It's late February. Your putter has been leaning against the garage wall since November, and the only greens you've seen lately are on television. For millions of golfers in seasonal climates, the off-season creates a gap between the confident stroke you had in October and the tentative jab that shows up on opening day.
Here's the good news: that confident stroke isn't gone. Research from the Mayo Clinic explains how motor skills are retained during inactive periods — your brain preserves the neural pathways for well-practiced movements — a concept explored in depth in the science of muscle memory in putting, even after months away. The rust you feel isn't a loss of skill; it's a loss of calibration. Your hands still know what to do. They just need to be reminded how it feels.
That's exactly what this 30-day spring putting practice program is designed to deliver. Over four progressive weeks, you'll systematically rebuild touch, sharpen distance control, integrate read skills, and pressure-test your stroke — all from your living room. Three to four sessions per week, 15 to 20 minutes each. Just you, your putter, and a quality putting mat. By opening day, you'll step onto the first green feeling like you never left.
Before You Begin: Setting Up for Success
Before Day 1, set up a dedicated practice station that stays assembled for the full 30 days. Consistency of environment eliminates setup friction — the number one killer of home practice habits.
What You Need
- A tour-grade putting mat — You need a mat that rolls at a realistic stimp speed so your calibration transfers to actual greens. The Chiputt Mat rolls at 10 stimp, mirroring the speed of a well-maintained course green.
- Your gamer putter — Use the putter you play with. No substitutions.
- 3 golf balls — Ideally the same model you play on the course.
- 2 tees — For gate drills (the Chiputt Mat's tour-grade thickness supports tee gates without wobbling).
- A notebook or phone — You'll track scores. What gets measured gets managed.
Where to Practice
Choose a flat, hard-surface area — hardwood, tile, or thin carpet over concrete. You need at least 10 feet of length and 3 feet of width. Set up the mat, leave it down, and commit: this is your putting studio for the next 30 days.
Week 1: Rebuilding Touch and Feel (Days 1–7)
After months away, your biggest deficit isn't mechanics — it's feel. You've lost the intuitive sense of how hard to hit a putt and how your tempo translates to ball speed. Consistent with PGA Tour putting instruction principles, Week 1 begins with high-success-rate repetitions to rebuild confidence before adding complexity.
Session Schedule: 4 Sessions, 15 Minutes Each
Drill 1: The Reconnect (Days 1 & 2)
Purpose: Rebuild putter face awareness and impact feel.
- Place a ball 2 feet from the regulation cup on your indoor putting green.
- Make 10 putts with your eyes on the cup (not the ball).
- Make 10 putts with your eyes closed.
- Make 10 putts normally.
- Success Criteria: Sink 25 out of 30. If you miss more than 5, repeat before moving on.
The eyes-closed reps are especially powerful — they demand that your hands communicate directly with the target, bypassing visual overthinking.
Drill 2: The Metronome (Days 3 & 4)
Purpose: Reestablish consistent putting tempo.
- Set your phone metronome to 76 BPM (a comfortable walking pace).
- From 3 feet, start backswing on beat 1, impact on beat 2.
- Hit 20 putts to the regulation cup, focusing only on matching the tempo.
- Move to 4 feet and repeat 20 putts.
- Success Criteria: You should feel a rhythmic "sameness" to every stroke by rep 15. Don't worry about makes — tempo is the target.
The Chiputt Mat's PaceMaster pace trainer — the 3-foot feedback zone beyond the cup — becomes your quality check. When tempo is consistent, misses still roll into the PaceMaster zone at uniform speed. If some race through and others die short, your tempo is drifting.
Drill 3: Gate Keeper (Days 5 & 6)
Purpose: Sharpen face angle at impact for dead-straight starts. This builds on the core principles covered in putting fundamentals.
- Place two tees just wider than your putter head, approximately 6 inches in front of the ball.
- From 3 feet, putt through the gate to the cup. The ball must pass cleanly through without touching either tee.
- Hit 20 putts. Record how many pass through the gate cleanly.
- Narrow the gate by half a ball width and hit 10 more.
- Success Criteria: 16 out of 20 clean gates at normal width, 6 out of 10 at the narrow width.
