Golf Putting Tips for Beginners – Drills & Basics to Build Confidence

Putting may not be the most exciting part of golf to practice, but it will have the biggest impact on your score.

All beginners want to hit driver dead straight 300 yards, but the truth is, that will take some time to develop. What all beginners can do right away is become great putters.

By dedicating 20 minutes of practice a few times a week, you can alleviate pressure on other aspects of your game and develop professional-level confidence in your putting. This will help you shake the title of ‘beginner’ and advance to ‘intermediate’ or ‘advanced’ golfer a lot quicker than you think.

Next time you’re at the range, put the driver down and head to the putting green. Just doing that will prove you’re a serious golfer who wants to improve and wants to shoot lower scores.

Take these tips and drills with you to speed up the process and stop being called a ‘beginner’.

Beginner Golf Putting Tips (Key Takeaways)

If you don’t have time to study these tips in-depth, be sure to review these key takeaways to give yourself the best chance at improving your putting today.

• If you can only work on one part of your putting, make it distance control.
• Minimize your wrist action and keep your head still on all putts.
• Develop a rhythm and tempo that is uniquely yours and stick to it.
• Create a pre-shot routine that helps you read greens, create a putting stroke, and execute the same way every time.
• Always practice with a purpose and address your weaknesses first.

10 Simple Golf Putting Tips for Beginner Golfers

Putting relies less on mechanics and more on knowledge. If you know how to get the ball to the hole, then that is enough to be a good putter.

Use the information below to increase your putting IQ and then make it second nature by spending time on the practice green.

Master Distance Control

Getting the right speed is more important than aiming perfectly because most three-putts come from leaving putts short or racing them past the hole.

Work on drills that help you feel the difference between a 10-foot, 20-foot, and a 30-foot putt.

In simple terms, you can practice by rolling balls to the fringe or a chalk line without worrying about the target, just focusing on how hard to strike each putt. Mastering distance control reduces three-putting, making you a better lag putter.

It will also build your confidence with your approach shots because you’ll know that no matter where your ball ends up, you’re always a two-putt away from holing out.

Focus on Alignment

Mastering distance is your number one priority as a beginner, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore your aim.

Alignment is crucial because even the perfect stroke with perfect weight won’t help if you are not aimed correctly.

Many beginners misalign their feet, hips, shoulders, or the putter face. Use alignment aids on your putter or lay a club on the ground during practice to check your setup. Align your eyes directly over the ball and square the putter face to the intended line.

Your feet, hips, and shoulders should be parallel to the target line, allowing a natural stroke path.

Proper alignment eliminates subconscious compensation during the stroke, promotes confidence, and produces truer rolls. Improving alignment helps you start the ball on your chosen line and eliminates one of the biggest variables in putting performance.

• Video Timestamp: 3:46 – 8:20

Minimize Wrist Action

Great putting is largely a product of shoulder and arm movement, rather than wrist movement. Excess wrist action in putting leads to inconsistent strikes, unpredictable distance control, and variable face alignment.

Practice making your stroke more of a pendulum by rocking the shoulders and keeping the wrists stable.

Reducing wrist action produces a more repeatable, solid contact, allowing you to hit your target line consistently. It’s the foundation of good putting, especially under pressure.

Keep Your Head Still Throughout the Stroke

Movement of the head during a putt can throw off your line and affect the stroke path. Many missed short putts are caused by golfers looking up to see if the ball is going in before actually completing their stroke.

Keeping your head still and eyes focused on the spot where the ball was after impact helps ensure you make solid contact and send the ball on the intended line.

Start training yourself to listen to the ball hit the bottom of the cup rather than looking up. Training yourself to stay down through the stroke improves your reliability on critical, pressure-filled putts.

Use this drill with Hackmotion to ensure that you can drive your putting stroke smoothly without lifting your head.

• Video Timestamp: 3:00 – 6:02

Work on Your Tempo and Rhythm

Many putting errors stem from rushed or inconsistent tempo. All the best putters have a smooth, pendulum-like motion that is neither too fast nor too slow.

By focusing on a back-and-through rhythm, you develop better distance control and consistency.

Practicing a smooth tempo helps reduce tension, minimizes jerky or stabbed strokes, and promotes soft hands and controlled acceleration through impact.

Finding your natural tempo ensures that, regardless of nerves or pressure, you have a reliable stroke you can trust.

The Hackmotion system comes with a metronome feature that allows you to customize the speed and accompany that with specific drills. The app will alert you if your tempo changes, so you’re always practicing the same tempo each day.

Have a Pre-Putt Routine

A reliable routine calms your nerves and ensures you approach every putt with the same preparation and focus.

Your routine could include reading the green, taking a few rehearsal strokes, lining up your ball, and a last look at the target.

Over time, this familiarity breeds confidence, enabling you to handle pressure situations more effectively. It also prevents overthinking and paralysis by analysis. It’s very important to keep your mind clear and focused on execution.

You can customize your pre-shot routine, but ensure it includes these key elements:

• Always read the putt from behind the ball and behind the cup.
• Take practice swings while looking at the hole to get a feel for the weight control.
• Align yourself to the breaking point (if the putt breaks), not to the cup.
• Review your putting mechanics from behind the ball, but once you address and set up, all your focus should be on the putt and your target.

Practice with Purposeful Drills

It’s easy to hit putts mindlessly on the practice green, but focused drills accelerate improvement.

Use the customized Hackmotion drills or traditional chalk lines to challenge alignment, stroke path, and distance control.

Drills like the “gate drill” (see below) or the “ladder drill” (see above) target specific skills, making your practice engaging and effective. Regular, purposeful practice builds confidence and sharpens your skills faster than casual practice.

• Video Timestamp: 9:12 – 10:49

Use a Putter That Fits You

A putter that suits your posture, stroke style, and comfort can make a world of difference.

Putters come in different lengths, head shapes, face balances, and weights. Beginners are often stuck using a putter that’s too long, too heavy, or not suited to their stroke.

Choosing the right putter will be based on feel and comfort. Be sure to try a wide range of styles and avoid judging a book by its cover; sometimes the putter chooses you.

Getting fitted by a professional and experimenting with different putters can help you find one that provides a natural setup and alignment, better feel, and more confidence at address. A well-fitted putter is more forgiving, making it easier to develop a consistent stroke.

Practice Short Putts Regularly

Short putts (within 5 feet) make or break your score, as these are the ones you face most often for pars, bogeys, and hopefully birdies.

Practicing short putts daily breeds confidence and helps you ingrain a consistent stroke under pressure.

Short putts test your ability to maintain focus, alignment, and a square face at impact. When you’re confident from short range, you free up your lag putting and overall game.

The reassurance of “never missing from inside four feet” is a huge weapon, making you a better all-around putter.

Stay Positive and Patient

Putting can be frustrating, especially for beginners, but maintaining a positive mindset and patience is paramount.

Every golfer, even at the highest level, misses putts. Learn from your misses instead of getting upset, then focus on what you did right and what you can improve.

Enjoy your progress rather than obsessing over perfection. Consistent, positive effort leads to incremental gains and long-term success. A good attitude will help.

Final Thoughts

Putting is something you can improve much quicker than other aspects of your game. While perfecting your swing is a lifelong endeavor, getting good at putting can happen in a matter of weeks.

Dedicated practice with a proven system like Hackmotion keeps you focused and working on specific faults. It helps you address your weaknesses and makes them your strengths.

The user-friendly app is easy to use, no matter your experience with technology. It has been tested and redesigned over and over again to ensure it helps beginners understand their progress and improve fast.