Most putting practice focuses on one variable at a time — either start line work with a chalk line or pace work with distance drills. Both are useful in isolation. But on the course, every putt requires both simultaneously, and the relationship between them is non-linear: the correct line only works at the correct pace, and the correct pace only works on the correct line.
Mike Barge's gate drill is the only pathpal putting drill that trains both at once — and demonstrates precisely what happens when one is right and the other isn't. You can find the full drill page at pathpalgolf.com/pages/pathpal-golf-line-and-pace-putting-drill.
A ball that passes through the gate and still misses is providing diagnostic information that most practice setups throw away entirely.
The drill
Mike Barge — Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame inductee (2019), two-time Minnesota PGA Teacher of the Year, six-time Golf Digest Best Teachers in Minnesota honoree, Director of Instruction at Hazeltine National Golf Club since 1986, and 2006 Minnesota State Open Champion — separates both pathpal halves and uses them as a gate positioned on the intended start line for a breaking putt.
Setup
- 1.Separate both pathpal halves — use them as two gate posts on the green
- 2.Position the gate on the intended apex line for the breaking putt — accounting for the break, not aiming straight at the hole
- 3.The ball must pass through the gate on the correct start line
Reading the result
After the gate — watch where the ball finishes. This is where the drill delivers its real diagnostic value:
Mike demonstrates all three outcomes deliberately — including two putts that pass through the gate and still miss the hole — to make the pace dependency of the line unmistakably clear.
Watch the drill
Watch the full drill on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=Zpux7MlyoXQ
Why it works
Standard putting gates train start line only — the ball either passes through or it doesn't, and the drill ends there. Mike's gate drill extends the feedback loop to the full putt result, which is the only result that actually matters on the course.
The low-side miss says the pace needs more. The high-side miss says the pace needs less. Over a session with the gate, the golfer learns to feel the pace that matches the line — not as two separate skills but as a single integrated judgment.
Mike's 35+ years at Hazeltine National — one of the most celebrated major championship venues in American golf, home to multiple US Opens, PGA Championships, and Ryder Cups — have given him a deep understanding of the pace-break relationship on demanding green complexes. His gate drill reflects that expertise: it's not about making the stroke look correct, it's about producing the result the green requires, which demands that both line and pace are correct simultaneously.
Who this is for
- ✓Golfers who make start-line improvements in practice but continue to miss breaking putts on the course — because pace is the missing variable
- ✓Players who consistently miss putts on the low side — they're starting the ball correctly but under-hitting
- ✓Players who consistently miss putts on the high side — they're starting the ball correctly but over-hitting
- ✓Any golfer who wants to practice putting the way it actually works on the course: line and pace as a single, inseparable decision rather than two separate skills
Try it
Set the pathpal gate on the apex line of a 10-foot right-to-left breaking putt. Hit 20 putts, categorizing each result: gate missed, low-side miss, high-side miss, or made. Track your first-round pattern — most golfers will see a consistent direction to their pace error.
If most misses are low, incrementally increase pace until the ball starts using the full break. If most misses are high, reduce pace until the break takes over at the right moment. Once you're making 8 out of 20, move the gate to a different putt — left-to-right, uphill, downhill — and repeat the diagnostic process.
The pace calibration you build across different break scenarios will transfer directly to lower three-putt rates on the course.
- Set the gate on the apex line of a 10-foot breaking putt
- Hit 20 putts — categorize each: gate missed / low-side miss / high-side miss / made
- Identify your consistent pace error direction
- Adjust pace incrementally until the break works for you
- Once you're making 8 of 20, rotate to a new putt shape — left-to-right, uphill, downhill
Related drills
Mike's gate drill is the execution layer of putting — it assumes you have a stroke and tests whether it's producing the right line and pace together. These three drills complete the putting picture and form a natural training progression:
Putting · Brad Pluth
Putting Stroke: Arc vs. Straight Drill
Corrects the mechanical misconception behind the straight stroke — teaches the natural arc the putter's geometry requires, building the foundation that pace-and-line work sits on top of.
Putting · Jason Kuiper
Linear Putting Stroke Drill
Trains stroke path consistency using the pathpal as a physical rail — building start-line reliability so that when you reach Mike's gate drill, your line issues are already resolved.
Putting · Cody Carter
Putter Gate Drill
Trains centered contact — because inconsistent heel and toe strikes change both direction and distance, undermining any pace calibration work you've done. Clean contact is the prerequisite.
See all pathpal drills: pathpalgolf.com/pages/all-drills
About Mike Barge
Mike Barge
Director of Instruction · Hazeltine National Golf Club
Mike Barge is a Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame inductee (2019), two-time Minnesota PGA Teacher of the Year, seven-time Golf Digest Best Teachers in Minnesota honoree, Director of Instruction at Hazeltine National Golf Club since 1986, and 2006 Minnesota State Open Champion.
mikebargegolf.com · pathpal on Instagram
Frequently asked questions
How do I set up the pathpal for the Match Pace and Line drill?
Separate both pathpal halves and place them on the green as a gate, positioned on your intended start line accounting for the break. For a right-to-left breaking putt as Mike demonstrates, the gate is set on the line that accounts for the break — not aimed straight at the hole. The drill then requires both a correct start line through the gate and the correct pace to allow the break to carry the ball to the hole.
Why are line and pace inseparable in putting?
Break is pace-dependent. The same putt played at two different speeds will take two different amounts of break — a faster putt breaks less, a slower putt breaks more. The correct line only produces the correct result at the correct pace, which is why practicing start line alone without pace produces incomplete putting improvement.
What does the gate reveal that a standard line drill doesn't?
A standard line drill only tells you whether the ball started on the intended line. It provides no information about whether the pace matched the line. Mike's gate drill reveals both simultaneously: through the gate but finishing low means the line was correct and the pace was too slow. Through the gate but finishing high means the line was correct and the pace was too aggressive. Missing the gate means the line was wrong regardless of pace. Three different outcomes, three different diagnostics — all from the same setup.
How should the gate be positioned for different types of breaking putts?
The gate should always be positioned on the intended apex line — the highest point the ball needs to reach before the break takes over — not on a straight line to the hole. For a right-to-left breaker, the gate sits to the right of the hole at the apex of the intended path. For a left-to-right breaker, it sits to the left. Because the two pathpal halves can be positioned independently, the gate can be set precisely at any point on the intended line for any putt shape.
How does this drill fit with other pathpal putting drills?
The three pathpal putting drills form a logical training progression. Jason Kuiper's Linear Putting Stroke drill trains stroke path for start-line consistency. Brad Pluth's Arc vs. Straight drill corrects mechanics — teaching the natural arc the putter's geometry requires. Mike Barge's Match Pace and Line drill is the execution layer that sits on top of both: it tests whether whatever stroke is being used produces the correct start line and — crucially — whether that line is matched with the correct pace to account for break.
Train line and pace together
pathpal splits into two halves to build a putting gate anywhere on the green — training start line and pace as the single, integrated judgment they actually are on the course.
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