Reducing the amount of three-putts you have per round is simple. All you’ve got to do is dial in your speed control.
When you’ve got proper speed control, you can get away with not starting lag putts on the perfect line. Typically, your dispersion front to back will be much greater than from left to right, so improving your speed is the best way to tighten up that 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 dedicate some time to dialing in your speed. In the text below, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Trent Wearner shares a drill you can use to do just that.
Do this drill for fewer 3-putts
There are many ways to reduce the number of putts you take during a round. For some players, it’s about improving their routine and mindset over the ball. For others, it comes down to setup, stroke, or green reading. But for many golfers, the biggest opportunity lies in developing better touch and feel — the ability to control distance.
Speed control is something you should be intentionally working on every time your feet hit the putting green. It’s such a critical element of good putting that ignoring it means leaving easy strokes on the table.
Here’s a simple drill that requires only a few tees and a spool of thread.
Setup: Tear off two pieces of thread, each about four feet long. Place one piece three feet behind the hole and the other along the front edge.
Set 1: Place tees at 3, 6, 9 and 12 feet. Your goal is always to make the putt — but pay attention to speed. Tour players typically hit short putts with enough pace to roll about four feet past the hole (if it were covered). That’s a bit aggressive for most amateurs, which is why the back thread is set at three feet.
With one ball at each tee, aim to make the putt. If it doesn’t drop, it must finish between the two threads. Complete all four distances in a row before moving on.
Set 2: Move the front thread one foot short of the hole and leave the back thread three feet past. Place tees at 15, 20 and 25 feet. Again, each putt should either go in or finish between the threads. Make all three in a row before advancing.
Set 3: Now move the front thread three feet short of the hole, keeping the back thread three feet past. Place tees at 30, 35, 40 and 45 feet. Same rules apply: each ball must stop between the threads or you start the set over.
As mentioned earlier, great putters adjust their speed depending on the length of the putt. On short putts, they hit the ball a bit firmer; on long putts, they die it closer to the hole.
Here’s a fun bit of perspective: the circumference of a golf ball is 5.277 inches — meaning one full revolution rolls the ball just over five inches. So, if you’re trying to hit a putt one foot past the hole, that’s only about two revolutions. That’s how precise elite speed control really is.
