If you’ve ever stepped onto the first green feeling unsure of your putting stroke, you’re not alone. Whether you're a weekend warrior or chasing a personal best, establishing a consistent pre-round routine is one of the most powerful ways to build confidence—and lower your scores.
Renowned golf coach Grant Field, known for his work with top-tier professionals, recently shared his proven pre-round putting routine. Centered around feedback, alignment, and purpose-driven reps, his method combines simplicity with results. Better yet, it makes full use of Back 2 Basics Golf’s most trusted training aids.
Here’s how to take a page out of Field’s playbook and sharpen your putting before every round:
Step 1: Start with Alignment
Field begins every session with alignment-based drills—an essential foundation for great putting. All good players begin their sessions with alignment work, he says.
Using the Pro Path Putting Mirror, set up about 8–10 feet from the hole, slightly off-center to simulate a realistic breaking putt. Place tees into the mirror’s designated slots to frame your putter path. This setup helps ensure your eyes, shoulders, and face alignment are spot on. When the path is online, the ball starts where you want it to.
The mirror gives instant feedback and sets the tone for a purposeful warm-up.
Step 2: Add Path Feedback
Once your alignment is dialed in, it's time to focus on the path of your stroke. Add tees around your putter path to create a gate—tight enough that poor strokes will be exposed instantly. When the putter moves too far outside, it will hit the tees, giving instant feedback to adjust your stroke.
This element of the routine trains consistency and reinforces muscle memory for an ideal arc.
Step 3: Introduce Speed Control with Ghost Holes
After alignment and path work, the next step is dialing in your speed. That’s where Ghost Holes come in.
These simulated hole targets help you focus on both line and pace. Field recommends aiming at the edge of the hole to simulate breaking putts, while tracking how far past the target your ball rolls. The goal is to get the ball starting on the right line and entering the hole with the correct pace. If you miss, the feedback helps you adjust quickly.
It's a simple but powerful way to calibrate your distance control.
Step 4: Reinforce Visual Alignment with the String Line
To finish the routine, Field incorporates a String Line—a classic tool for checking eye position and starting line.
Set the string directly above your intended line, cutting through the center of the ball. As you make strokes, your eyes will learn to lock into the correct visual perspective. This helps check whether your eyes are correctly positioned over the ball.
Combined with the mirror and feedback drills, it adds one final layer of precision.
Confidence Comes from Preparation
This routine isn’t just about warming up—it’s about creating a repeatable process that reinforces the fundamentals every time you play. You're not just warming up your stroke but also building patterns you can rely on during your round.
With the Pro Path Putting Mirror, Ghost Holes, and String Line, you’ll be practicing like the pros and building habits that show up when it counts.
Ready to putt with confidence?
Start your next round with Grant Field’s routine and experience the difference a structured warm-up can make. Explore the full range of Back 2 Basics Golf putting tools to elevate your game—before you even reach the first tee.
