David’s Golf Drills · putting
Distance putting
Practice the part of putting that decides where the ball stops. Roll one ball toward the displayed mat zone, log Short, In zone, or Long, and let the next target adapt to your results.
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Configured putting mat; putter; ball
About 10–20 minutes, or ten scored zones
Stopping distance and short-versus-long patterns
Why stopping distance deserves its own drill
A putt can start on a sensible line and still leave a difficult next shot because its pace is wrong. Distance putting gives you a task where stopping the ball inside a zone is the main objective. You can concentrate on the length and feel of the stroke without treating every ball as a hole-out attempt.
The short, in-zone, and long entries show whether your pace tendency is consistent. A player who usually finishes short has a different question to answer from one who alternates far short and far long. Recording the outcome after every ball keeps those tendencies from disappearing behind a handful of satisfying putts.
The app changes the zone in response to your results. You practice judging a new stopping target rather than repeatedly rolling to the easiest marker. This is a mat-based pace task; it helps build an observed baseline that you can then calibrate on a real green.
Set up the zones and start at the hole
Use Advanced settings to configure the printed zones that exist on your mat. The putting drills share this setup. Make sure the boundaries are easy to identify and that the ball can roll freely across the mat.
For this drill, the ball starts at the center of the hole and rolls away toward the named zone. That direction is deliberate. Do not place the ball at the zone and putt back toward the hole, because that turns the exercise into a different task.
Read the displayed zone before placing the ball. If you change mats, floor surface, or zone configuration, note it in the session. Those changes can affect how far the ball rolls for the same stroke.
Distance putting app tutorial
- Open Distance putting
Use the page’s button to open the dedicated drill. Check the shared mat setup in Advanced settings, then start the session.
- Find the zone
Locate its near and far boundaries. Start the ball at the center of the hole and look along the intended roll toward the zone.
- Roll one putt
Use a comfortable stroke and watch where the ball stops. One ball is one logged attempt; do not keep retrying the target without recording those results.
- Choose Short, In zone, or Long
Short means the ball stops before the near edge; In zone means it stops within the named area; Long means it passes the far edge. The result is about stopping position, not merely crossing the zone.
- Take the next zone
The default in-zone target is 70%, adjustable from 30% to 90%. Standard bonus zones, the narrow strips numbered 16 and above, appear after four in-zone putts in a row. Missing a bonus does not break that run.
- Finish and examine your pace pattern
Review the short-and-long distribution as well as the in-zone percentage. Use the same setup for comparisons, and record any deliberate stroke cue in your notes.
How to practice the pace without steering the ball
Before the putt, look at the target zone and rehearse a stroke length that feels appropriate. Let the movement remain smooth rather than adding an abrupt hit at the ball. Observe the stop, then make the next choice based on the new zone.
If most putts stop short, test a slightly longer comfortable stroke for a block while keeping the setup familiar. If they run long, try a smaller stroke. These are practice experiments, not automatic corrections prescribed by the app. When both extremes appear, simplify the routine and investigate consistency before chasing one directional adjustment.
Use the zone width that belongs to your configured mat. A narrower zone is a harder task, so an in-zone percentage from one zone setup cannot fairly be compared with an easier one. The adaptive difficulty setting also changes the practice experience; keep it stable when you want a baseline.
How the mat lesson transfers to a real green
An indoor mat gives you repeatable conditions, which is useful for learning a stroke-to-roll relationship. Outdoor greens can differ in speed, slope, moisture, and grain. Treat the mat practice as a skill exercise rather than a permanent yardage chart for every course.
On the putting green before a round, roll a few balls over different lengths and observe the actual stop. That recalibrates your pace to the surface you will play. Return to Distance putting when you want a consistent task for monitoring your short-and-long tendency at home.
Choose the right companion drill
Aim putting uses one ball toward an aim target and records direction on the 3×3 pad. Adaptive putting mixes aim and distance challenges, with three attempts at each target and first-success logging. Distance putting isolates the stopping-zone task with one ball at a time.
Use the format that matches the question you are trying to answer. If the pace is inconsistent, a focused zone session is useful. If the pace is comfortable but the ball repeatedly misses to one side on aim tasks, spend a separate block on setup and start line.
Frequently asked questions
Do I putt toward the hole?
No. Start at the center of the hole and roll away toward the displayed zone.
Does the ball have to stop inside the zone?
Yes. Rolling through it and stopping beyond is Long.
Is the 70% setting a course benchmark?
No. It is the app’s default adaptive success setting for this mat task, not an expected outdoor make percentage.