Gate drills require a mat thick enough to support standing tees. The Chiputt Mat's premium density handles tee gates perfectly, keeping them upright through your entire session.
Day 7: Week 1 Test
Purpose: Benchmark your touch restoration.
- Hit 5 putts each from 2, 3, 4, and 5 feet (20 total) to the regulation cup.
- Record makes out of 20.
- Target: 14 or more. Write this number down — you'll retest in Week 4.
Week 2: Distance Control and Speed Calibration (Days 8–14)
Three-putts almost never happen because of a bad read — they happen because the first putt finished 6 feet past or 4 feet short. Distance control separates good putters from great ones, and this week is all about calibrating yours on your home putting green. If you have the Chiputt Extender, attach it now for added rolling distance.
Session Schedule: 3 Sessions, 20 Minutes Each
Drill 4: Speed Ladder (Days 8 & 9)
Purpose: Calibrate your stroke length to specific distances.
- Using the Chiputt Mat's distance markers, place a coin at the 3-foot, 5-foot, and 7-foot marks.
- Hit 5 balls to each target. The ball must stop within 6 inches of the marker.
- After 15 balls, reverse the ladder: 7, 5, 3 feet.
- Success Criteria: 8 out of 15 on the first pass, 10 out of 15 on the reverse pass (your calibration should improve as you go).
The reverse pass is critical — it forces recalibration on every putt rather than letting you settle into one groove.
Drill 5: The Die Zone (Days 10 & 11)
Purpose: Learn perfect speed — the ball just toppling into the front of the cup.
- From 5 feet, putt to the regulation cup. The goal isn't to make the putt — it's to roll the ball at a speed where it barely reaches the back edge of the cup.
- Any ball that hits the back rim or rolls more than 6 inches past is too hot. Stops short of the front edge? Too soft.
- Hit 20 putts. Record how many finish in the "die zone" (in the cup or within 6 inches past).
- Success Criteria: 13 out of 20 in the die zone.
For amateurs working on pre-season putting drills, mastering die speed — the minimum speed needed to reach the hole — prevents costly three-putts from charged putts racing by.
Drill 6: PaceMaster Challenge (Days 12 & 13)
Purpose: Use the mat's built-in feedback to fine-tune lag speed.
- Putt from the far end of the mat. Your target is not the cup — it's the PaceMaster zone (the 3-foot area beyond the cup).
- Every ball must roll past the cup and stop inside the PaceMaster zone. Too short (stops before the cup) or too long (rolls off the mat) counts as a miss.
- Hit 15 putts. Record makes.
- Now repeat, but this time try to stop each ball in the first half of the PaceMaster zone (within 18 inches past the cup).
- Success Criteria: 11 out of 15 in the full zone, 7 out of 15 in the first half.
The Chiputt Mat's PaceMaster design makes this drill possible without extra equipment. That 3-foot feedback zone gives you instant visual confirmation of your speed. Over two sessions, you'll notice your dispersion tightening as your internal speedometer recalibrates.
Day 14: Week 2 Test
Purpose: Benchmark your distance control.
- Hit 10 putts from maximum distance on your mat. Each must stop within 12 inches of a target marker you've placed (not the cup).
- Record how many finish in the zone.
- Target: 6 out of 10.
Week 3: Read Integration and Green Visualization (Days 15–21)
How do you practice reads on a flat putting mat? You train the mental side. Reading a green is 50% visual skill and 50% committed execution — and our guide to green reading secrets from tour pros dives deeper into both — both trainable indoors. Week 3 also introduces the Chiputt Mat's dual-cup system: the smaller challenge cup (roughly 2.5 inches versus the regulation 4.25-inch cup) simulates the reduced margin for error you face on breaking putts.
Session Schedule: 4 Sessions, 15–20 Minutes Each
Drill 7: The Shrinking Target (Days 15 & 16)
Purpose: Build precision that simulates the reduced effective cup size on breaking putts.
- From 4 feet, putt 10 balls to the regulation cup. Record makes.
- Switch to the challenge cup. Same distance, 10 balls. Record makes.
- Switch back to the regulation cup. 10 more balls. Record makes.
