I’m not sure why, exactly, but so many recreational golfers expect to make 10 foot putts. It’s not right, but they seem to have that effect on you.
It makes sense, I suppose. If you’ve got a 10 foot putt, you’re almost certainly closer to the cup than you have been at any other point during the hole, so you’ve got excitement brewing. There’s also some pressure, too. Maybe you’ve hit a solid chip and left yourself 10 feet to save par, or just striped an iron shot and now have a 10 footer for birdie.
But while you may want and even expect to make your 10 footer, renowned putting coach Phil Kenyon, who teaches a host of Tour players, is here to temper your expectations.
As Kenyon explains below, according to PGA Tour stats, the average professional player only makes about four putts of 10 feet or longer over the course of a 72-hole tournament. The best player on Tour makes about eight putts of 10 feet or longer over the course of 72 holes.
Why is knowing this important? Because if you’re going around expecting to make a bunch of 10 footers (or longer) every time you tee it up, you’ll end up feeling discouraged. You’ll lose confidence — because you think you’re missing a bunch of putts you should be making — and have less fun as a result.
So listen to Phil: Check your expectations, and your putting will thank you later.