Zach Johnson is making his rookie season on the Champions Tour look easy. Six wins so far, five of his last eight starts.
Johnson has always been known as one of the best putters of his generation, so I went digging to see what putting tips he’s shared over the years. Here are my favorite tips and drills from what I found.
The “two looks” drill.
This is the one I started using as soon as I read it. Before each putt, Johnson takes two practice shots, one looking into the ball to get it parallel and set and one looking at the hole to hit speed. That second glance is not a glance behind the target; it is a complete practice shot made while looking at the hole instead of the ball. The moment you put the putter behind the ball, all that’s left is feel.
He also talked about keeping the shot itself simple, describing a thick 60/40 split between the back and the cross. Let the putter swing back naturally and then let gravity and the weight of the ball shorten the follow through instead of forcing a bigger finish. Less handling, more letting the shot do what it wants to do.
Try it next time you’re on the practice green. A practice shot looking down to putt, a practice shot looking down the hole to feel the speed and then trusting the shot instead of driving.
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Two other put drills worth stealing
The Four Tees speed drill. Johnson set up four stations at 15, 20, 25 and 30 feet with an alignment stick planted about two feet behind each hole. The goal is to make three putts in a row that reach the hole without touching the stick. Miss and you restart that station.
The 40-foot two-putt gauntlet. This is the one he relies on during the weeks of the tournament. He takes four or five random putts from about 40 feet and two-putts each. A three-putt anywhere in the sequence and it starts the whole set. It is a way to simulate the pressure of a real three-putt on the course.
Redefining what a “good” putt really means.
Johnson said his sports psychologist doesn’t ask him if he made the putt; he wonders if he hit a quality putt. This means that the routine looked the same, both looks were consistent, the rhythm of the shot matched and the contact was clean from the center of the face.
It’s a small mental change, but it works even for amateurs. Grading yourself just means that most of your practice reps will feel like failures, even the good shots that you missed. Qualify yourself on quality contact and a repeatable process means that you follow things that compound over time.
The place Zach Johnson has won 5 of his last 8 Champions Tour Starts. Try this trick next time you play appeared first MyGolfSpy.