The Two Tee Drill will help you with your putting setup and a consistent path. Pro players are great at putting because they do the same things every time they putt. Perfect your setup and mechanics to hole more putts.
Not everyone plays the ball forward
I play the ball just inside my front toe
Two Tee Drill
Use an 18 inch metal rule to set this up.
I have marked “0” or the ball position, 6 inches back and 6 inches forward.
Set the tees at 6 inches back and 6 inches forward.
Going forward, I have set one indoor metal tee just far enough away from the ruler to allow the putter to pass.
The metal tee in the backstroke is against the ruler.
The idea is to not hit the tees during your putting stroke.
I film my stroke from the back in slow motion to make sure my path it not going out over the ruler on the forward stroke.
Blast Motion Golf is a good way to measure your path or putting arc.
I have additional tees set up for my toe line. That line is exactly 2 1/4 putter heads from the back of the ball.
I also make sure my stance is 2 putter heads wide.
So, the bottom line is setup up the same way every time and don’t hit the tees with your putter path.
If you hit the tee going back, you are taking the putter outside.
If you hit the tee going forward your are yanking the putter closed.
I usually do that when I start to steer the putter with my right hand.
Using a putting mirror is also a great idea for making sure your eyes are in the right spot.
I like to feel like my weight is centered over my feet with my eyes inside the ball.
I can tell if I’m leaning forward too much if my weight is on my toes.
Simple Rules
Most of us aren’t going to have access to pro level coaches and measuring equipment. However, there are simple measures that you can practice at home or at the course.
One is having even weight distribution in your stance.
By that I mean don’t be up on your toes. Maybe 40 percent toes and 60 percent on your heels.
The other thing is keep your elbows in or touching your midsection during the stroke.
Play the ball in the same setup location on every putt.
Make sure your putter face is square at setup.
The putter should be an extension of your forearms.
There are a couple numbers that you can measure.
- Distance from the back of the ball to your toe line. How far are you from the ball? Pros: 2 1/4 inches to 2 3/4 inches from the back of the ball to their toe line.
- Putting Arc: While they vary, most pros are around 14 degrees or less total backstroke and forward stroke arc. That would be 7 degrees open at 6 inches going back and 7 degrees closed at 6 inches going forward. The lower the total means your are taking the putter back and through with less arc. I measure this with Blast Motion Golf.
Examples
Here are the metrics for a real putt I just took using the two tee drill.
Obviously, not all putts are right on the money. The more consistent you are the better.
The image above is a screen shot from Blast Motion Golf. So, what does it indicate?
- Putter face was perfectly square at impact at 0.0 degrees
- Backstroke rotation was 8.2 degrees open
- Forward stroke rotation was 8.2 degrees closed
- Backstroke time was .58 seconds
- Forward stroke time was .37 seconds
- Tempo was 1.5: 1
The putter face angle at impact is 90 percent of making sure you start your ball on line. So that is perfect.
My backstroke and forward stroke are identical for a total of 16.4 degrees. This is pretty good, but could be a lot better as most pros are at or under 14 degrees total.
(Note: The zero face angle at impact comes from the backstroke and forward stroke being the same. That does not mean I aimed correctly and made the putt. It just means my putter face returned to where it started at setup.)
My error is standing too close to the ball at times. This causes on outside-in putter path. Hence, the two tee drill.
If I hit the tee going back, I’m most likely standing too close to the ball.
One last thing on the image above. The tempo is off. My best tempo is 1.7: 1 or counting to myself – 1,000 one.
(They say a perfect Tempo is 2.0: 1. That would be .60 seconds for the backstroke and .30 seconds for the forward stroke. Total time would be .90 of a second.)
Wind Exception
Note: This goes into the weeds a little, but it’s important to discuss it. Changing your ball position is a big deal and affects the entire setup and outcome of the putt significantly.
These setup measurements are precise. Your putter face should be square at setup using YOUR measurements.
If you change your stance in windy conditions, it will could change your setup positions.
If you play the ball exactly in the middle of your stance, it would not change. You would just widen your stance and still play the ball in the middle..
I my case, I always play the ball off my forward toe. I just move my right foot back a little on longer putts or in the wind.
Where you have to do some math is if your ball position is not in the middle or all the way forward.
Example: You play the ball 3/4 of a putter head off your front foot and you stance is 2 putter widths wide total.
In other words, 3/4 putter length forward and 1 1/4 putter length back.
Let’s say your putter is 4 inches in length.
Your normal ball position would be 3 inches back from your front foot and your back foot is 5 inches back from that. The total stance width 8 inches between your feet.
If you move your right foot back a putter length on windy days, it would change your ball location also. Now you have 12 inches between you feet.
My example uses even numbers. Fractions would make this dicey. Pros are very precise with their setup position and are consistent every putt.
I would rather keep my feet where they are in the correct position than widen my stance and get out the calculator on the green.
Mike Shannon
This is a setup and drill Mike Shannon uses to measure Pro and Amateur players. Look for him online.
He has the equipment and software to measure angles of your posture, arm position, putter face angle, putter rotation during the stroke and other things.
I would suggest visiting your local golf pro for more precise measurements.
My version is less technical. Simply, repeat your setup and start with a square putter face. Don’t hit the tees. Don’t swing out over the metal ruler.
I would suggest that you film yourself from the back and face on to take a closer look at what you are doing right or wrong.
From the TPC Sawgrass website:
Mike Shannon, a PGA Professional since 1982, began at Augusta National Golf Club as an Assistant Golf Professional. It was at Houston Country Club where Mike developed a niche for instruction under the tutelage of Claude Harmon and Charlie Epps. In 1992, Mike invented the Laser Optics putting system, which is used by countless professionals today. To date, Mike has worked with over 150 TOUR players and is regarded as one of the best putting instructors in the world. It is that expertise he can share with you to improve your putting! He is a GOLF Magazine “Top 100 Teacher” and has been one of Golf Digest’s “Top 50 Greatest Teachers.”