Pro golfers do everything better than weekend warriors. They approach the course with more focus, they’re more dialed in when the pressure’s on, and they practice with an eye for details in each aspect of their game.
PGA Tour pro Phil Mickelson is one of the best golfers in the world, and his approach to putting can help any golfer avoid the frustrations that come with a shaky short game.
“A lot of people will hit the same putt over and over,” says Randy Peterson, Callaway Golf’s director of fitting and instruction, “but typically it’s a pretty straight putt.” Mickelson’s Putting Circle Drill is an easy way to add variety to any training session. He places five or six balls four feet away from the pin, and tries to sink them all in a row.
“You’ll get some that break left to right, some that break right to left,” says Peterson, “so you get more variety.” It also mimics what it’s like to play on an actual course and better trains the golfer for competition. “You don’t do this for ten minutes,” says Peterson, who does Mickelson’s club fittings. “You do it until you make all of them.”
After Mickelson knocks in all the four-footers, he moves the balls out to eight feet from the pin. Work up to sinking all the eight-footers before calling it a day, but if you can knock in four out of six, that’s good enough, and you can hit the clubhouse.
“It’s hard to simulate actual tournament competition,” says Peterson. This is one way a young golfer can do just that.
Phil Mickelson’s Putting Circle Drill

• Place five or six balls four feet away from the cup. Try to sink them all in a row.
• After hitting the four-footers, place the balls eight feet from the cup. Work up to hitting all of those in a row.
• When first starting the drill, shoot for hitting four out of six from eight feet away.

Source: Callaway Golf
Photo: pga.com