Skills Assessment Challenge: Putting

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Get your Chipping Rings here. Have you developed a true sense of control of the clubface and is your trail hand ready to move to the next phase? Take this Skills Assessment Test to see where you're at and if you're ready to move onto bigger strokes.


The putting skills assessment test is going to test multiple facets of your game.

The first drill that you saw here is a 10 footer straight putt.

Level ground, nothing special.

What you're really testing here is your consistency, your repeatability.

How much control and sensitivity do you have in these middle two fingers of your trail hand, which are so important for every aspect of the stroke, especially as we get into the longer clubs and bigger swings.

What you're working on here is consistency.

You're just trying to hit the exact same putt over and over again as close as you can.

Your aim from 10 feet is to hit 60%.

I do it in sets of five.

I try to make at least three out of five on every set from 10 feet with a dead straight putter, as close to straight as I can get.

If you hit 10, you're aiming for six out of 10.

What you're wanting to do is that you can consistently hit that number or beat it every single time before you move on to the next step.

If you can't, you're really not ready.

You don't have the sensitivity.

Your brain hasn't had time to make the connection between what these two fingers sense and what your brain is doing to control this club face.

That's what's so important about this phase of the program is that you've got to learn to control that club face.

So, once you learn that and you'll know as you go through these self-assessment tests, Whether or not you truly have control over that club and you're training this trail, hand and your mind to control that face.

Now let's move on to the next phase of the test.

So, once you've done this 10 -foot test and you can consistently hit about 60%, make 60% of those putts.

We're next going to move back a little bit further and we're going to start working on our distance, control and feel.

For this phase of the drill, you're going to need something like a chipping ring.

I've put a link to the ones that I'm using here in the description in the video below.

But basically, What you're doing is using a three-foot chipping ring that's going to give you a foot and a half on either side of the hole.

And we're stepping back to 30 feet and we want a little bit more of a challenging breaking putt here.

So you can see I'm going down a second tier and then several feet of left to right break.

So this one really is going to test my feel and sensitivity and control to make sure that every single putt ends up inside of that chipping ring.

My goal is again to get three out of five, but we're not trying to make all the putts like we are in the 10-footer, of course that would be great if we can, but what you're really trying to do is make sure that your next putt from 30 feet is a true kick in.

So that's really what you're aiming for here.

And that's what the chipping ring is so helpful for.

Because when you fold it in half, like, I have it here, you can start to hit, get your putts to stay inside that ring and it gives you a focus point.

This part of the self-assessment is all about feel and sensitivity and touch.

You've got to learn to feel how to hit the ball in the center of the face to get the same roll, The same distance every time, and that really comes down to feeling the club in your middle, two fingers of your trail hand.

If you don't have that sense of feel, You're never going to be able to be consistent and you're not going to be able to control the irons and driver as we move on in the program.

So this drill is pretty simple, but it really is going to test your sensitivity, your touch, your feel, your control, your ability to concentrate.

So what I have here is a chipping ring, a three-foot chipping ring that I've got set in half.

So I don't want the ball to roll over because I don't want that to interfere with the putt.

But your aim here is to go back from 10 feet where we were earlier to now 30 feet.

And at 30 feet, we're not going to make very many of those putts, but we need to be able to make sure every single one is within kick in distance, if you will.

And that's what this drill is really teaching you.

So what you'll find is that I've got the, The three foot chipping ring gives me about a foot and a half, or about 18 inches, on either side of the hole.

And what you'll see here, let me show you, is that we have, what we have is the putts all have to make it past the hole.

So you can see in this case, the way I have the chipping ring set up, they all made it past the hole.

Well, one of them went outside of my zone there.

So I got four out of five that were good.

You're aiming for again, three out of five, 60%.

If you can get 60 % to stay in this chipping ring that they made it all past the hole, which all of these did.

I don't want anything to come up short because if it comes up short, you've got no chance of making it.

But if you get all of them or three out of five within that chipping ring, those are all just kick-ins from 30 feet.

You're going to be very, very happy if all of your putts are kick-ins.

And even the one I missed is only about two feet away.

And with that one, I'm probably still going to make that the vast majority of the time.

So that's what you're testing here.

The 10-foot drill is going to give you the ability to know that you can consistently make those must-make putts for par inside of 10 feet.

And you've got a repeatable stroke.

And this one is going to make sure that when you're not as close to the hole, you're not going to three-putt, or if you need to get up and down to save a par, you've got that in the bag.

