There’s no better place to look for your next training aid than the practice areas of an LPGA or PGA Tour tournament. Part of loving golf is constantly trying to figure how you might be able to get a little bit better. And who knows improvement better than the pros? This putting gate Lucy Li uses can be found on Amazon for under $20.
The premise is pretty simple: Choose a short to mid-length putt, determine the line and place your arch a few inches in front of your ball so that if you hit your putt on line, the ball will pass through the gate without touching it.
“It shows you you’re starting it on the right line,” Li says.
The gates give you a target closer to the ball than the hole. When you’re lining up, set your putterface so it’s parallel to gate. The only way to get the ball to roll through the gate without hitting it is to strike the ball with a square putterface that’s lined up correctly. The square face produces an end-over-end roll. If you’re hitting the ball with an open or closed putterface, the ball is going to come off rolling to the right or left instead of square. Practicing with these gates will train you to line up properly, and strike the ball with a square face.
The gates come in sets of four. Li prefers practicing with the smallest one. The bigger the arch, the more room there is for error. You could start with the larger arches and move down to the smallest as you improve.
Incorporate these gates in your practice for more consistent contact, and proper setup.
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