Putting is the key to scoring better, no matter what your handicap may be. Jessie, of Rocky Mount, sent me an e-mail stating that he is very inconsistent on the green with his flat stick.

So, here are three drills that can help even some of the better golfers find more consistency on the greens.

First, set up five feet away from a hole on the practice green at your local course. Set your putter head onto the green and put tees about half an inch from the outside of both ends of the putter.

When you putt the ball, avoid hitting the tees that you have set up and continue to do this drill until you make 30 putts in a row. Once 30 putts have fallen to the bottom of the cup, remove the tees and try to make the same amount of putts from the same spot without missing.

Your putter stroke should now be consistently straight and should never come close to hitting the tees. This will help keep putts rolling straight and true every time.

The next drill is one that I perform on the practice green a lot. Stand 30 to 50 feet away with 10 golf balls and attempt to putt all 10 of those balls to within three feet of the hole.

This will drastically improve any golfer's score because lag putting is an art that many people do not master. Read the green from halfway to the hole to help with lag putting. Then try and hit that spot when you putt and see if the ball rolls closer to the hole.

Continue to practice this drill until all 10 balls are stopping within three feet of the cup.

The final drill requires a playing partner. This game is the golf version of basketball's 21. Call a putt from anywhere on the practice green and attempt to make the putt. If the putt falls – three points. If your competitor makes the putt on top of yours – he gains five points and you score none.

If the ball rolls to within a putter grip of the hole, then that player scores two points. If nobody gets that close, the person that is closest to the hole scores one point. Play until someone hits 21 points. This drill will help with putting and provide practice for pressure and competitive situations.

Try these drills on the green a couple days a week and your scores will most certainly go down.

Scotfield Country Club Tournament

Scotfield Country Club will play host to its 2008 Summer Classic on June 13, 14 and 15.

The two-man tournament will be held in a superball format with payouts for both gross and ringer net scores.

The entry fee is $190 per team and includes one practice round for all nonmembers (cart fee not included), free range balls on Saturday and Sunday of the tournament, a catered dinner Friday and lunch Saturday, and a buffet lunch Sunday.

There will be double shotgun starts both Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. If there is any preference of when a team might want to play Saturday, please indicate when registering for the tournament. Saturday's scores will determine Sunday's tee times.

There will be a skills challenge from 6 to 7 p.m. on Friday.

Contact golf course pro Doug Sellers for more information or to sign up at 252-826-3218.

Need some help

with your swing?

Have a slice that turns 90 degrees off the tee? Have a duck hook that you can't seem to fix? Send me an e-mail and I will try to fix those problems in an upcoming golf column.

To submit golf news to Telegram golf columnist Trevor Seibert, contact him at tseibert@coxnc.com. Holes-in-one must be submitted by the course pro.