The ten-putt distance ladder
A compact pace exercise that gives every putt a clear next target and a fixed boundary.
Distance control improves faster when the task has a boundary. The distance ladder replaces the instruction to “work on pace” with ten putts and one simple rule: each ball must finish farther than the previous one without passing the final limit.
Set the space
Choose a reasonably level section of the practice green. Mark a starting point, then place a tee or flat marker roughly six metres away. The exact distance matters less than having a visible end to the ladder.
Use one ball. Walking to retrieve it is part of the exercise: it resets the routine and stops the session becoming a rapid-fire hitting drill.
Build the ladder
Your first putt should finish a short distance from the starting point. Each following putt must pass the previous finish while remaining short of the end marker.
You have ten attempts to build the longest possible sequence.
- A ball that finishes short of the previous one ends the sequence.
- A ball that passes the final marker also ends the sequence.
- Start again from putt one after a miss.
Make the task fit the green
On a fast green, lengthen the space or make the first putt slightly longer. On a slow green, shorten it. Preserve the structure of the exercise and adapt the number to the surface.
The early putts train restraint. The final putts require commitment while the available landing zone becomes smaller. Both skills appear on the course.
Slope changes the pace available for every putt. Use the same ladder after working through a consistent process for reading a putting green.
Record one number
Write down the longest successful sequence. That single number gives the next session a clean benchmark without turning practice into a technical diagnosis.
When ten feels easy, change the slope, narrow the total distance, or run the ladder downhill and then uphill.
The ladder also forms the distance-control block in this 20-minute putting practice routine.
