For starters, he enjoys the art of putting. Watch him go about his business on the practice green (as we recently did at The Belfry) and that much is clear. There are other reasons, too – five of them, you might say.
Over the next few pages, Sullivan talks us through his favourite putting drills – exercises that have become part of his routine in the lead-up to tournaments, immediately prior to play and back home at Stratford-on-Avon Golf Club. He swears by them, and if you’re serious about improving your performance on the greens, you’d do well to adopt one or two yourself.
1 Stack 'em up
This is my go-to drill when working on pace control. I start by marking out a five-foot gap between two tees. Then, I pop another tee down about ten feet away to mark where I’m going to putt from. The aim is to ‘stack’ the balls up in the gap. Each one has to go further than the last. However, no ball is allowed to finish outside this five-foot zone. My first putt has to make it inside this area, too. If it doesn’t, I have to start again.
I once saw Marc Warren get 11 in, which is pretty impressive. Normally, if you can get five in, you’re doing really well. When I’m dialled in, I can just inch each ball slightly further than the last. I love this drill because there’s no hole involved, and it gives me a great sense of the pace of the greens before I go out and play.
Try repeating this drill three or four times before you go out and play at the weekend – as opposed to quickly just throwing some balls down and trying to hole them – and I guarantee it’ll be a more effective warm-up.
2 The spiral
This story is from the February 2022 edition of Golf Monthly.
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This story is from the February 2022 edition of Golf Monthly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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Is it Time for the Presidents Cup to Be Scrapped? - The next instalment of the USA v Internationals match takes place in Canada at the end of September. But should the one-sided affair continue?
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