I rolled the ball better than I have in months the other night. End over end. Great speed. Felt unbelievable.

I made like four putts in 72 holes.

That was still a great putting session. And if that sounds confusing, stick with me. Because the way most golfers think about putting practice is the exact reason they don't get better at it.

A made putt doesn't mean it was a good putt. A missed putt doesn't mean it was a bad one. Results in putting can lie to you. A putt goes in and you think you did something right. A putt misses and you think you did something wrong. Neither is necessarily true.

Once you understand that, everything about how you practice putting changes.

The Trap I Fell Into (and Most Golfers Are In Right Now)

This past summer I had 11 three putts and a four putt across four rounds at the Ohio Amateur. I hit the ball great. Drove it nicely.

On the greens? Brutal.

Here's the embarrassing part. I spent years in college grinding face control drills. Hundreds of putts a day through gates and lasers. I got really good at rolling the ball online.

But I was going to the easy thing. Not the simple thing.

Face control is tangible. You can see it. You can measure it. It feels productive. Almost every putting aid on the market is designed for it. So naturally, that's where most golfers spend their time.

Speed control and green reading? Messier. Way more humbling. Harder to measure. So I avoided them.

And I paid for it.

Here's the thing. If you've been playing golf for a few years, you can already start the ball on your intended line. Your setup handles most of that. Face control at that point is maintenance, not renovation. The real problems live somewhere else.

I can't remember the last time I missed a putt because of face control. But I've missed plenty because of speed. Plenty because of read.

Sound familiar?

The Three Skills of Putting (and How to Actually Practice Them)

Putting breaks down into three skills. Green reading. Speed control. Face control. That's it.

Most golfers only practice one. If you want to actually lower your scores on the green, you need to spend time on all three. And you need to spend your time in the right proportions.

Here's the rule I follow now: two minutes on face control. The rest of my time on green reading and speed control.

Let me walk you through one drill for each.

Green Reading: The Tee Placement Drill

Green reading is the skill of understanding what the ball is going to do after you hit it. Which direction is it going to break? How much? Is it uphill or downhill?

A lot of golfers skip green reading practice entirely. They assume they either "have it" or they don't. That's not true. Green reading is a skill you can train, and it doesn't take long to see improvement.

One framework that helps is the clock system. Imagine the cup is in the center of a clock. A six o'clock putt is straight uphill. A twelve o'clock putt is straight downhill. Three and nine o'clock are where you'll see the most break.

You don't need a perfect read. You need a starting point. Knowing where your ball sits on that clock gives you one.

Here's the drill.

Pick a random eight footer with some break. Place a tee where you think the ball needs to start in order to reach the hole. Now line up and hit the putt directly at the tee.

Did you miss high or low? Adjust the tee and do it again. Repeat a few times from different spots.

This drill does two things. First, it forces you to commit to a read before you putt. Most golfers step up without a clear target. Second, it gives you instant feedback. You'll know right away if your read was off and in which direction.

You'll learn more about a green in two minutes of this drill than you will hitting the same straight putt over and over. And on a course you've never played before, this is exactly the kind of warmup that translates to scoring.

Speed Control: The Pullback Drill

Speed control is the difference between a one putt and a three putt. The data backs this up. According to Mark Broadie's research in "Every Shot Counts," PGA Tour pros only make about 40% of their putts from 10 feet. From 15 feet, that drops to 23%. From 20 feet, 15%.

The best putters in the world aren't making everything. They're eliminating three putts. And three putt avoidance comes down to speed.

For context, Scottie Scheffler's three putt avoidance rate during the 2024 season was about 1.88%. The average 10 handicap three putts roughly 2 to 3 times per round. That gap is almost entirely speed control.

Your body adjusts faster than you think. But it needs variety. Hitting the same putt over and over doesn't build feel. Solving a new problem every time does.

Here's the drill. It's called the pullback drill.

Hit a lag putt from 30 feet or more. Wherever the ball stops, pull it back one putter length (about three feet). Now try to make it.

Do this with two balls. Try to make three in a row. That's six consecutive makes.

My co-host Hayden, a professional golfer who competes on mini tours in South Carolina, says he can count on one hand how many times he's completed this on the first try. It's harder than it sounds.

Why does this work? Think about it. If you lag a putt to two feet, pulling it back puts you at five feet. If you lag it to four feet, now you're at seven. Every rep is a different distance, a different read, a different speed challenge.

The best skill in golf is solving a problem correctly the first time. This drill trains exactly that.

Face Control: The Straight Uphill Check

Face control is your ability to start the ball on your intended line. It's important. But for most golfers who have been playing for a while, it requires the least amount of practice time.

Here's why. If you've rolled thousands of putts in your life, your hands know what to do. Face control problems at that stage are almost always a setup issue, not a stroke issue. Check your alignment. Check your grip pressure. Check that your eyes are over the ball.

That's it. Two minutes.

Here's the drill if you want a simple check.

Find a straight uphill putt. Mark a spot. Roll a few putts and see if you're consistently pulling or pushing it. If you are, adjust your setup. If you're not, move on.

Don't spend 30 minutes here. This is a quick diagnostic. Then go spend the rest of your time on green reading and speed control where the real scoring happens.

Why This Matters for the 9 to 5 Golfer

If you work a full time job and only get to the course once or twice a week, your practice time is limited. You might get 15 to 20 minutes on the putting green before a round.

Most golfers spend that time doing one thing: hitting the same putt from the same spot over and over. It feels productive. It's not.

Here's a better way to spend that time.

First two minutes: find a straight uphill putt and check your face control. Quick diagnostic. Move on.

Next five minutes: do the tee placement drill from a few different spots. Get a feel for the greens that day. Understand the speed and slope before your round starts.

Last eight to ten minutes: do the pullback drill from different distances. Build feel for speed. Solve a new problem every rep.

That's a complete putting warmup in 15 minutes. It touches all three skills with an emphasis on the two that actually affect your score the most.

You don't need an hour. You don't need fancy equipment. You need intention.

Simple Does Not Mean Easy

Putting feels like the easiest part of golf. No power. No flexibility. You're rolling a ball three to 50 feet with all the time in the world.

And yet the hardest shot for some people is a three footer. You can hit a drive 250 yards straight but can't make a three footer. Your mind is what gets in the way.

That's the next piece of the puzzle. The mental side of putting, and the mental side of practicing with limited time, is something we're diving into on the Play Ready Golf Podcast with a special guest who focuses specifically on the mental game for competitive golfers.

If you want structured putting practice plans built around your skill level, your available time, and the facilities you have access to, that's exactly what we're building with the Play Ready Golf app. It launches March 29th, 2026.

You can sign up for early access and be first in line for a major launch discount. The first two weeks will include a lifetime deal that won't come back. Even if you're not sure, there will be a free one week trial so you can see how it works.

In the meantime, try these three drills next time you're on the putting green. Two minutes on face control. The rest on green reading and speed.

You'll be surprised how much better you putt when you stop practicing the easy thing and start practicing the simple thing.