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I’ve always said that putting is the great equalizer in golf.
Sure, you might not be able to
golfers who continuously 3-putt
Thing is, putting practice isn’t sexy, so most amateur and beginner golfers just skip it. Instead, they head to the driving range and work on different full-swing golf tips or trying to get more distance with their driver.
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But if you’re really serious about shaving strokes off your scorecard, improving your putting stats is the first place to start.
And for those who need some putting tips to see better results, I tapped former PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Nick Dunlap for some insight. So check out the video below to see how Dunlap warms up and ensures he squares the face of his putter, gets great contact, and has more control of his putts.
Try Nick Dunlap’s Putting Tip for Better Results
If controlling the face of your putter feels like a guessing game, Nick Dunlap has a great drill that requires only your putter and two golf balls.
As Dunlap demonstrates in the video above, take your normal putting setup and grip and place a spare ball between the fleshy parts of your palms (just below the thumbs), then apply enough inward pressure to prevent it from falling during the stroke.
For Dunlap, that pressure serves an important purpose.
Since he typically putts with “very light hands,” gently squeezing the ball helps engage the larger muscles in his arms and shoulders. It also forces his hands, wrists, and forearms to work together rather than allowing one hand to take over and manipulate his putter’s clubface.
For amateur and beginner golfers, that connection can make the stroke feel far more repeatable and less like guesswork each time. When the hands become overly active, the putterface can open or close during the backswing – forcing a last-second correction before impact.
By keeping a golf ball trapped between the palms, it quiets that unnecessary movement, stabilizes the putter, and makes it easier to return the face square.
“It helps me with contact, and I hit more solid putts this way,” Dunlap explains.
Striking the ball in the center of the putterface produces a more predictable roll, which makes controlling your speed much easier. Pair that with a square face, and you give yourself a much better chance of starting the putt on your intended line.
That’s why Dunlap likes to use the drill over a chalk line, which provides immediate feedback on whether the ball starts straight or not.
Doing so doesn’t mean you’ll sink every putt from within six feet, but it’ll likely leave you with a closer next putt – hopefully meaning less 3-putts and more tap-ins for pars.
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Go ahead and try Dunlap’s putting tip on short putts first, making sure you use enough pressure to hold the ball in place and let your shoulders control the motion. Once that connected feeling becomes comfortable, remove the extra ball and recreate the same stroke normally.
Avoid 3-Putting with This “Star Drill” During Practice
After feeling the proper putting stroke by using Nick Dunlap’s hack, it’s time to gamify your putting practice in order to make it more fun – and more effective!
In the video above, top-ranked golf teacher Shawn Callahan suggests using the “Star Drill”, which is a great way to gain confidence on the greens – and to avoid 3-putts forever.
It’s pretty simple to set up, with 5-6 balls being placed a few feet from the hole.
“These [balls] are all 3-to-5 feet away,” Callahan explains. “So these are putts that you should make, but you don’t necessarily make.”
As most amateur golfers know, when you miss those 3-footers, it usually means you’re playing bogey or double-bogey golf. But by focusing on practicing from this distance, you can feel the stroke and see the ball go into the cup.
“All you want to do is just sit here and try to knock these in,” Callahan adds. “But don’t try to go through them fast. Setup to each one, take your time, and make sure you’re set.”
What I really like about the Star Drill is it mimics on-course situations, while adding a little bit of pressure – since the goal is to go around and make each shot consecutively, otherwise you need to start the drill over.
“This is a good drill because it’s actually practicing golf,” Callahan tells me. “If you were doing this as a drill [in practice], get six balls and do it till you go around twice without missing any. If you miss just one, you start over.”
Above all, this Star Drill is much
By pairing Dunlap’s trusted hack with Callahan’s “Star Drill” during golf practice, you’ll start feeling more confident thanks to the repeatable stroke – which will help lower your scores in no time.
Ready to take the leap and join a community of golfers craving more beginner golf tips and structured golf instruction? SIGN UP for Golf Starter Club! And make sure to follow Nick Dimengo on Instagram and subscribe Rainmakers Golf on YouTube, too!
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This story was originally published September 23, 2026 at 11:01 AM.