Training aids for putting feels like an especially vulnerable admission of inadequacy or weakness. You might get a raised eyebrow or two on the driving range, but you can generally use different training aids for your full swing without feeling terribly self-conscious about it. On the putting green it’s another story. You’re so close to the hole, after all. Do you really need training aids to help you get the ball in it’s home?!
Maybe. That little 8-foot putt on the green counts the same on the scorecard as a 300-yard drive. That means if you’re willing to invest in training aids to improve the full swing, your putting stroke likely deserves the same investment. Here are the top training aids for improving your action with the flatstick.
Training Aids for What Matters in Putting
Success in putting comes down to 1) the ability to read greens, 2) distance control, and 3) the ability to start your ball on line. There aren’t any training aids to teach you green reading; consider an Aim Point class or just more time spent on the greens for that. Distance control is another nuanced skill that isn’t easily trained with a device, but you can find plenty of good drills to work on it. Starting the ball on line? Now we’re talking. Gizmos to the rescue.
Let’s be clear on one thing: starting the ball on line is about the face angle of your putter at impact. Your ability to contact the ball with the sweet spot of the putter matters very little, and the same is true of your path. Don’t believe me? It’s well studied and understood by some of the brightest minds in golf that contact and path matter much less than we previously thought. So, ditch the arc trainers and endless gate drills, and let’s move on to the training aids that can actually help.
Putting Mirror
There’s a lot variables in a putt that are hard to perceive. The slope, the grain, the wind, moisture, even the footprints of the golfers who played before you all have an impact on your putt. That means it’s important to at least try and eliminate the variables that you can. Enter a putting mirror.
Golfers must understand that setting up to the ball is a skill, and a learned one at that. Have you ever played one day and felt remarkably comfortable over a putt, and the next day quite the opposite? That could certainly be due to a lot of things, but odds are you are setting up different to putt and you don’t even know it.
A good putting mirror can help you practice setting up consistently. Adorned with reference lines, a mirror is a training aid that can help you ensure you are repeating your ball position, your distance from the ball, and your eyeline. We highly recommend getting a large mirror that will show your shoulders as well; setting up open or closed is a nearly guaranteed recipe for pushes and pulls. Use the mirror with regularity and you’ll begin to set up more consistently, and you’ll deliver the putter to the ball more consistently. That means the ball will start on line more consistently too.
The Tour Striker Smart Ball
We know, it sounds odd to suggest the Smart Ball for putting practice. It’s got “striker” in the name even, and striking a putt isn’t likely the visual or sentiment you want on the green. Clearly, we’re big fans of this training aid. Here again, it’s about eliminating variables. A wristy or inconsistent and changing arm structure is another way to introduce unwanted elements to your putting stroke.
Inflate the ball, place it between your forearms, and putt. The task of keeping the ball in place will quiet your wrists and invite you to perform that desirable shoulder-rocking motion you’re after. Again, consistent hands and arm structure will lead to consistent delivery of the putter to the ball, and on-line putts. Yes, the Smart Ball may be king among all training aids for it’s ability to help nearly all facets of your game.
The Stack System
Wait, this is a putting article, why is the Stack System listed? If you thought the Stack was all about speed, you haven’t been paying attention. At it’s infancy it was a speed training system, sure, (and it still is) but it has evolved to a complete golf training system. Stack Putting has become a huge part of the Stack (and is even available as a separate stand-alone product if you have no interest in speed).
Why? Because gamified and data-supported putting is the quickest path to improvement. If you’ve perfected your green reading, nailed your distance control, and you can start it on line at will but you’re still trembling over any putt of consequence, you’re still going to struggle. Stack Putting tracks your putting performance through it’s own series of combines and challenges you at each practice session to improve, replicating those on course consequences you might be feeling. What’s more, it tracks the shape and distances that you struggle with in your practice to help you target your weaknesses in future practice sessions.
Good training aids can work wonders for your golf game. The benefits aren’t limited to your swing either. Give a mirror, the Smart Ball, or Stack Putting a try if you’re looking to improve on the greens this season.