Try Scottie Scheffler’s 3-target putting drill to simplify your short game

Phil Kenyon, Scottie Scheffler’s putting coach, shares the 3-target drill that’s helped the No. 1-ranked player improve his short game

Try this Scottie Scheffler drill, as explained by his putting coach Phil Kenyon.

Getty Images

Welcome to Shaving Strokes, a GOLF.com series in which we’re sharing improvements, learnings and takeaways from amateur golfers just like you — including some of the speed bumps and challenges they faced along the way.

Another week, another Scottie Scheffler victory, with his latest win coming at the Travelers Championship last weekend by defeating his buddy Tom Kim in a playoff.

Is anybody really that surprised with the outcome? Other than the fact that Scheffler was pushed to extra holes, probably not. After all, the world’s No. 1-ranked player has now already won six(!) tournaments this year, all before the month of July. The last player who did that was Arnold Palmer, in 1962.

Yep, when it comes to the world of golf, it’s all Scheffler’s — everyone else is just living in it.

While there are obvious stats that point to his success this year, one massive improvement has come on the greens, where Scheffler has ascended up the charts in Strokes Gained: Putting this season.

By comparison, last year he ranked 162nd in that category. Thus far in 2024? He’s seen a dramatic rise to 80th, which is a remarkable improvement, and one that has obviously helped him snatch win after win.

The man who’s helped Scheffler, Phil Kenyon, is famous for being a putting guru, so the fact that his fingerprints are all over this isn’t too surprising.

And while there are other keys and other factors that have led to Scheffler’s dominant season to this point, Kenyon recently described a 3-target putting drill that’s played a big role in helping Scheffler keep his mind clear and his routine simplified. Check out how (and why) it works below.

How Scottie Scheffler’s 3-target putting drill works
Most golfers tend to focus on their mechanics during the putting stroke. But Kenyon says that Scheffler started using this drill just prior to the Arnold Palmer Invitational to help bring out more of his natural athleticism.

“If you’ve become a little bit too technical in your thinking, and you want to try and become a little more reactionary, this drill is really going to help you,” Kenyon says.

Here’s how it works.

“I’ve got three discs, which are my targets that I want the ball to roll over — so I’ve really got to read the putt and choose the appropriate line first,” Kenyon adds. “I want to work backwards from the hole, placing the discs in the last two-thirds of the putt.”

The image below shows what the drill should look like.

How the 3-target drill should look after setting up. Image via Phil Kenyon
Once the three discs are placed on your line, Kenyon says you should use your instincts to determine where to properly start it.