Jacob Bridgeman he’s on a roll with his putter, and the numbers are pretty wild. This season, he led the field with 63,585 Total Strokes Gained: Putting, more than 23 strokes ahead of the next best player at 40.43. In other words, his putter gives him a serious advantage over his competitors.
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So, what is the secret of his success on the greens? Surprisingly, Bridgeman keeps things pretty simple. He doesn’t get caught up in his stroke or get caught up in the mechanics. Instead, he focuses on his starting line, distance control and building his consistency from close range.
In a recent video with TaylorMade, Bridgeman takes us inside his game on the green, sharing everything from his setup to his green-reading process, as well as a step-by-step breakdown of his entire warm-up routine. You can watch the full video above or use the keys listed below to steal his practice routine and boost your performance on the green.
1. Start-line drill
Bridgeman opens each warm-up with a simple starting drill. He explains that he’s looking for a four- to six-foot putt that’s dead straight and slightly uphill when setting up his putting plate. When he puts the tees to form a gate to his ball and the front of his putting plate, Bridgeman explains his purpose for the drill.
“The basis of it is if I can hit maybe 10 putts that go through the tees, this tight gate, then I’m pretty confident I can start any putt down the line,” he says.
2. Get comfortable from short range
Next, Bridgeman moves around the hole, starting with four feet before gradually working his way back to six feet. He takes two or three putts from different places, using the reps to practice not only making putts, but controlling his speed.
When using three balls, Bridgemant likes to vary the pace of each putt. He explains that he likes to see the first one just fall on the front edge. He hits the second putt at his normal “face” speed, and the third a little slower. It’s a simple way to get comfortable making putts at different speeds while building confidence from a range where every mark matters.
“So when I get off the first hole and it’s my first putt of the day, I’ve already made 30 putts within six feet.”
3. Work your way back
From there, Bridgeman moves to seven and a half nine feet, using straight putts to set his pace before working his way to breaking putts.
“I’m just a little longer trying to match my speed,” Bridgeman says.
4. Learn by watching
Bridgeman doesn’t spend much time in formal green reading exercises. Instead, pay attention to how the putts roll – your own and everyone else’s.
“Someone told me a while back, they said the more you can build your library of seeing putts go in, the better green player you’ll be,” he says.
5. Finish with real-life scenarios
Rather than putting your mind in the same place, Bridgeman prefers to end each warm-up with realistic scenarios. This allows them to practice their entire routine and commit to every putt, while also simulating some of the pressure they will feel during their round.
“(The only real) practice I do is kind of real-life scenarios,” says Bridgeman, “I’ll really focus for 15 minutes, go through this complete routine, and try to do them all.”
Bridgeman’s approach proves that practice doesn’t have to be complicated. Develop a consistent, comfortable starting line in six feet and learn to trust your reading.
As he says: “The less I do, the less can go wrong.”