How to Decrease Putts Per Round
Decreasing your putts per round has a lot less to do with making more putts from long distance than people think. But if making more putts from distance is the big driver, what is?
There is still this belief in the golf community that putting is where players can make up for a lack of talent in the other parts of their game. They seem to think that if they can decrease their total putts per round they can lower their scores. While that is mathematically true, is it true?
Ok, that might come off a bit confusing.
The real question we need to answer is, what is the primary factor that determines total putts per round?
The answer is not necessarily making more putts. I would argue that it is proximity to the hole and avoiding three-putts.
The reality is that we amateurs will not make a lot of putts outside of 10 feet. The average tour pro only makes about 40% of their putts from 10 feet. Less than half the time.
If a tour pro makes less than half their putts from 10 feet, what do you think we amateurs are doing? We are likely only making about 20-30% of these putts. And we probably won’t get a whole lot better at these putts without spending hours per week practicing.
The real stroke savors once we get on the greens is avoiding three-putts. We do this by focusing on two things.
Get closer to the pin on our approach shot - 40 feet or less.
Becoming better lag putters - get the ball inside of 3 feet more frequently.
But now you might be wondering HOW you can get better at these things.
How to Decrease Your Average Putts Per Round
Ok, first things first, you need to get the ball on the green and closer to the hole. You get better in this area by becoming a better ball striker. If you have been a subscriber for a while you know where this is heading.
There are three things that I believe to be non-negotiable in becoming a better ball striker.
Hire a golf coach. We amateurs do NOT know enough about how to develop a quality, repeatable golf swing on our own. We need to hire a coach to teach us how to swing better and strike the ball better. Heck, every tour pro has a coach they work with.
Utilize differential practice. This is where you learn skills. When completing differential practice, you can simply do things like purposefully hitting a few balls off the toe and then the heel and then calibrating back to center. Or you can hit big hooks and slices. Or you try to hit it high and low. Essentially, you are learning how to manipulate the club to produce a specific outcome.
Practice, practice, practice. Most amateurs do not practice enough and if they do, it is mostly with a few clubs. If you want to be a good ball striker, you need to practice getting better with your wedges, mid-irons, and long-irons. Every one matters. Also, spend a little more time dialing in your clubs with distances you typically see on approach shots. For me, that is a lot between 80 and 160 yards.
As you get better as a ball striker, the next step is to minimize three-putts. There is nothing worse than getting the ball inside of 30 feet and then three putting for a bogey. It is mentally exhausting.
Here you need to practice your speed control.
There are all sorts of drills you can do, but the most important part is to practice your speed control a lot. Here are a few drills you can do:
Take 5 to 10 balls and throw them down in one spot. Pick a hole or general area about 30 feet away. Putt one ball and try to get it as close to the hole as possible. Then with each remaining ball, try to putt it and keep it shorter than the previous putt. Repeat as many times as you want.
Place a club or alignment stick about 3 feet past a hole. Take a few balls and pace off anywhere from 20-30 feet away. Try to putt the ball past the hole, but no further away than where the alignment stick is on the ground. Repeat as many times as you want.
Pick a hole and place 1 ball at each 20, 30, and 40 feet away from the hole. Try to get each ball inside of 3 feet from the hole in any direction. Repeat as many times as you want.
There are ton of different drills that you can complete for getting better at lag putting. These are just a few examples. But again, it doesn’t matter which one you do. What matters is that you practice it frequently, even if it is just for a few minutes at the end of every practice session.
Wrapping It Up
Decreasing the number of putts you have per round is less about making more putts and more about getting the ball closer to the hole on your approach shot and reducing the number of three putts you have.
While you obviously want to make more putts, the odds of making putts from 30 feet away are not as good as from 20 feet or 10 feet away. Becoming a better ball striker will help you hit more greens in regulation and be closer to the hole.
Lastly, when you are further away from the hole, the goal is to not three putt. You need to be dialed in with distance control to give yourself the best chance not three putting and maybe once in a while those putts will fall into the hole.