Training Series: Golf Exercise #3 – Making Short Putts with Confidence Using the Phil Mickelson Putt Circle

Do you know golf star Phil Mickelson’s favorite putting drill? If not, you should incorporate it into your training routine, because it’s one of the best putting drills out there.

In Phil Mickelson’s DVD titled “Secrets of the Short Game,” Phil demonstrates his best drills—including the one described below—and explains why it’s so effective.

It’s actually quite simple: you take 10 tees, 10 balls, a hole with a break, and your putter. Then you place the tees on the green about a putter’s length away from the hole and set the balls next to them. You now have, so to speak, ten putts of about 1.20 meters in front of you, each with a different break.

There are only five balls in the photo because that’s all I had left in my bag that day. But it works just the same. The goal now is to sink 100 balls in a row, proceeding clockwise. As soon as you miss one, you start over. Since this can be really nerve-wracking and is on par with the level of a major champion, you can of course set smaller goals for yourself. I (HCP of +2) usually go up to 50.

By the way, Phil Mickelson also says he does this drill 2–3 times a week. But I can tell you that doing it just once a week makes a huge difference. It makes your putts on the course much more reliable, and they practically drop in on their own.

Why is Phil practicing these putts now? It’s simple: when he plays toward the flag (mainly with wedges), he tries to land the ball right inside this 1.20-meter circle. This ties back to Exercise #1. If he can do that, he knows he’ll make this putt 100% of the time (provided he completed the exercise without any mistakes). Exercise #1 is a good drill for controlling distance when pitching.

A great addition: Tiger Woods' putting drill

By the way, Tiger Woods’ favorite drill for short putts is this: He sticks two tees into the ground above and below the putter head and then puts without touching the tees. He repeats this many times, which helps him improve his impact.