- Success Criteria: After hitting to the challenge cup, your regulation-cup accuracy should feel effortless. Target: 4 out of 10 on the challenge cup, 8 out of 10 on the final regulation set.
When you spend time aiming at a 2.5-inch target, the regulation cup looks like a bathtub. On the course, a breaking putt that gives you only the left edge to work with has a similar margin — and now you've trained for it.
Drill 8: Visualization Putts (Days 17 & 18)
Purpose: Develop the mental skill of seeing a line and committing to it.
- Place a coin 12 inches in front of your ball on a specific line (left edge, right edge, or center of the cup).
- Roll the ball directly over the coin. Whether it goes in is irrelevant.
- Hit 10 putts over a left-edge coin, 10 over a right-edge coin, 10 over center.
- Success Criteria: The ball visually passes over or within one ball-width of the coin on 7 out of 10 putts per set.
On the course, breaking putts require starting the ball on a line away from the hole — which feels counterintuitive. This drill trains commitment to an intermediate target. When you stand over a 10-footer with 6 inches of break in April, you'll have 90 reps of "aim at the coin, trust the line" already banked.
Drill 9: The Clock (Days 19 & 20)
Purpose: Simulate starting putts on different break angles.
- Imagine the cup as the center of a clock. Place your ball at 4 feet.
- Hit 3 putts each from 12, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 o'clock positions (18 putts total).
- The putts are straight, but your setup changes at each station — building the feel of varying aim points, exactly what reading break requires.
- Success Criteria: Make 12 out of 18. Your misses should reveal which angles feel uncomfortable — those are the ones to prioritize.
Day 21: Week 3 Test
Purpose: Benchmark your precision and commitment.
- Hit 10 putts from 5 feet to the challenge cup.
- Record makes.
- Target: 3 out of 10. On a 2.5-inch cup from 5 feet, that's genuinely impressive.
Week 4: Pressure Simulation and Course Readiness (Days 22–30)
Technical skills only transfer to the course when tested under competitive conditions. Building putting confidence through mental game strategies is just as important as the physical reps. As any guide to training your body for golf season will confirm, Week 4 adds the final ingredient: pressure. Every drill has stakes — scoring, consequences for misses, and escalating difficulty.
Session Schedule: 4 Sessions, 20 Minutes Each
Drill 10: Par 2 (Days 22 & 23)
Purpose: Simulate on-course scoring pressure with realistic putting scenarios.
- Play 9 holes. Each "hole" is a putt from a different distance (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 4, 5, 3, 6 feet).
- Par for each hole is 2. One-putts are birdies, three-putts are bogeys. Keep a scorecard.
- After each first putt, mark where the ball stops and putt out.
- Success Criteria: Shoot even par (18) or better. Stretch goal: 15 or under (3 under par).
The scorecard creates accountability — every putt counts, which changes how your brain processes the stroke. Do this drill, and the first real putt of the season won't feel like such a big deal.
Drill 11: Sudden Death (Days 24 & 25)
Purpose: Train clutch putting — making the putt when you have to.
- Start at 2 feet. Make the putt, move back to 3. Make it, move to 4. Keep going until you miss.
- When you miss, start over at 2 feet. Play 3 rounds — your score is your best streak.
- Success Criteria: Reach 6 feet at least once. Elite target: reach the end of the mat without missing.
At 2 feet, there's no pressure. At 5 feet, knowing a miss sends you back to the beginning, your hands will want to tighten. Learning to execute with that tension is exactly the skill you need on the course.
Drill 12: The 21 Game (Days 26 & 27)
Purpose: Combine distance control and precision under cumulative scoring pressure.
- Score points by sinking putts: 3-foot make = 1 point, 5-foot = 2 points, 7-foot = 3 points.
- Reach exactly 21 points. Go over, and your score resets to 15.
- You choose which distance to attempt each putt — play safe or go for 3s?
- Count total putts taken to reach 21.
- Success Criteria: Reach 21 in 15 putts or fewer. Elite target: under 12 putts.
The strategy layer — choosing distances based on your current score and confidence — mirrors the risk-reward calculus you face on every lag putt during a real round.
Drill 13: Full Integration Challenge (Days 28 & 29)
Purpose: Combine every skill from the past three weeks into a single comprehensive test.
