Xander Schauffele explains a simple trick that helps golfers master the greens, giving them more confidence to make more putts.
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Fresh off his first major title, 2024 PGA champion Xander Schauffele has finally gotten the monkey off his back.
While Schauffele did a lot of good things at Valhalla, one area of his game that really stood out was his short game. And when he most needed a flat stick, he brought it.
According to DataGolf, Schauffele finished +1.22 in strokes gained: putting, placing T15 for the week.
One might argue that his scoring didn't win him the tournament, as he didn't actually lead the upper division, but it also didn't cost him the tournament – which has happened in many of his previous games.
But like all good putters, especially those that come in clutch, the key skill is learning the green. So how does a player like Schauffele dial in his reading to make sure he puts it close? By sticking to the following exercises.
Exercise by Xander Schauffele
In the video above, courtesy of Golf Top 100 Teacher Chris Como's Instagram, Schauffele explains the training aids he uses to help him learn greens during practice.
It's a product called The Putting Plates, which uses several tees to help players dial in green reading, initial ball line, putter aim and speed.
“You put the tee down and you're like, OK, that's where I want to start the ball,” Schauffele said. “Then you put your plate on it, put all your tees in, pull the string to make sure it's lined up right, and hit the putt.”
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Not only does the training aid help Schauffele get a feel for his putting speed and green break, but it gives him immediate feedback, allowing him to make adjustments on the fly.
“Without having someone there, you can let this plate be your coach because it tells you if you have chosen to study well,” he adds. “Is it hard to read, or easy to read?”
Whether you use this specific training aid or not, by putting the tees into the ground, you can practice both your aim and speed control – helping you become a sniper with your putter. So trying something like Schauffele's drill above is a great way to become a green master.
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