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DRILL OVERVIEW · PUTTING CARD 9
Putting Gate: Start the Ball on Line
Your drill at a glance
This is Putting card 9, Putting Gate: Start the Ball on Line, in the Golf Practice Made Fun App.
Give your starting line a simple test you can see. Place two tees ahead of the ball and roll your putts between them. Each clean pass earns one point. Play 18 putts and record your total out of 18.
The gate gives you a specific target before the ball reaches the hole. A putt can pass through it and still miss the cup, so keep the gate result separate from whether you hole the putt.
Jump to set up the gate, roll through it or score your round.
Watch the Titleist gate drill.
Titleist Staff Member Skip Guss demonstrates a tee gate ahead of the ball, using the same starting position each time. He also shows how narrowing the gap increases the challenge.
Step 1. Set the gate.
| Action | What to do |
|---|---|
| Choose a comfortable putt | Find a practice putt you can repeat from the same position. A relatively straight putt makes the first session easier to organise. |
| Choose your start line | Decide where you want the ball to begin travelling. On a breaking putt, that starting direction may be to one side of the hole. |
| Place two tees ahead of the ball | Set the tees a short distance in front of the starting ball, one on each side of your intended line. Leave enough space for the ball to pass between them. |
| Aim through the middle | Place the putter behind the ball and aim through the centre of the gap. |
Keep the gate ahead of the ball. This task checks the ball’s passage between the tees.
Choose a manageable gap before you begin. Keep the same gate width and starting distance for all 18 attempts so your score represents one consistent task.
Step 2. Roll through the gap.
| Action | What to do |
|---|---|
| Settle into your setup | Use your normal comfortable putting stance and give yourself a clear view of the gap. |
| Roll the ball | Make a smooth putting stroke, sending the ball towards the centre of the gate. |
| Watch the gate result | Check whether the ball passed between the tees without touching either one. |
| Reset before the next putt | Retrieve the ball and return it to the same starting position. Check that the tees have not moved. |
Keep the feedback useful
| Action | What to do |
|---|---|
| The ball clips a tee | Record zero for that attempt, reset and try again. Note which side it touched if you see a repeated pattern. |
| The ball passes outside the gate | Record zero. Passing beside a tee does not count as passing through the gap. |
| The ball goes through but misses the hole | Record one point if neither tee was touched. Holing the putt is a separate result. |
| You want to narrow the gate | Finish the current round first. Try a narrower gap in a new round and note the change. |
If the same miss keeps appearing, record that pattern without immediately changing several parts of your stroke. The gate shows where the ball travelled; it does not identify every reason for a miss.
Step 3. Complete your round.
| Action | What to do |
|---|---|
| Play 18 putts | Use the same setup, gap and starting point throughout the round. |
| Award one point | Score one whenever the ball passes cleanly between the tees without touching either tee. |
| Award zero | Score zero for touching a tee or missing the gap. A holed putt does not override a failed gate attempt. |
| Record your total | Add the points and write down your score out of 18. The maximum is 18. |
Your practice record
| Measure | Your result |
|---|---|
| Clean passes | ___ |
| Total putts played | 18 |
| Final score | ___ / 18 |
One clean pass = one point. There is no extra point for holing the putt, and a miss does not restart the round.
Save your score on Putting card 9 in the Golf Practice Made Fun App. Add the gate width, approximate distance and any repeated miss to your notes, so you can repeat a comparable session.
George’s Practice Tip.
Keep the first round straightforward. Give yourself a gap you can see clearly, finish all 18 putts and keep an honest total. Next time, repeat the same setup before deciding to make it harder. There is plenty of time to turn two innocent tees into a tiny obstacle course.
To work on your preparation before each putt, try Picture, Look, Roll: Build Your Routine. For a separate alignment task, try Ball-Line Alignment: Aim Your Putts.
MAKE THE NEXT BUCKET COUNT
Pick a card. Practise with purpose.