- Phase 1 — Touch: Eyes-closed putts from 3 feet. Make 5 in a row before advancing.
- Phase 2 — Speed: From max distance, stop 3 consecutive balls in the PaceMaster zone.
- Phase 3 — Precision: From 4 feet, make 3 out of 5 on the challenge cup.
- Phase 4 — Pressure: Sudden Death ladder from 3 feet. One miss and you restart from Phase 1.
- Record total time to complete all four phases.
- Success Criteria: Complete the full challenge in under 20 minutes. The restart penalty creates real pressure to execute each phase cleanly.
Day 30: Final Assessment
Purpose: Measure your improvement across all categories and confirm you're spring-ready.
- Retest 1 (Touch): 5 putts each from 2, 3, 4, and 5 feet to the regulation cup (20 total). Compare to Week 1.
- Retest 2 (Speed): 10 putts from max distance, stopping within 12 inches of a marker. Compare to Week 2.
- Retest 3 (Precision): 10 putts from 5 feet to the challenge cup. Compare to Week 3.
- The Verdict: Improved in at least 2 of 3 categories? You've shaken off winter rust. You're course-ready.
Your 30-Day Program at a Glance
- Week 1 (Days 1–7): Touch and Feel — The Reconnect, The Metronome, Gate Keeper, Week Test
- Week 2 (Days 8–14): Distance Control — Speed Ladder, The Die Zone, PaceMaster Challenge, Week Test
- Week 3 (Days 15–21): Read Integration — The Shrinking Target, Visualization Putts, The Clock, Week Test
- Week 4 (Days 22–30): Pressure Simulation — Par 2, Sudden Death, The 21 Game, Full Integration, Final Assessment
Total commitment: 15 sessions × 15–20 minutes = roughly 5 hours across 30 days. That's less time than a single round — invested in the part of the game that accounts for 40% of your strokes.
Why Your Mat Matters More Than You Think
The entire 30-day putting plan is built around the idea that your indoor reps transfer to real greens. That only happens if your mat's surface speed matches what you'll encounter on the course. A cheap mat rolling at 6 or 7 stimp teaches your brain the wrong speed calibration — and you'll spend early rounds unlearning what you practiced.
The Chiputt Mat was engineered for exactly this kind of transferable practice. Its 10-stimp surface means every putt rolls at a speed you'll see on the course. The dual-cup system provides both confidence-building and precision-sharpening targets. The PaceMaster zone delivers built-in speed feedback. And the included chipping mat does quadruple duty — as a chipping practice surface, mat extension, pace validation station, and standing platform.
When you're investing 30 days into golf spring preparation, the last thing you want is a practice surface that lies to you. Train on a mat that tells the truth, and every rep counts.
Tips for Staying on Track
Build the Habit Loop
Attach your putting sessions to an existing habit. For more on building lasting practice habits, see our guide to creating consistent putting routines. Morning coffee? Putt while it brews. Evening TV? Hit 20 putts during the first commercial break. The when matters less than the consistency.
Track Everything
Write down your scores. When you see yourself improving from 14/20 to 17/20, the motivation becomes self-sustaining.
Don't Skip the Weekly Tests
Days 7, 14, 21, and 30 are your mile markers. They turn vague effort into measurable progress and give you specific information about what to focus on next.
Invite Competition
The Week 4 games are even better with a partner. If your spouse, kid, or roommate is willing to compete, the pressure simulation doubles in effectiveness.
What Happens After Day 30
This program gets you from winter hibernation to course-ready confidence. But the best putting mat doesn't go away once the courses open. The smartest golfers use their indoor putting green year-round — reinforcing feel between rounds, warming up before a morning tee time, or working on weaknesses identified during a round.
After completing this spring putting practice program, keep a maintenance routine: 10 minutes, 2–3 times per week. Run the Metronome drill (Week 1) and the PaceMaster Challenge (Week 2) as a combo that maintains both your tempo and speed calibration. It delivers more strokes-gained value than anything else you can do at home.
You've spent months watching golf. Now it's time to play it — and play it well from the very first putt. Grab your putter, unroll the Chiputt Mat, and start Day 1. Thirty days from now, winter rust will be nothing but a memory.
