Speed on the Greens....Avoid the 3 Putt!!

The great thing about the game of golf is that no two courses are similar. With this comes different green speeds. So how do you adjust to the speed of those new greens before your round? If you are competing in an event you will more than likely have one or two days practice on them and more than likely you will have a few drills set up already. But for the guy going out on a business trip to a new course or just a fun trip for the weekend, you do not want to show up on the first hole with no knowledge or feel of the greens. There are a couple quick 15 minute drills you can do to get some confidence on the green before starting your round. The first requires 5 tees to be stuck in the ground, one 15 feet from the hole the second 20, and you go increments of 5 until you get to 35 feet. Obviously you can choose the distance for yourself but you get the idea. Next putt from those 5 distances and challenge yourself each time to a perimeter around the hole. If it is your first time try getting the ball past the hole every time but no further past than 4 feet. Once you feel more comfortable you can set up new challenges. The second drill is more feeling the putt than visualizing it. Take 2 or 3 balls and just putt to the edge of the fringe about 30-40 feet away. Again challenge yourself each time by trying to get the ball as close to the fringe with out actually hitting it. These two quick drills will help with the speed on the greens and avoid a 3 or dare I say...a 4 putt....yikes.