Putter Gate drill

The Putter Gate Drill creates a narrow corridor — just wide enough for the putter head to pass through — that gives you immediate feedback on whether your stroke is delivering the face to the center of the ball. Cody Carter uses two pathpal units to build the gate, setting them just outside the heel and toe of the putter at address. If your stroke is off-center in either direction, the putter catches one of the rods. A clean pass through the gate means centered contact.

Heel and toe misses in putting typically come from one of three sources: poor eye position at address (eyes too far inside or outside the ball), a stroke path that's inconsistent with the putter's arc, or excessive hand and wrist activity that shifts the face through impact. Cody emphasizes setting up with eyes over the ball or slightly inside it — this establishes the correct spatial relationship that allows the putter to travel naturally through the gate without manipulation.

Yes — the putter gate is one of the most well-documented drills in professional golf, and Tiger Woods has used a version of it throughout his career, typically with tees set just outside the heel and toe. As Cody Carter notes in the video, the pathpal provides a sturdier, more repeatable alternative to tees that stays in position consistently across many reps. The principle is identical: build a physical gate and train the stroke to pass through it cleanly.

Cody recommends setting the gate just wide enough for the putter head to pass through — close enough that any meaningful heel or toe deviation catches the rod, but not so tight that even a solid stroke clips it. A good starting point is roughly half an inch of clearance on each side of the putter face. As your centered contact improves, you can tighten the gate to increase the challenge and sharpen the feedback.

Yes — centered contact and distance control are directly linked. When you strike the ball on the toe, the putter face rotates slightly at impact and slows down, producing a putt that comes up short. A heel miss does the opposite, creating a slightly hotter roll with unpredictable direction. By consistently finding the sweet spot through gate training, you eliminate those energy transfer variables and make your distance control far more predictable. Every foot of putt length you read accurately becomes far more useful when your strike is consistent.