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How to practice putting at home: six drills for a mat, a rug or a hallway

Two tees, a few balls and 15 minutes a session.

By GolfGiftPicks9 min read7 steps, 6 drills

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Drawing of a long putting mat laid down a home hallway, two balls on it, a putter beside it and a towel past the cup 15-minute routine
On this page
  1. The short answer
  2. Your putting kit
  3. Drills, step by step
  4. A 15-minute routine
  5. No mat? Use the carpet
  6. Putting tips: four swaps
  7. Safety at home
  8. Mat care by maker
  9. What stimp means
  10. Questions

How to practice putting at home: the short answer

To putt better without a trip to the course, check your setup, then train four things for about 15 minutes a session.

Your home putting kit: the basics and the extras

Every drill works on a rug or a hard floor; a mat just makes it tidier.

Basics

  • A flat stretch of floor
  • Your putter, 2 or 3 balls
  • Two tees or two coins
  • Painter's tape

Nice to have

Full swings too? See nets, hitting mats and launch monitors.

Putting drills at home, step by step

Six steps, one skill each. Step 7 strings them into a routine you can repeat.

  1. Step 1

    Pick and prepare the spot

    A flat floor away from doors, stairs and walkways, with a towel past the target.

    Sets up every drill
    Room seen from above: the door and the stairs are joined by a walkway, and the putting mat lies along the far wall, clear of the walkway, with a towel past the cup Door Stairs Walkway Mat, clear of the walkway Towel
    How to run it

    Unroll a new mat and let it flatten before you judge the roll. The towel, or a backstop, stops missed putts before they roll under the sofa.

  2. Step 2

    Check your setup with a putting mirror

    At address, it shows whether your eyes sit over the ball and your shoulders are square.

    Trains setup
    Putting mirror seen from above: the ball sits on the center mark, the target line runs through it toward the cup, and a shoulder line is printed near the top edge Shoulder line Target line Eyes over the ball
    How to run it

    Lay the mirror on the floor and set up over it. No mirror? Prop your phone on the floor behind you, film a few putts from down the line, and look for the same two things.

  3. Step 3

    The gate drill for start line

    Two tees just wider than the ball, a foot ahead; roll putts through without a touch.

    Trains start line
    Gate drill, seen from above: a ball, two tees just wider than the ball about a foot ahead of it, and the line on through the gate to the cup Gate: ball-wide Cup or coin about 1 ft
    How to run it

    Push the tees into a mat, or set two coins on carpet. It judges one thing: whether the ball leaves the putter on your line. Narrow the gap as it gets easy; a store-bought putting gate does the same job.

  4. Step 4

    The ladder drill for speed

    Zones at about 3, 6 and 9 feet; roll one ball into each, nearest first.

    Trains speed
    Ladder drill, seen from above: a start mark, then zones at about 3, 6 and 9 feet, with one ball stopped in each zone Start 3 ft 6 ft 9 ft Miss a zone: restart
    How to run it

    Mark the zones with tape or tees. A ball that stops short of its zone, or runs past it, sends you back to the start. It trains how far the ball rolls for the stroke you made.

  5. Step 5

    Short-putt streaks

    Hole a set number in a row from 3 feet, then 4, then 5; a miss resets the count.

    Trains short putts
    Short-putt streaks, seen from above: tape marks at 3, 4 and 5 feet from the cup, a ball on the 3 foot mark, and a counter with three of five putts holed 5 ft 4 ft 3 ft Cup 5 in a row, then step back
    How to run it

    Pick a number, say five. The reset adds a little pressure, so the last putt of a streak feels more like one that counts.

  6. Step 6

    One-ball rounds

    One ball, a new spot each time, and your full routine before every putt.

    Trains your routine
    One-ball round, seen from above: five marks at different distances from the cup and a single ball on one of them, rolling toward the cup One ball New spot each putt Full routine every time
    How to run it

    Look at the line, make a practice stroke, then putt. On the course you get one try from each spot, so this is closer to how putts happen there than rolling ball after ball from one place.

Step 7: a 15-minute putting routine you can repeat

Short and regular suits home practice. The same tees, tape and three balls every time.

Fifteen minutes split four ways: 3 minutes of setup and mirror, then 4 minutes each of gate, ladder and streaks 15 min

Your routine card

Swap in one-ball rounds on the days you want variety.

  1. Setup and mirror3 min
  2. Gate, ball-wide, 1 ft ahead4 min
  3. Ladder, 3 · 6 · 9 ft4 min
  4. Streaks, 3 · 4 · 5 ft4 min

One person's routine, not a promise. A GOLF.com writer did 15 minutes most evenings, with a mirror and a gate.

