just hitting the ball straight with a flat surface—the rest comes down to experience.
I kinda overthink the rest of my game, which is probably why putting has always been the strongest part for me.
You got to embrace some Ladder drill
Try rolling balls with your hand like you would with a putt. You’ll be surprised how close you can get it. Use that as a way to visualize how hard it is to hit the ball with your putter. For long putts, don’t stress if you notice a bit of wrist hinge—u’d do it naturally when rolling the ball by hand, so it’s fine to do it with your putter too. Just don’t force the hinge.
Also, try the ladder drill: putt one ball a certain distance, then the next ball a foot shorter, and keep going a foot less each time. It’s a great way to dial in your speed control…
Tried this at the chipping green today and managed to get 4 out of 8 chips within tap-in range, and the rest within 4 feet. Usually, I’m nowhere near that accurate, lol. 
Hit it hard enough but not too hard.
You got it …This is the way 
This might sound a bit wacky, but take this …try putting while looking at the hole, no matter the distance. I started doing this about a week ago, and I’ve only had 2 three-putts in 36 holes. Before I switched to this technique, I was 3-putting 4+ times per 18 holes.