Your pre-putt routine and the 3-in-7 protocol
Solar (Thinking): Read the putt. Pick your line. Plan speed.
Lunar (Feeling): Exhale. Say "Roll." Execute.
Never mix the two.
The full v2.1 drill library — targeted practice for each pillar
Place two tees as a gate. Make 3-in-a-row from 3 ft, then move to 5 ft, then 8 ft. Progressive gate work builds start-line confidence under increasing difficulty.
Draw or lay a visible line on the green. Roll 10-20 balls along it. Pure start-line focus — the line gives instant feedback on face angle at impact.
Trail hand only. Roll 10 balls with eyes on the target, then return to two hands. Strips the stroke down to feel and removes steering impulse.
Start with a large target cup, then switch to a smaller one. Make 3-in-a-row from 3-8 ft, 7 tries per station. Shrinking the target sharpens precision.
The ball must stop 0-24 inches past the hole. Roll 20-30 putts and count how many land in the window. This is your speed calibration score.
Look at the target while putting — not the ball. 10 rehearsal swings eyes-up, then 10 real putts. Trains the feeling brain to control speed without thinking.
Each ball must match or pass the previous one by 12-18 inches. Run 10 sequences. Builds progressive speed feel and kills the "hit" impulse.
One tempo for all distances — change only stroke length. Putt to 10 ft, 20 ft, 30 ft with the exact same rhythm. The tempo is the song, the stroke is the dance.
Place a tee at your chosen die spot. Roll 10 putts aiming to die at the tee. Judge both start direction and pace — did you deliver the ball to your receiver?
Partner picks the die spot, you send the ball. Switch roles after each putt. Separates reading from rolling — each person owns one skill.
Same breaking putt, two approaches. Roll 5 putts with "drip" pace (dying into the hole) and 5 with "firm" pace. See how break changes with speed. Default to drip.
Strategy and common misses by distance
Common misses: M and S. These are the putts you should make. Fix with gate putts + drip-pace reps. Pure execution.
Common misses: G and M. Green reading starts to matter. Fix with narrow gate + die spot adjustment. Commit to the read.
Common misses: S and G. Speed becomes the main variable. Fix with speed window + re-walk the fall line. Two-putt pride territory.
Common misses: S and G. Goal is solid two-putting. Fix with eyes-up rehearsals + use a larger die spot landmark. Don't hero this.
The complete Umami Putting system
From fundamentals to freedom
Drills: Start-Line Gate, Speed Window, Eyes-Up Roll
Field: 1 Practice Nine per week
Build the foundation. No break reads yet — just get M and S stable.
Drills: Tee the Receiver, Buddy Caddie, Drip vs Firm
Field: 1-2 Practice Nines per week. Start Gravity Nine variant.
Now you read greens. Die spot becomes your focus. Learn to trust the fall line.
Drills: Ladder to Small Cup, pressure reps (consequences for misses)
Field: 2 Practice Nines per week. Add buddy games.
Routine under emotion. When your heart rate is up, can you still find fall line → die spot → build M → send?
Drills: Your 3-4 favorite drills. Gear tuning if needed.
Field: Full rounds with Umami Score tracking.
Lock in your cues. Know your tendencies. Own your routine.
Pendulum swings, no target rolls. Feel the weight of the putter. Get loose.
Set up a gate at 6-8 ft. Roll 20 balls. Count how many go through cleanly. That's your starting M%.
Speed window drill. 20 putts. Count how many stop 0-24 inches past the hole. That's your starting S%.
Find a sloped putt. Place a tee at the die spot. Roll 10 balls. Count how many start toward the die spot with the right pace. That's your G%.
6 full reps of the routine: Fall line → Die spot → Build M → Choose pace → Eyes at spot → Send. Slow and deliberate. Make it yours.
3 holes of a Practice Nine. Hole 1: start line focus. Hole 2: speed focus. Hole 3: break focus. Score each with the Umami Score (M/S/G).
Focus question on every putt: "Did the ball start on my intended line?" Score M = yes/no for each first putt. Speed and break are secondary.
Focus: MFocus question: "Did the ball die in the right zone?" Score S = yes/no. You're calibrating pace feel across 9 different distances and slopes.
Focus: SFocus question: "Did I pick the right die spot and start toward it?" Score G = yes/no. Walk the fall line on every green. Trust your feet.
Focus: GOne person reads the green and picks the die spot. The other person rolls. Switch roles each hole. Separates the two skills for focused practice.
2 PlayersAfter each putt, assign the miss: was it the reader's fault (wrong die spot) or the roller's fault (bad execution)? Honest feedback sharpens both skills.
2 PlayersEtiquette: Wave groups through. 1-2 extra balls only. Repair your marks. Move quickly — this is practice, not a putting contest.
| Metric | Baseline | Week 2 | Week 4 | Week 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M% gate @ 6-8ft | — | 70% | 80% | 85%+ |
| S% pace window | — | 60% | 70% | 80% |
| G% starts toward die spot | — | 55% | 60% | 70% |
| Two-putt % from 20-35ft | — | 80% | 85% | 90%+ |
Score each first putt on three dimensions: M (did the ball start on line?), S (was the pace right?), G (did I start toward the die spot?).
Each gets a yes or no. Score range: 0-3 per putt.
This is a diagnosis score, not vanity. A putt that misses with a 3/3 Umami Score means you did everything right — the green fooled you. A putt that goes in with 1/3 means you got lucky.
Screenshot these or use your browser's print function. Designed to fit in your bag.
| Hole | Dist | M | S | G | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ||
| 2 | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ||
| 3 | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ||
| 4 | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ||
| 5 | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ||
| 6 | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ||
| 7 | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ||
| 8 | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ | ||
| 9 | ▢ | ▢ | ▢ |
M = on line? • S = right pace? • G = right receiver? • Check = yes