On the PGA Tour, an eight footer is where the pros make 50% of their putts, effectively a coin flip. For a scratch golfer, that distance is between 6 and 7 feet. For a 90s shooter, that distance is just 5 feet. I’m choosing to focus on 5 feet and in because all skill levels need to be proficient from this distance, and there aren’t as many variables involved in these putts. So that means a Tour player can’t afford to miss these, a scratch golfer needs to make a majority of these, and a 90s shooter needs to improve on these.
The biggest reason 5 feet and in is important is because, mentally, most players think they should make every putt from this distance. While it is statistically not the case, the mental aspect of 5 footers makes these putts extremely important. We can move on from missing an 8 footer, because they’re statistically a coin flip, but a missed 5 footer can have a bad effect on the rest of our day.
There are multiple aspects of these short putts that I think are imperative to improving your make percentage, and I want to focus on a few of them specifically that I think will drastically help your scores. We have already discussed the statistics and make percentages of these putts. There are a few things we need to focus on to improve our putting stats. We need to look at our strokes and make sure we’re starting the ball online. We need to check our aim, so that the start line is starting where we think it is. We need to learn how to read these putts. Maybe most importantly, we need to focus on the psychology of these putts.
I think there is an order to this list where you need to check off the box before you go to the next one. For example, we need to make sure we’re starting the ball on line before we start practicing reading the putt. If you pull every putt, over time, you will start reading the putts differently to adjust to what you think the line is.
Mental Side of Short Putts
I want to focus on the psychology of these putts first, because in my opinion, if we don’t have a good mindset over the ball, none of the other things really matter. The statistics, I think, are extremely important to having a good mindset for short putts. Most people have an unrealistic expectation that they should make every putt inside a certain range. The stats prove this to not be the case.
If you look at the make percentage of par putts vs. birdie putts of the same distance on the PGA Tour, it is clear as day that the mindset you have over a putt is paramount to being a good putter. PGA Tour players tend to make more putts for par than they do for birdie from the same distance. The psychology of why could be debated, but I sense that the fear of making bogey far outweighs the benefit of making a birdie. If you miss a birdie putt, you tap in for par, no problem, but missing the putt for par means you lost a shot on the hole. The fact that this is proven with PGA Tour stats proves without a doubt that these putts involve a strong psychological influence.
I could make an entire post about the mental aspect of putting, and will get to that sometime soon, but I just want you to start paying attention to the way you’re thinking over these short putts. Are you trying to make it or are you trying not to miss it? Are you afraid of how you’ll feel if you miss it or worried about how your buddies will make fun of you for it? If you can separate yourself from these thoughts and feelings, you will most certainly put yourself in a better position to make the short putts more consistently.
Starting the Ball On Line
Now that we’ve brushed the surface of the psychology of short putts, let’s get into the physical side of them. Most importantly, we need to make sure we’re starting the ball online. Generally speaking, putts inside of 5 feet aren’t going to break that much, so we need to make sure we can start the ball on line consistently. These putts are less feel based than a longer putt, and more technically dependent.
When we talk about starting the ball on line, I include two factors.
Does the ball start where the putter face is aimed?
Is your putter face aimed where you think it is?
I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve been asked to help someone with their putting, telling me they’re pulling all of their putts, only to find out they’re aimed a ball left of where they thought they were. The first thing you should always do is to make sure you’re aimed properly. The best drill for this, in my opinion, is to use a club or alignment stick, and place it on a 3-5 foot straight putt just off the toe of the putter. It will not only help practice your aim, but will help with your putter path and face control.
The mobility of the alignment stick, as opposed to a chalk line for example, means that we can do this same drill on right to left and left to right putts as well.
Reading the Putt
Now that we’re aimed properly and starting the ball on line consistently, we need to read the putts properly. When I talk about the read, I include both line and speed. As I have said, for these short putts speed might not be AS important because these putts tend to not break as much as a longer mid-range putt, but it is always a good idea to be paying attention to your speed.
One of my favorite drills is to find a putt with about a cup of break and try to make it at three different speeds. I play it firm and inside the cup, regular pace at about a ball outside, and dying pace at the full cup of break. Not only will this help with your reads, seeing the line and the speed matching up, it will get you thinking creatively and feeling the putts better.
When it comes to reading short putts, there are a few things I like to keep in mind. The large majority of these putts come after a lag putt or a short game shot. Every once in a while we will hit an approach shot to this distance, but for the most part, these putts will come after a shot on or around the green. That means we will be able to see the ball rolling and get some hints on how the putt is going to break.
The first and biggest piece of advice is to watch your ball rolling. If you hit a chip or a lag putt that is rolling past the hole, don’t react until after the ball stops rolling. If you want to get upset and make a scene because your ball rolls past the edge, feel free, but wait until after the ball is at rest. Watch golf on tv, and you will see the pros doing this all the time. You will see them hit a bunker shot, for example, and then quickly run up to the green so they can see how their ball is breaking around the hole. You will see them following their lag putts so they can see how the ball reacts around the hole. Save your reactions until after the ball is at rest, so you can really be dialed on the break around the hole.
Another very specific green reading tip, which I should do an Instagram post on so you can really visualize it, has to do with downhill putts. When you miss a downhill putt low (left for a right to left putt, right for a left to right putt), the comeback putt is almost always dead straight. If it’s not dead straight, the break is inside the hole. This is just a pure gravity phenomenon. I am often tempted to think the comeback putt will break the same as the first putt, but it tends to funnel to the straight line. If and when I make an Instagram post demonstrating this, I will come back and add it into this blog.
Drills for Short Putts
So there we go: we’re thinking properly on these putts, we are aiming and starting the ball on line consistently, and we have put ourselves in the best position to read the putt properly. Now let’s practice actually making these putts. I prefer the circle drill.
If you have the time, you can try to make x amount of them in a row, and start over if you miss one. This will add a little pressure to your practice which is great. If you don’t have the time, however, going around the circle a couple times will just allow you to see a bunch of these putts going in which will build confidence. Making anywhere from 10-50 of these putts before you head out to play will leave a positive image in your head. When you get that first 5 footer on the course, you will have the image of making a bunch of these right before you teed off. (Side note: the biggest tournament I ever won, I did this drill before the final round. I had a 4 footer on the last hole to win by one and was able to draw on this drill from a few hours earlier, knowing I had made 50 of these putts before the round. Why is this one any different?)
If you’re not practicing these short putts, work on your speed control from 20+ feet. Speed control is a completely different post, but I only bring this up because hitting 10-15 footers isn’t really accomplishing anything as far as getting better goes. You’re not going to make them statistically, and you’re still going to have these 3-5 foot putts to clean up your two putt. You will have the most to gain by practicing 3-5 footers (maybe up to 8 feet depending on skill level) as the majority of your practice.
In Closing
Most people I see don’t practice putting efficiently or effectively. As I said, throwing three balls down on the green and aimlessly hitting 10-15 footers isn’t really accomplishing much. By using these tips and drills, you can spend a fraction of the time practicing and get exponentially better. Being disciplined and sticking to these quick checkpoints will improve your putting and make you more consistent around the hole.
Good luck!
B
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