Nothing kills a good round faster than a three-putt.
You hit the green in regulation.
Walk onto the putting surface feeling confident.
Then…
Putt one leaves you 8 feet short.
Putt two slides by.
Putt three finally drops.
Just like that, another stroke disappears.
Most golfers think the problem is their putting stroke.
But in reality?
Most three-putts start with poor distance control.
The Goal Isn’t to Make Every Long Putt
This surprises a lot of golfers.
When facing a 30-, 40-, or 50-foot putt, your goal shouldn’t be making it.
Your goal is simple:
👉 Leave yourself an easy second putt.
That’s it.
Because long putts are won with speed, not perfection.
Speed Control Beats Green Reading
Many golfers obsess over reading the break.
How much left?
How much right?
Where’s the apex?
Those things matter.
But if your speed is wrong, the read doesn’t matter anyway.
A perfectly read putt that finishes 10 feet past the hole is still a problem.
Distance control always comes first.
Why First-Putt Position Matters?
Think of the hole as having a “safe zone.”
Your job is to roll the ball into that zone.
Not necessarily into the cup.
Good putters consistently leave themselves inside a comfortable finishing distance.
Poor putters leave themselves work.
The closer your first putt finishes, the easier the next stroke becomes.
The Biggest Lag Putting Mistakes
Many three-putts come from:
❌ Decelerating through impact
❌ Looking up too soon
❌ Focusing only on line
❌ Leaving putts far short
❌ Trying to make every long putt
The common theme?
Poor speed awareness.
Learn to Putt to a Circle
One of the best ways to improve distance control is to stop aiming directly at the hole during practice.
Instead:
Place a 3-foot circle around the cup.
Your objective becomes:
👉 Roll every putt into the circle.
This trains speed rather than outcome.
And speed is what prevents three-putts.
A Simple Distance Control Drill
Try this before every round:
Ladder Putting Drill
Place tees at:
- 20 feet
- 30 feet
- 40 feet
Putt three balls to each distance.
The goal:
Finish every putt within a small target area.
No concern about making putts.
Only focus on speed.
Within minutes, your feel improves dramatically.
What Better Putters Understand?
Great putters aren’t trying to make everything.
They’re trying to eliminate mistakes.
They know:
✔ Good speed creates short second putts
✔ Short second putts create confidence
✔ Confidence creates lower scores
That’s why they rarely three-putt.
Three-putts aren’t usually caused by bad strokes.
They’re caused by bad speed.
Control your distance.
Improve your first putt.
And you’ll immediately save strokes on the course.
Because the easiest putt you’ll ever make…
Is the one you never leave yourself.
Take your game to the next level with the Golf Connection app, now available on Google Play and the App Store. Train smarter, monitor your progress, and develop real confidence on the greens.
