The Real Reason You're Three-Putting
Are you three-putting far more often than you'd like? You're not alone. But here's the thing—it's probably not because you can't read greens, and it might not even be because you're missing short putts. The real culprit? You're not getting that first long putt close enough to the hole.
Watch the professionals on TV and you'll notice something: they consistently run that first putt up close. Almost every time, they leave themselves an easy tap-in. The good news? You can do this too.
It's About Practice (But Not as Much as You Think)
Yes, the pros practise more than you do—they have time on their side. But you don't need to spend hours on the practice green to see improvement. Even increasing your putting practice by 10-20% above what you're doing now will make a noticeable difference.
There's not a lot of complex technique in a putting stroke, which means improvement comes relatively quickly with the right practice.
The Most Common Distance Control Mistake
The biggest reason golfers don't get their first putt close is simple: they're using too short a backstroke for the length of the putt.
Here's what typically happens: On a long putt, the backstroke only goes back a short distance, and the ball comes up short. Then, instead of lengthening the backstroke for the next attempt, fear takes over. We're all terrified of blasting it past the hole, so what do most golfers do? They keep the short backstroke and try to hit it harder.
This creates an inconsistent pattern: short, long, short, long. You'll be short with the first putt, overcompensate and go long with the next one, then be short again. It's a frustrating cycle.
The Solution: Lengthen Your Stroke
The fix is straightforward: make sure the length of your stroke matches the length of your putt. This usually means lengthening your backstroke and smoothing out the tempo.
If you're consistently short, or bouncing between short and long, try this:
- Lengthen your backstroke by 10-20%
- Experiment during practice
- Use the weight of the putter head to do the work
You'll quickly find that you're getting up to the hole much more consistently. Yes, you might go past a few times initially—that's normal when you're used to giving it a whack. But you don't need to hit it hard. Let the length of the stroke and the putter's weight do the work for you.
Why Most Golfers Use the Wrong Stroke
Many golfers use the same short backstroke for all their putts, then try to adjust by hitting harder or softer. It simply doesn't work. For a long putt, you need a fairly long stroke—longer than what you'll see most of your playing partners using.
The stroke length should vary with the distance, not the force of the hit.
Always Be Past the Hole (Here's Why)
There are two excellent reasons you should always finish past the hole unless the ball drops in:
1. Never up, never in. If the ball doesn't reach the hole, it has zero chance of dropping. Simple physics.
2. You gain valuable information. When your ball rolls past the hole, you can watch how it breaks on the way by. If it runs away in a certain direction, you now know there's break in that area for your return putt. You don't get that information when you're short.
Ideally, you want to finish a foot or so past—easier said than done, but that's the goal.
Put It Into Practice
Next time you're on the practice green:
- Lengthen your stroke
- Get a feel for the rhythm
- Don't worry if you go a bit far past initially
What you'll discover is that your ability to judge distance will improve dramatically. Your natural feel for pace will develop, and those frustrating three-putts will become increasingly rare.
The key is practice, but more importantly, practising the right technique. A longer, smoother stroke will transform your distance control—and your scorecard.
