How to make more short putts with the gate drill

Most golfers can lower their scores by a couple strokes right away just by making more short putts.

The fact is short putting is all about confidence.

Practice will allow you to build more confidence and a great way to build confidence with the short putts is with the gate drill.

The gate drill was popularized by Tiger Woods.

Here is what you do…

Go to the practice green and find a straight 3 foot putt.

Place your putter 3 feet from the hole and place a tee 1/4 inch outside the toe and 1/4 inch outside the heel.

Now, place a ball just in front of the tees and set up to putt with the putter in between the two tees.

Make a stroke without hitting either tee.

Tiger used this drill to develop supreme confidence over his short putts, and as a result, he rarely missed.

In fact, according to his former coach Hank Haney, he would typically end a putting practice session by making 100 three foot putts in a row using the gate drill.

What this drill does is force you to make a repeatable stroke on these short putts, with a clubface that is square to your line.

I highly recommend that you incorporate this drill not only into your practice sessions, but also in your pre-round routine. This will give you a little boost of confidence before you head out on the golf course.

In the video below I demonstrate how to practice this drill on my Big Moss indoor putting mat, which I highly recommend.