No mat? How to practice putting indoors on carpet

Thick carpet rolls slower than a mat on a hard floor, and every drill above still works.

Drill 6: a tape line and a coin

  • Tape a straight start line on the carpet.
  • Use a coin, or a cup on its side, as the target.
  • Swap tees for coins, and the gate and ladder work too.
Carpet setup, seen from above: a ball at one end of a strip of tape, a coin target at the other, and a cup laid on its side as a second target Tape start line Coin, or a cup on its side

Putting tips for home practice: four habits to swap

  • Avoid: Judging the roll before the mat is flatDo instead: Give a new mat time to lie flat first
  • Avoid: Practicing one distance all sessionDo instead: Mix in the ladder
  • Avoid: Rolling ball after ball from one spotDo instead: Finish with one-ball rounds: the course gives you one try
  • Avoid: Drilling start line before checking setupDo instead: Spend the first minutes on the mirror

Safety at home: five notes before you start

From the CDC's fall-prevention checklist and mat makers' care notes: house rules, not medical advice.

Keep it out of walkways and off stairs. Roll the mat up after use. The CDC's Check for Safety checklist says to fix rugs with double-sided tape or a non-slip backing; treat a mat the same way.

Putt only

No chips or full swings on a mat not built for it. BirdieBall's care notes list chip shots as damage.

Pick up the balls

Where small children or pets play. The same CDC checklist says to pick up things on the floor.

Follow your mat's care notes

Makers disagree on vacuuming: see the care table.

Check your floor's finish

Read its care guide before leaving a rubber- or latex-backed mat down for weeks.

Drawing of a putting mat rolled up and standing beside a closet door, with the balls in a basket and the hallway floor clear
Rolled up and out of the way after every session.

Keep the mat rolling true: care by maker

Makers disagree on cleaning, so go by the one that made yours.

Putting mat care, as the makers state it
MakerCleaningVacuum?Also says
Perfect PracticeVacuum it as you would any carpetYesPull the mat tight so the ball runs smoothly up the ramp
BirdieBallBrush with a stiff broom; spot-clean with mild soap and waterNo: a rotating drum can tear the surfaceIndoor use only; no chip shots
Any matStore it rolled when it's not in useCheck the maker's notesUnroll it and let it flatten before you judge the roll

From each maker's product and care pages. Choosing a mat? See the 6 best putting mats or our Perfect Practice review.

What stimp means for home practice

Green speed in feet: how far a ball rolls off a Stimpmeter, a grooved bar raised to 20 degrees.

  • Slow greens: 8 to 8.5 ftper GOLF.com
  • Fast greens: 12 ft or moreper GOLF.com
  • One mat: 10 to 14Perfect Practice: near 14 on a hard floor, near 10 on thick carpet
Stimp in feet: higher is faster.

Learn your mat's speed with the ladder drill, not the number on the box. A Stimpmeter explainer is coming in the putting mats hub.

How a Stimpmeter reading is taken

The bar is raised until a ball rolls off it at 20 degrees. Three balls are rolled each way across a flat spot, and the average distance, in feet, is the reading (GOLF.com).

Putting practice at home: questions golfers ask

How do you practice putting indoors?

Pick a flat spot away from doors, stairs and walkways, check your setup, then work through a gate for start line, a ladder for speed and short-putt streaks. A mat helps, but carpet works too, with coins as targets.

What is the best way to practice putting?

There is no single best way. A short routine that covers start line, speed and holing short putts, finished with one-ball rounds that use your full pre-putt routine, covers the basics. Hitting the same putt over and over from one spot is the habit to avoid.

How do you practice putting without a green?

Use carpet or a hard floor. Tape a straight start line, use a coin or a cup laid on its side as the target, and expect thick carpet to roll slower than a mat on a hard floor.

What are the best putting drills?

For home practice: the gate drill for start line, the ladder drill for speed, short-putt streaks for holing out with a little pressure, and one-ball rounds for your routine. Together they cover what a home floor can train.

What is a putting gate?

Two tees, or a store-bought gate, set just wider than the ball about a foot in front of it. Rolling the ball through without touching either side shows whether it started on your line.

What is the ladder drill in putting?

A speed drill. Mark zones at roughly 3, 6 and 9 feet and roll each ball into the next zone. A ball that misses its zone sends you back to the start.

What is stimp?

A measure of green speed: how many feet a ball rolls after leaving a Stimpmeter, a grooved bar raised until the ball releases at 20 degrees. Higher is faster. GOLF.com calls about 8 to 8.5 feet slow and 12 feet or more fast; Perfect Practice says its mat rolls 10 to 14, depending on the floor under it.

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