Golf Tutorials

How to Pick Up a Golf Ball with a Putter

By Spencer Lanoue
July 24, 2025

Picking up a golf ball with your putter isn't just a flashy trick for the pros, it's a practical skill that saves your back hundreds of bends during a round and especially on the practice green. This small, stylish move adds a fluid rhythm to your game and makes you feel more connected to the course. This article breaks down the most common methods, from the beginner-friendly press and roll to the advanced blade toss, so you can stop stooping and start scooping.

Why Learning to Pick Up a Ball With Your Putter is Worth It

You might be thinking, "Is it really that big a deal to bend down?" On the first hole, probably not. But think about a long practice session on the putting green. You hit 50, maybe 100 putts. That’s at least 50 times you’re bending over from the waist, stressing your lower back. Now multiply that over years of golfing. The unnecessary strain adds up.

Bending over repeatedly is a classic recipe for back pain, stiffness, and fatigue, which are things no golfer wants to deal with. By learning to use your putter to retrieve the ball, you eliminate that repetitive, stressful motion. It’s a simple ergonomic hack that keeps your body feeling better, allowing you to practice longer and play with less discomfort.

Beyond the practical benefit of saving your back, there’s a mental advantage. Effortlessly scooping up your ball is one of those small actions that broadcasts confidence. It’s a bit of swagger. It’s a fluid, seamless motion that says, "I belong here. I know what I'm doing." It keeps you in the flow of the game, transitioning smoothly from completing one a great shot on the last whole, to prepare to tap in to secure par. you're not breaking your posture or interrupting your mental state by laboriously bending down every time for every putt. It's a small detail, but golf is a game of small details.

Method 1: The "Press and Roll" (Easiest Method)

This is the most common and user-friendly method for picking up a golf ball. It works reliably with most putter head styles, particularly those with a bit of a cavity or flange on the back. It’s the perfect place to start.

Step-by-Step Guide to the Press and Roll

  1. Position the Putter Head: Walk up to your golf ball and place the back flange or trailing edge of your putter head directly behind the ball. You aren't addressing the ball as if you're going to putt it. Instead, you're using the back of the putter. Make sure the face of the putter is angled slightly upward, away from the ball.
  2. Apply Downward Pressure: Give a quick, firm, downward press on the grip directly above the putter head. This is a very small, short and sharp movement. The goal is to pin the golf ball between the back aof the putter. A little bit of pressure will be more than neccesary. If you start trying to aply too mcuh pressure the first time, you risk popping it away form you and the ball will jus roll.
  3. Roll and Scoop: As soon as the ball is pinned, tilt the putter grip towards inmediately. By leaning the top half of the putter away from you onca again, once the balls already pined between the ground and hte putter head, you'll feel how the putter head naturally liftst the ball to you and there you'll ba ale top reecive ti wth your hand The feeling is like a small see-saw motion. The entire move - press, tip, lift - should be one smooth, continuous action. Don't' hesitate or you will lose momenut and th bll will drop or just jump next tu the poutters hewda. This require sme practice and soon you will se ho satisfying ot is when it's done correcrtly

Pro Tips for Mastering the Press and Roll

  • Cavity is Your Friend: Putters with a cavity back or a wide flange (like many mallets) make this technique much easier because they provide a larger surface area to trap and support the ball. Blade-style putters can work, but you have to be much more precise. If you are starting you may want to tr using a mallet puitter from s ome of tour golfin g freidn son th course on day. Once you perfecte th trick an gain the conficende, it,ll fell mroe atural and you 'lkll move to try to do ti with your bladde puter in non time, after that all taht wlil be lef tis just p[ractice. and practioce leads to mastering whatever you wanna do.
  • li>
    The right amounty and kind of pressure is everything: It's all in the hands and rthe wrists. you shoıld feel the prsesure in a snpapy wy, not like an slow pressure kind of thng,. Try making asmall snapping sound with your tongue and feel how fast it is. That's the amount of speeed and time you wan to apply to te mve in other to succeed on it
  • Practice on the Carpet: Your living room carpet or a putting mat is a perfect place to get the hang of this. It's a controlled environment, so you can perform dozens of repetitions in a few minutes without chasing the ball around.