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ECTOR
So Two Excercises, 60% in 4 footers (How many reps??) and 60% on 10 Footers (Hoe many Reps??), shouldn´t it be a more clear instruction in the description, to know the set target of repson each step???
June 18, 2025
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ector. The reps are your requirement based. What I mean is one specific goal may not be everyone's target range to own said drill/movement. Chart your consistency. If you can get 100 reps in and still maintain it to 1000 you should be pretty good.
June 19, 2025
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ECTOR
I understand that, Being a athlete it has helped me to be better at an exercise to know at least a set of repetitions and a % of accuracy, that is what I was referring to , That's why I Started this program.
June 22, 2025
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Tom
Hi Craig/Chuck; does the putter follow the core and work slightly inside on the backstroke?
June 2, 2025
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Tom. It won't go back perfectly straight nor thru. It still has the slight arc following the core.
June 3, 2025
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Grant
I prefer to putt cross handed. What do you think of doing phase 1 putting with a wedge? I can test out of this phase with putter or wedge right now. I’ve been left hand low for 30 years.
May 25, 2025
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Grant. The goal is to start training the coordination with the trail hand and connection to the core. You can try with a wedge. But, I don't think you will get the same feedback. Some players don't want to switch from lead hand low. But, this is where the feel starts for full swing training.
May 27, 2025
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Jim
Chuck,Hi Chuck, I think my putting lessons have been awesome. I am better with one hand than two. Almost. Lag putts are great, my problem is the short putts. I missed 3 puts yesterday within 3 feet. I would rather have a 10 footer than a 3. What the...heck, Jim
May 4, 2025
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Jim. Check your head/eyes. The short ones usually are the peekaboo too quickly.
May 5, 2025
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Mark
Do you believe in longer pendulum with short finish or short backswing and more follow through ? Is it more a soft stroke or a sharper pop / hit to target ? Also , do you think putter should go back slower or same pace as follow through and if this is latter should it be a faster tempo ?
April 20, 2025
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Not a pop stroke. There will be some acceleration on the downswing but the putter will naturally release. The tempo is naturally derived from the core movement. No it's not a long back short through type motion. More a pendulum.
April 20, 2025
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Mark
Beginning of video watching your excellent stroke and cannot see a hint of a forward press even when I zoomed in?
April 20, 2025
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Mark. The forward press will start to become almost impercetable.
April 20, 2025
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Mark
Then surely it isn’t a forward press if it’s imperceptible?
April 20, 2025
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Think about it as an awakening of the body muscles. You aren't trying to just move the hands forward solely and get the extensor muscles involved. Almost like a body rock into lead and back. Everything reacts to this motion.
April 20, 2025
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Alex
The trail hand and tee drills improved my putting. I'm still new to the game, so sinking putts beyond 10+ ft have been difficult. I sunk my first 10-15 ft putt yesterday on the course. Can't say it was 100% because of the drill, but I think it helped.
April 11, 2025
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Great Alex! Start rolling that rock.
April 11, 2025
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Tony
i'v had my index finger down the shaft forever. is that ok? also should you press forward using just your trail hand in the drills?
March 31, 2025
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Chuck
it would be best to adapt to a proper grip so that it feels more like your regular swing grip
March 31, 2025
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Tony
thanks Chuck. my grip is oversized as well so its tough to make a regular grip- thoughts?
March 31, 2025
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Chuck
The smaller grip will help you feel the club more in your fingers and get a sense of the club face in your fingers which is necessary for the full swing
April 1, 2025
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Aaron
Boy am I excited to put this new putting stroke into play in a round. Actually holed 3/10 from 30 feet.
March 20, 2025
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Chuck
Nice!
March 21, 2025
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Mark
Hi Chuck, I noticed in the trail hand putting video that Tiger’s arms are very straight when putting, but in your putting stroke that the arms are more bent and connected to the body, which feels more comfortable to me. I’m new and just getting started so I just want to know if one is preferable over the other? Also, in the GOAT setup you talk about the setup being the same throughout the clubs (unless I misunderstood). Is or can the putter be one exception? I know I’ve never putted this way, but it seems natural to me and my trail hand putting is very accurate from the initial strokes. My arms are more connected to my body on my stroke, and I played a round yesterday and sunk a couple of 20+ feet breaking putts and had nice distance control. The rest of my game was terrible, but the day or so doing the trail hand putting really helped. Thanks.
February 10, 2025
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Chuck
Yes the putter is going to be a little bit different as Will The grip on the putter because of the shape of it. And it’s OK to have a little bend in the arm
February 11, 2025
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Sean
Hi Chuck, How many reps do you recommend before moving on in the program? I understand 3-5 for each part. But how many times. Surely more than once. Thanks. Loving the program!
January 26, 2025
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Chuck
Once you pass the skills assessment test you are ready to move on, but these are things that you will probably continue to revisit throughout your life because they will continue to reinforce the same fundamentals over and over again
January 26, 2025
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Jayden
Hi Chuck, wishing you a wonderful day! I’m aiming to achieve 100 out of 100 through the tees and into the hole. What can I do to improve and reach that standard? Best wishes, Jayden.

