Reducing the number of three-putts you have per round is easy. All you have to do is set your speed control.
If you have the right speed control, you can get away without starting lag putts on the perfect line. Normally your spread from front to back will be much greater than from side to side, so improving your speed is the best way to tighten the circle of your misses around the hole.
Now, improving your touch on the greens will always be easier said than done, but if you’re serious about limiting those score-killing three-putts, it’s important to spend some time dialing in your speed. In the text below, GOLF Top 100 teacher Trent Wearner shares an exercise that you can use for this.
Perform this drill for fewer 3-putts
There are many ways to reduce the number of putts you make during a round. For some players, it’s about improving their routine and mentality on the ball. For others it comes down to setup, stroke or green reading. But for many golfers the greatest opportunity lies in better development touch and feel – the ability to control distance.
Speed control is something you have to intentionally work on every time your feet hit the green. It’s such a crucial part of good putting that ignoring it means leaving easy shots on the table.
Here’s a simple exercise that only requires a few tees and a spool of thread.
Line-up: Tear off two pieces of wire, each about four feet long. Place one piece three feet behind the hole and the other along the front.
Set 1: Place tees at 3, 6, 9 and 12 feet. Your goal is always to make the putt, but pay attention to the speed. Tour players typically hit short putts with enough speed to roll about four feet past the hole (if it is covered). That’s a bit aggressive for most amateurs, so the back wire is set to one meter.
With one ball on each tee, try to make the putt. If it doesn’t fall, it should end up between the two wires. Complete all four distances in a row before continuing.
Set 2: Move the front wire a foot shorter than the hole and leave the back wire a foot past. Place tees at 15, 20 and 25 feet. Again, every putt must go in or end up between the wires. Line up all three before continuing.
Set 3: Now move the front wire three feet in front of the hole and keep the back wire three feet beyond. Place tees at 30, 35, 40 and 45 feet. The same rules apply: each ball must stop between the wires, otherwise you start the set again.
As mentioned earlier, great putters adjust their speed depending on the length of the putt. On short putts they hit the ball a little harder; on long putts they die closer to the hole.
Here’s a fun bit of perspective: The circumference of a golf ball is 5.277 inches – meaning one full rotation rolls the ball just over two inches. So if you try to hit a putt one foot past the hole, that’s only about two revolutions. That’s how precise Elite Speed Control really is.
#3putts #genius #putting #speed #drill