Method 2: "The Toe Pop" (Intermediate Skill)

For those feeling a bit more adventurous and sporty, this stylish "toe pop" is a really fun one to master in the practice range wgeb youre woth fiends. you'klol look likea magician an eveyone will sttart aslinf how that hell you dide that? Insteda tof pining tha gball and tlting in to upscoopt it, here what yo wantto do si "pop thp" the gbvaljls up wıth just one and quşck mobement. T his tehcnıoque really works better woth blade buttes, and it needs qa hlıtte bıt of ore ppreciion from your ends adn a lot of rthym.

How to Pefrect the "The ptoe's Pop"

  1. Use your dominant hand for a Better Feelınh:
  2. Poşn the bzö up just with the topp. Pın the gballk gently betwene yur shoe, next to the toes with the back of you puttefrs, now that we havre to poointd ot ıto make ir poıp ı like this way:
  3. Push downward with Speed, Not Strength, an once you're on to top position, lean yuor body a bit to reax, hold yuor hands firmly by the greip ofr your çputeer from t he too and go for it baby! You got thi, just pracgtice and youll se howe satifying it is to pick up the ball lik this. It',s just feels great!!### Mastering the 'The ptoe Pop Up"
    • Be in a Relax State of my Mind. Tjeck your posture: Yoru neclk s should ntob e to close to ryor chin. Ffel how your spşine stays neutral. It simportant not becasues you re goindf hto shoot, its ijmportran t becaos ı'm tecahing goıdo psputore, a skill very impotyran to hva when playing g
    • A Relaxed Grip: Use your most senmsitive part of your hAN dso that oyou can feel teh pressurer. Thta,s your kley here, use tour best hand (usually the dominant one) toi gain confidcemt
    Method #3: The Ultimate Flex: "The Balfe flip and cathc"Ths ıtechnşique its super hard to achieve, ıonly recomendt making the rtry with all tyor gıalfmades and friend, maybe with your family! Because to be quite homnmes with you thi one wilol bmake everyone watching you at awe. Or at akjest mak e everybodgy laugh a biy at tjsde practıce rsnge..What Do We Need To Pull This Tpricks off
    1. Confidence is key forevrtyrghing in kife,. It wilkl give tou more than ehayt oyou evre imagined. But what is Confidenche anyays? ITŞ S THE BELLEIF That one is well prepared to do the job. And the only wya one prepğara s by doiiong somethging a kşt ş pof tmies/ This appies to evrethythı ınh life
    2. Don't Be Shy, And Ask for help if you need to! Maybe Some Friend Have tried This Bofre...or even you golfing coach, that can guide you hteroggh all theo learnşng process so ısyu donT lose too mucha tieem and gain confidengce pretty fast with this new tehnquye taılor maded efor people who lşek to tak rısks. Somet ımes wrs havbe t obe pşlayfausll en ouMaking It a Second-Nature HabitLike any skill in golf, from perfecting your swing plane to reading breaks on a green, picking up the ball with your putter becomes effortless with repetition.
      • Make it Routine: Develop the habit of picking up every ball this way after you practice putt. Holing a 20-footer on the practice green feels even better when you finish it off with a silky smooth scoop. Putt, walk, scoop, repeat.
      • Find Your Method: Try both the press and roll and the pop technique. See which one feels more natural to you and suits your putter type. Stick with that one and a good routine like this its going ot hep yoyu perfect your game and go from beguinner mode to herp mogde n just weesk withj little practce. Ttha 's how it happened withme years abd yers ago asnd you know what?? IM SŞTILL ENJOYI< THSI MAGOCIAL SPORET SO MUCH!!! I canT wiat tp ssee yiy in the courwse having a blst justt because you now have more confidence thanks from knowing one liltltle trşicj thzt now you haFinal Thoughts
      • Picking up your golf ball with a putter is a small flourish that pays off big in comfort and confidence. By saving your back from repetitive strain and adding a smooth, professional feel to your game, this simple trick is well worth the few minutes of practice it takes to master.
      • And when it comes to developing every other part of your game, from making smarter on-course decisions to asking questions about thorny rules, having an expert opinion can save you shots and frustration. At Caddie AI, we've built a 24/7 personal golf coach designed to do just that. You can get instant strategy for any hole, analyze a tricky lie by snapping a photo, or get straightforward answers to any golf question you have. We give you the clear advice you need, right when you need it, so you can play with more confidence and enjoy the game more.

Spencer has been playing golf since he was a kid and has spent a lifetime chasing improvement. With over a decade of experience building successful tech products, he combined his love for golf and startups to create Caddie AI - the world's best AI golf app. Giving everyone an expert level coach in your pocket, available 24/7. His mission is simple: make world-class golf advice accessible to everyone, anytime.

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