January 22, 2025
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Chuck
Stroke looks fantastic, just a little excess head movement. This can come from being a little too rigid and stiff in the upper body.
January 22, 2025
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Jayden

January 22, 2025
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John
Chuck, Back with RST after a 2 year hiatus. Always loved your detail explanations and enjoyed lessons with Craig. I adopted a saw grip with my right hand awhile back because I had the yips. Actually became a decent putter relative to members at my club. Passed your test. Reluctant to change from the saw. I tried the conventional grip suggested in order to perform the drills because I understand the right hand grip is foundational to the GOAT program. Can you achieve the right hand feel recommended in the program without changing my putter grip ? I am following it as I practice and move into the chipping drills.
December 27, 2024
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Chuck
Yes you definitely can. It just helps you develop a greater level of sensitivity.
December 27, 2024
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Jayden
Dear Chuck, I am wishing you a very Merry Christmas. You mentioned that there were two patterns to putt; hinge and hold or release. Should I keep one pattern for a year or can I switch it? e.g. the first week; one works better, the next week the other? Best wishes, Jayden.
December 25, 2024
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Chuck
Merry Christmas Jayden. The trick is to pick one and stick with it. The more lead hand you want to be involved, the less you will release the face. The less you use the lead hand in the stroke the more the putter will release.
December 25, 2024
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Nick
Hi Chuck, is there an alternative skills assessment challenge to the 30' putts you could recommend? I have an 8' indoor putting mat but my courses are closed for the winter and so have no way to complete the 2nd challenge.
December 14, 2024
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Jeremy
I have a similar situation. I like to practice rolling the ball into the cup with different speeds. I’ll challenge myself to roll it in on what feels like the very last revolution. That’s a fun way to try to practice speed control
February 9, 2025
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Chuck
There's nothing off the top of my head to replace the feel for distance but if you are getting your 8 footers to start online consistently and video of your stroke looks good, you should be good to go
December 15, 2024
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Jayden
Hi Chuck, thanks for your answer. Are you still doing your very helpful webinars? Best wishes, Jayden
December 5, 2024
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Chuck
I dont have time to do anymore right now
December 6, 2024
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Jayden
Hi Chuck, I reacently received an email about RSA. You say that I would improve faster, but would I get just as good as sticking to this program? And how many hours would I have to put in to RSA in a week? Best wishes, Jayden
November 29, 2024
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Chuck
Hi Jayden, the RSA program will help you get there faster for sure, but is not a requirement as if you just follow the program here you will get there.
November 29, 2024
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Mark
A difficult concept for me is the language around "controlling the clubface with the middle finger of the right hand". I am wondering if that can be translated to "stability" instead of "controlling"? If I increase the "stability" of the clubface by applying pressure to the grip with the middle finger of the right hand, and squeeze the left thumb to the grip, I think this is what you mean, which will add stability to the clubface. Is this an acceptable way to think about this concept? This seems to work for me.
September 25, 2024
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Chuck
Sure Mark, that works. Perhaps another way of phrasing it would be "sensing the sweetspot" with the middle finger.
September 25, 2024
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Mark
I hope this helps others. Another thing I have learned is the pace of the swing. I used to have a rather "slow" stroke but now I have learned that I need to have a "quicker" stroke, which I believe helps reduce the error in the swing. I expect that this will carry through with every club, but I am still working on the ripper chip so that remains to be seen.
September 26, 2024
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Chuck
You are 100% correct going too slow throws off the entire sequence and makes it impossible for the fascia to load correctly and release correctly and this absolutely carries over into the full swing
September 26, 2024
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William
Good drill. I do see the toe of your putter is slightly raised at address. Is that intentional?
September 24, 2024
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Chuck
I just have really long arms and short legs so I need to get it bent but I putt just fine with it so haven't bothered
September 25, 2024
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William
5 out 5 from 10 feet. 5 out of 6 in the arc. Yes you do.
September 25, 2024
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Chuck
Putting machine!
September 25, 2024
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William
Let's not carried away. Remember: pride comes before the fall.
September 25, 2024

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