Improve your putting at home with these indoor putting drills designed to lower your score and help you out on the golf course!
In the guide below, I’ll go over the gate drill, coin distance control drill, around-the-clock drill, and several other putting games you can play at home.
Comment below and let me know what your favorite putting practice routine is.
Best Indoor Putting Drills
Improving your putting doesn’t necessarily require a trip to the course or putting green. With a few feet of space and some basic equipment, you can improve your putting stroke and lower your scores right from your living room.
Even if you don’t have enough time for a full practice session, these drills can be effective in short bursts. A putting mat is a convenient tool for indoor practice, allowing golfers to work on their skills at home.
Below are some of the most effective indoor putting drills to improve consistency, accuracy, and feel.
The Gate Drill
How to Do It:
- Place two tees or coins slightly wider than your putter head on the floor and position your golf ball behind them.
- Position them 1-2 feet in front of your ball, forming a “gate.”
- As you putt the golf ball through the gate, focus on your aim to ensure you are aligned with the correct line.
- Putt the ball through the gate without hitting either object.
- Focus on making 10 clean strokes in a row.
Why It Helps:
This drill trains a square clubface and a straight path through impact. It helps ensure your putter’s face is square to the correct line at impact. Missing the gate means your stroke is offline, making it easier to diagnose and fix directional issues.
The gate drill enhances your face control and helps eliminate pushed or pulled putts.
The Coin Distance Control Drill
How to Do It:
- Place a coin on the floor about 3 to 6 feet away, depending on the available space.
- Try to putt your ball so it stops right on top of the coin or as close as possible, focusing on achieving the proper speed so the ball’s rolling motion allows it to stop on the coin.
- Practice hitting the coin target repeatedly, and use different coins at varying distances to add a challenge.
Why It Helps:
Distance control is vital for avoiding three-putts on the greens. This drill enhances your sense of pace and teaches you how to assess the strength of your stroke over various lengths, a skill that is often overlooked but translates directly to scoring.
Practicing hitting the coin target helps you develop a feel for rolling the ball with the proper speed, which is essential for consistent putting performance.
The One-Handed Stroke Drill
How to Do It:
- Set up with your usual putting stance.
- Grip the putter with only your dominant hand (trail hand: right hand for right-handed golfers and left hand for left-handed golfers) and hit 5-10 putts, focusing on a smooth, controlled stroke.
- Switch to your lead hand and repeat the movement.
Why It Helps:
This drill isolates each hand to reveal imbalances or over-dominance in your grip and stroke. Practicing with your dominant hand first helps you gain better feedback and control over your putting stroke. A smooth one-handed stroke helps build muscle memory and promotes a balanced, pendulum-like motion when both hands are used together.
The Around-the-Clock Drill
How to Do It:
- Place 4-6 balls in a circle around a cup or target (you can use a coin or cup substitute).
- Each ball should be 2-3 feet from the target to practice short putts and improve your distance control from this crucial range.
- Putt each ball into the hole (or target zone) in succession, going clockwise.
- If you miss, start over.
- Tip: You can also perform this drill with one golf ball, moving it to each position around the clock to focus on precise short putts from every angle.
Why It Helps:
This simulates real on-course pressure, forcing you to adjust to different angles and breaks. It sharpens your short-range consistency and mental focus under “make-or-break” conditions. This drill is especially effective for building confidence and accuracy on short putts from just a few feet away.
Indoor Putting Speed Control Drills
Three-Ball Ladder Drill
Set up three golf balls in a line, each progressively farther from your putting target (like a wall, coin, or cup). You can perform this drill on a putting mat to simulate a more realistic surface and practice under consistent conditions.
Putt the first ball to stop just short of the target, the second slightly past the first, and the third the farthest, without hitting the wall.
Why It Works:
This drill sharpens your ability to feel incremental changes in stroke length and speed, helping you dial in your distance control for various putt lengths.
You can make the drill more challenging by increasing the distance between the balls or targets, which pushes you to further develop your accuracy and touch.
Clock Drill for Consistent Stroke Tempo
Place a ball at the center and imagine a clock face around it. Putt to targets at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock using the same stroke tempo for each direction. Focus on maintaining a smooth and repeatable stroke, paying attention to your putting arc during each stroke.
For added control, try a variation using half-length strokes to practice precision and consistency.
