Want to cover more putts? Try using this unusual training aid

Welcome to Play Smart, GOLF.com's regular game improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.

On almost every hole you'll ever play, you'll pull a putter out of your bag. Using such a high frequency, it's wise to get plenty of practice with the flatstick.

For many recreational athletes, exercise is an afterthought. Most of the work they get on the practice green involves hitting a few putts before they get to the first tee. But if you really want to turn your putter into a weapon, it's important to spend more time on the practice green.

Just aimlessly rolling putts won't help you much. If you want to really get the most out of your workout time, you need to have a plan.

One good – and easy! – putting practice method recently shared with me by GOLF Top 100 teacher Joe Hallet. And the drill involves an unusual training resource. Check it out below.

Use a tennis ball to practice putting

If you see a tennis ball on the green, you might think that someone has hit it there with a racket from the nearby courts. However, if you are smart, a tennis ball can be a great training aid.

Set up about three feet from the cup as you would any other hole-putting drill. But instead of rolling the golf ball toward the hole, use a tennis ball. This may seem strange, but putting a tennis ball has several great benefits.

“Unless the ball is hit well, it will bounce and not hit the hole,” said Hallet. “The other thing is, if it doesn't fit in the center of the cup, it won't fit.”

After rolling a few putts with the tennis ball, you will begin to figure out how you need to hit it so that it lands in the cup.

For your next series of putts, replace the tennis ball with your golf ball. If you look down on the ball and up on the cup, it will give you a renewed sense of the size difference between the cup and the ball.

“It puts everything into perspective,” Hallet said.

Try it next time you're on the green. If you can teach yourself to make a few putts with a tennis ball, you'll be surprised how much easier it seems when you replace it with your golf ball.

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Before joining the GOLF team, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists in all instruction and covers youth and women's golf. He can be reached at [email protected].