Putting and Short Game

with Chris Hill,
Concordia University Texas Head Coach;
2016 ASC Conference Champions - first in program history;
2016 Division III National Coach of the Year finalist;
coach of the 2015 Palmer Cup U.S. team;
2014 Jan Strickland Award recipient at the University of Houston, given to the nation's top assistant coach.

High-level performance on and around the putting green is what separates good and great golfers. Even if your players are not striking the ball well off the tee or hitting irons as accurately as you'd like, a refined short game can help you make up for it and shoot low scores.

In this video, Concordia University Texas head coach Chris Hill gives you 16 of the drills he uses with his team to make sure they're maximizing their putting and chipping. You'll learn Coach Hill's methods for getting players aligned correctly, what drills to use to get used to green speed at every course, and how to help golfers find out which club they should use for various chipping scenarios.

Putting Fundamentals

Coach Hill begins with alignment, swing path, and green reading drills that lay the foundation for successful putting. Items used in these drills include chalk, alignment sticks, tees, and even a laser. In every drill shown, Hill stresses the importance of going through the golfer's normal pre-putt routine to make each rep as similar to a competitive round as possible.

Upon completion of these drills, players will be able to get their feet, shoulders, and putter face in position for a consistent stroke. Additionally, golfers will learn to to straighten their swing path and recognize where the ball should roll on every putt, including the apex of the ball's path and where it will drop into the hole.

Determining Speed

Once athletes are sure they can line up and aim consistently, the next step in the process is striking putts with the right speed. Coach Hill provides three drills with speed as the chief focus, promoting the idea of hitting the ball hard enough to just get past the hole as the ideal scenario. Golfers will work on rolling the ball from different distances as they calibrate their feel for how fast the course's greens are playing.

Beyond the three speed-specific drills, Hill shows you additional putting exercises designed to put everything together, including Seventy-Four, Birdies and Pars, the Ladder Drill, The Tornado, and Blind Gate Drills.

Chipping Drill

The final drill details how Hill helps his golfers pick which club to use for bump and runs, pitches, and flop shots. You'll see how tracking the average distance to the hole from balls hit by each club can ensure the statistics are tilted in your favor on the course.

Whether you're a player or coach, this series of drills from Coach Hill will provide you with great short game improvement options. Begin shooting lower scores today!

44 minutes. 2017.