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How to Stop Three-Putting
Your practice at a glance
PuttingCategory
Fewer three-puttsBenefit
About 45 minutesPractice time
3 drillsPractice routine
Putter, balls, tees, flagstickEquipment
These golf drills are from the Golf Practice Made Fun App.
Three-putting can turn a good hole into a frustrating score.
This simple putting practice session combines Lag Putting, Distance Control and Luke Donald’s Par Maker to help you get long putts closer, control your pace and hole more of the short putts that follow.
Drill 1. Lag Putting: Get Your First Putt Close
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Place tees at 40, 50 and 60 feet from a hole. |
| 2 | Putt three balls from each distance: 40, 50 and 60 feet. Repeat the sequence once for eighteen putts. |
| 3 | Aim to finish no more than three feet from the hole in any direction. This makes a six-foot-wide target circle. A holed putt also meets the target. |
Drill 2. Distance Control: Find the Right Pace
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Place a flagstick on the green two feet behind a hole. Begin at least 20 feet away. |
| 2 | From the same starting point, play nine putts, then repeat for eighteen attempts. Use your normal routine before every putt. |
| 3 | Try to hole each putt or finish beyond the cup and short of the flagstick without touching it. A putt left short, touching the stick or finishing at or beyond it misses the target. |
Drill 3. Luke Donald's Par Maker: Hole the Next Putt
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mark five starting spots around a hole: one each at 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 feet. Choose different sides to vary the reads. |
| 2 | Putt once from each of the five spots using your full pre-putt routine. Repeat the same five-distance setup at three more holes. |
| 3 | Aim to hole every putt. After a miss, move to the next starting spot; do not restart the drill or replay the missed attempt. |
