I have been a golf pro for 17 years and the one thing that amazes me the most is how little time people spend practicing their putting. Putting is the most important part of the golf game. Who cares if you can hit a 300 yard drive if you 3 putt on every green. During a round of golf over half your strokes come on or around the green and yet people spend hardly anytime practicing that part of their game. I will cover the two most important parts of putting;speed control and accuracy. Whether you shoot 75 or 120 for your round of golf , the practice tips im going to share with you will shave strokes off your score and will make you a better golfer. 

 How often during a round of golf do you hit a putt 5 feet past the hole or leave it 5 feet short? If this happens alot then you need to work on your speed control. Ideally you want the ball to roll 12-18 inches past the hole,so that you can always make the next putt. Everytime you practice your putting make sure to spend some time on your speed control so that you never lose your "touch" on the greens. 

 To work on your speed control start out 10 feet from a hole and putt 3 balls and try to stop the balls no more then 18 inches past the hole. Keep doing this until you can putt 30 balls in a row within that range. If at anytime a ball isnt in that range, start over until you can do all 30 in a row. Once you can do this then move back in increments of 10 feet and repeat the drill. Also work on this drill on uphill and downhill putts since this is where speed becomes the most important and difficult to figure out.

 This drill not only will not only help your speed control but it also will help you learn to read breaks in the greens. If you practice this drill and develope a "touch" on the greens I guarantee you will very rarely 3 putt again.

 Accuracy is important ,along with speed, in that you must start the ball rolling down the target line from the moment it leaves your putter face. If your putter face is open or closed just a fraction at impact you can send the ball offline. I will use a twenty-five foot putt as an example. If you start the ball a quarter inch offline in the first foot then you will be 6 inches offline at the hole. The drills i am going to give you will help you create a consistant putting stroke that will help you eliminate those offline putts.

 Find a hole that doesn't have any break to it and lay two clubs on the ground slightly wider then your putter head (lay them about four or five feet from the hole). Place a ball in the center of the clubs and try to stroke it without touching either of the clubs. This drill makes you keep the putter head on line the whole time and helps you create a consistant and repetitive putting stroke. Another nice thing about this drill is you can practice on your carpet at home and still improve your golf game during the winter months.

 This drill is a lot like the speed control drill except from a shorter distance. Find a hole and start one putter length away from it. Make 20 balls in a row. Remember that if you miss one ball then you need to start all over again. Once you can make 20 balls in a row from that distance move back another putter length and make 20 from that distance. Keep moving back until you are five or six putter lengths from the hole. This drill grooves your putting stroke even more. If you cant make 20 in a row then go back to Drill #1 because you aren't keeping your putter on the target line. 

 I like this drill because it breaks up some of the monotony of practice and it is fun to do. When your at the golf course to practice , challenge a friend to a putting contest. Putt around to different holes on the putting green and who ever does it in the least amount of strokes wins. This not only helps your game but it makes you concentrate on each putt because you dont want to lose to your friend. To make it a little more interesting make a wager like 25 cents a stroke difference ( or if you are doing this with a spouse or child make a wager like loser has to do the dishes , mow the lawn , etc). This not only makes you think on each putt it also helps you get over your nervousness on the putting green.

 If you ever have the opportunity to go to a professional golf tournament,don't just walk around the course watching the players,spend some time at the practice areas and watch what and how the guys practice.Remember these guys do this for a living so they know what it takes to improve their games.The pros who win the tournaments each week are usually the one who putts the best that week. I know that if you practice these drills it will improve your scores on the golf course.