Introduction: Every fall it's the same story. The leaves turn, the course puts the flags away, and your putter goes into the closet until spring. Then on your first round in April you're three-putting from 20 feet and missing 4-footers you used to make without thinking.
It doesn't have to go that way. Putting is the one part of golf you can fully practice indoors. With a putting mat, a hallway, or a strip of carpet and 15 minutes a few times a week, you can come into spring putting better than you finished the fall.
Here's a simple four-month plan to get you there.
Your Winter Setup
You don't need much:
- A flat surface. A putting mat is ideal, but a hallway or low-pile carpet works.
- A target. A mat cup, a coin, or a tee in the ground (or carpet).
- The Big Ball. At 25% larger than a standard ball, it makes every target play smaller, so every rep counts for more.
- A notebook or phone. Track your makes. What gets measured gets better.
Month 1 (November): Rebuild the Fundamentals
The goal this month is a consistent setup and a square face at impact. Speed comes later.
- Gate drill (5 minutes): Set two tees just wider than The Big Ball, about a foot in front of it. Roll putts through the gate without touching either tee. The bigger ball leaves less room for error, so a face that's a little open or closed shows up right away.
- Eyes-over-ball check (5 minutes): Set up, then drop a second ball from the bridge of your nose. If it doesn't land on The Big Ball, adjust your posture.
- Straight 3-footers (5 minutes): Track how many you make out of 20.
Month 2 (December): Own the 3–6 Foot Zone
This is where most strokes are lost, and where The Big Ball does its best work.
- Clock drill: Put four balls around the target at 3 feet. Make all four, then move back to 4, 5, and 6 feet. Miss one and you start that distance over.
- Pressure ladder: Make 10 in a row from 3 feet, then 7 in a row from 4 feet, then 5 in a row from 5 feet. Write down how many tries it takes.
Holiday tip: put a mat in the family room. Ten putts during a commercial break still count.
Month 3 (January): Train Your Speed
Good speed control is what turns three-putts into tap-ins.
- Distance ladder: Without a target, roll putts to 6, 10, 15, and 20 feet. Try to stop each one within a putter-length past your mark.
- Back-wall drill: Put a towel or book about 18 inches behind the cup. Putts should either drop or stop short of the wall. This builds the "die it in the hole" pace that makes the cup play bigger.
Month 4 (February–March): Simulate the Course
Now put it all together under game-like conditions.
- 9-hole putting game: Set up nine putts from different lengths. Hole out every one and keep score. Try to beat your best score each week.
- One-ball challenge: One putt from 5 feet, no warm-up, every session. On the course you only get one chance, so practice that way.
- Switch back to a standard ball: In the last two weeks, alternate rounds of The Big Ball with your regular ball. After a winter of training to a smaller target, the hole starts to look like a bucket.
Keep It Simple: The 15-Minute Rule
Consistency matters more than marathon sessions. Three 15-minute sessions a week from November through March is more than 15 hours of focused putting practice before your first spring round, and most of your playing partners will have done none.
Conclusion: Winter isn't the off-season for your putting. It's your head start. Set up a mat, grab The Big Ball, and follow the plan. When the course opens in spring, you'll be the one draining 5-footers while everyone else shakes off the rust.
👉 Shop The Big Ball and start your winter putting plan today. (Teaching pros and coaches: check out our 12-pack Teaching Pro Package for your winter clinics.)