Golf Tips: Putting Fundamentals + Two Simple Stability Drills

If you study the best putters in the world—players like Taylor Montgomery—you’ll see the same patterns: clean setup, stable motion, and a finish they hold every single time. Below are the core fundamentals, followed by two of the most effective drills you can use to train them.

Core Putting Fundamentals

1. Eyes Over (or Slightly Inside) the Ball

Proper eye placement improves alignment and helps you see the line correctly.

2. Ball Slightly Forward

Promotes a gentle upward strike and better roll.

3. Quiet Lower Body — No Weight Transfer

Stability is everything. Great putters rotate their shoulders without shifting.

4. Equal Backstroke + Through-Stroke

Matching lengths improves rhythm and prevents deceleration.

5. Still Head

Keeps the stroke on plane and the face square at impact.

6. Always Hold the Finish

Elite putters stay in their posture and let the putter stop naturally. This prevents flinching and stabilizes the release.

7. Model Example: Taylor Montgomery

Simple setup. Stable base. Pure rhythm. Always holds his finish. A perfect model for fundamentals.

Two Drills

Drill 1: Head Against the Wall

This drill directly trains the most overlooked putting skill—a still head.

How to Do It:

Set up with your head gently touching a wall or post.

Take your putting stroke while keeping your head in contact with the surface.

Your shoulders rock, your arms move, but the head stays perfectly still.

Why It Works:

Keeping the head stable dramatically improves contact, face control, and start line. This is one of the fastest ways to eliminate inconsistency.

Drill 2: Body Against the Wall

This drill trains lower-body stability, making sure the stroke is driven by the shoulders—not a sway or shift.

How to Do It:

Stand with your lead hip or thigh lightly touching a wall/post.

Make strokes without letting your body move away from the wall.

Maintain a centered pivot with zero lateral motion.

Why It Works:

Any movement in the lower body changes the arc, face angle, and contact. Keeping your body stable allows the putter to track naturally.

When practicing your goal is to roll the ball end over end as seen in pic the triple track lines on the ball are rolling end over end on the white line:

Here’s an example of of ball not rolling end over end . It’s obvious the putter has cut across the line:

You hear on the telecasts when they say “he’s put a good roll on it”.

A good roll will hold the line better and promotes better distance control end help on lip outs. Think of it like putting top spin on your roll.