Why It Works:
This builds a consistent tempo, regardless of direction or stance. A repeatable rhythm is crucial for reliable speed control on any green. Relating your putting stroke to a controlled swing helps reinforce proper tempo and mechanics for better overall performance.
Distance Control with Household Items
Use items like books, towels, cardboard, or even a club as stopping zones. Set them at different distances and try to land your putts within each zone. Mix up the targets and putt lengths to challenge your feel.
For added variety, try the drill with different clubs to see how the feel changes and to improve your adaptability.
Why It Works:
This simulates variable green speeds and helps you develop intuitive touch by focusing on feel rather than mechanics alone—ideal for real-world adaptability on the course. The fundamentals of distance control matter for all levels of golfers, making this drill valuable no matter your experience.
Common Putting Mistakes and Indoor Correction Drills
Alignment Error Fixes Using Mirrors
The Mistake: Having poor alignment can cause your putts to start offline, even with a solid putting stroke.
The Fix: Use a putting mirror or a hand-held mirror laid flat on the ground. Alternatively, use alignment sticks or an alignment rod to check your body and putter alignment. Place the alignment sticks or rod parallel to your target line to help visualize the correct line and ensure your eyes, shoulders, and putter face are square. Practice making strokes while checking your setup in the reflection or using the alignment aids for feedback.
Why It Helps: This ensures your body and putter are aimed correctly, helping you start more putts on the correct line with confidence.
Ball Position Drills
The Mistake: Inconsistent ball position in your putting stroke leads to unpredictable launch angles and roll.
The Fix: Lay a yardstick or straight edge on the floor and place the ball slightly forward of center in your stance. Use tape or coins to mark this position and repeat it for every stroke. Make sure the toe of the putter is aligned properly with the ball at setup to help control the putter’s face and ensure accurate alignment.
Why It Helps: Promotes consistent contact and a smooth roll by ensuring the ball is struck as the putter’s face is rising slightly through impact.
Wrist Control Exercises
The Mistake: Having excess wrist movement in your putting stroke causes instability and poor distance control. Many golfers struggle with this issue, leading to inconsistency on the greens.
The Fix: Putt using a split-hand grip or place a ruler or alignment stick along your forearms while putting. Focus on keeping the wrists quiet and using shoulder rotation.
Why It Helps: Encourages a pendulum motion, minimizing wrist breakdown and improving stroke stability and accuracy. This is a common area where golfers struggle, and these exercises can help many golfers address the problem.
Tempo Correction Methods
The Mistake: Having a rushed or uneven tempo leads to inconsistent distance and direction.
The Fix: Use a metronome app or count “1-2” out loud as you stroke—“1” on the backstroke and “2” on the follow-through. Maintain the same cadence for each putt, and focus on aiming at your target as you keep your tempo steady.
Why It Helps: Builds a rhythmic and repeatable stroke, which is essential for maintaining consistent speed control and confidence under pressure. You’ll also gain better accuracy by combining proper tempo with precise aiming.
How to Create an Effective Indoor Putting Routine
Building a consistent indoor putting routine is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your game year-round. Practicing putting drills indoors is a key part of improving your short game and overall golf game, as putting is crucial for lowering scores.
By practicing regularly, even just a few minutes a day, you can develop better mechanics, confidence, and a more natural feel.
Daily 10-Minute Practice Schedule
Keep your putting game practice routine short but focused. Dedicate 2–3 minutes each to key areas:
- Alignment and setup (mirror or gate drill)
- Distance control (ladder or coin drill)
- Stroke consistency (tempo or wrist control drills)
- Pressure putting (around-the-clock or challenge drills)
Tip: While it’s tempting to spend extra time practicing with your driver, focusing on putting can give you a real edge and help you outperform your golf buddies on the course.
Progressive Difficulty System
Start with simple putting drills to build confidence, then increase the difficulty over time to get progressively harder:
- Shrink targets (use smaller objects)
- Increase distances or stroke variety
- Add pressure by setting make-or-miss goals
- Practice breaking putts by creating angled targets to simulate putts from various slopes and directions
Remember, consistent practice—not luck—is what leads to real improvement.
Score Tracking Methods
Keeping track of simple things enables you to assess your performance and identify areas where additional work is needed. Use a simple log or spreadsheet to record:
- Number of successful reps per drill
- Misses and patterns (left, right, short, long)
- Track the outcome of each shot to identify patterns and areas for gain
- Weekly improvement targets
