PRO-TIPS: “Putting Like a Pro”

If you want to putt like one of the worlds best putters currently on tour, here’s some insight from my son Redford’s good friend and former college teammate at UNLV, Taylor Montgomery. Redford has had a front row seat watching Taylor’s growth from college to caddying for him on the PGA Korn Ferry Tour and on the main PGA Tour.

Taylor has used the same putter for 15 years . His number one drill is the gate drill as seen above . He uses this drill for 10 to 15 min every day during practice and before tournament rounds .

He is able to get his body aligned correctly and work on his stroke guarantying center hits and correct aim.

Here are 5 points that you need to know about Taylor’s putting game and routine:

1. Consistent speed daily: One of the reasons Taylor rarely 3 putts is because of his speed control. If he misses a putt he frequently leaves himself inside a 3 foot circle. With his great speed it allows the hole to be bigger and accept more putts rather than lipping out.

2. Great set up: Taylor is constantly working on where his feet, shoulders, eyes and body lined up during his practice. He used alignment aids during every single one of practice sessions.

3. Keeping his head still until the putt has left the face and traveled several feet: Taylor rarely will see a 3 foot putt go in the hole. He likes to listen to them fall in. This helps the putter stay down the target line. Many amateurs lift their head throughout the stroke causing inconsistent speed and line.

4. Consistent routine: It doesn’t matter if Taylor has a putt to win a tournament or for a putt for double bogey his routine stays exactly the same. This allows him to focus on his routine under the highest pressure situations. When he is putting his best he tells me he is never worried about the outcome and is only focused on a good routine.

5. Taylor is an incredible green reader: He scouts every putt from every side of the hole to try and understand the slope and break of the putt. It doesn’t matter how good of stroke you have if you miss read a putt it’s hard to make it. He uses a black line on his ball to help him aim at his read. Once he makes up his mind on the read he fully commits to that line with 0 doubt.

Taylor Montgomery has been one of the TOUR’s best putters over the last three seasons, consistently ranking top-10 in SG: Putting and top-5 in make percentage inside 10 feet. He’s also among the leaders in one-putt percentage and putts per GIR.

What great numbers! It’s clear to see why he’s one of the world’s great putters. The data from the GC Quad Putting App shows how brilliant his numbers truly are.