Putt to a 3ft Circle
As a former touring professional, I am all too aware of the power of practice. Also, most 3-putts occur because the first putt didn’t finish close enough to the hole. The right drills can make a huge difference in your ability to perform consistently. For this particular drill, the focus is speed putting and the all important 3 foot speed circle.
The goal when putting outside of 25 feet should not be as much about holing the putt as ensuring the next one is a tap in. The reason the 3 foot speed circle is so important is because of probabilities and statistics. PGA Tour professionals make 95% of putts inside of 3 feet. Now, we aren’t all PGA Tour professionals but even for the golfer shooting in the 90’s, they are still making around 84% of these putts. Where the statistics for all golfers begins to drastically shift is every foot outside of 3 feet. Even the best golfers on the PGA Tour drop to an average of 86% from 4 feet. That number for golfers shooting in the 90’s moves to less than 75%. Things don’t get any better from there because each foot out to 6 feet drops by roughly 10% respectively.
But there is a drill that will help you improve this aspect of your game. Setup a 3-foot circle around a hole with 4-6 tees then place tees at 40, 50, and 60 feet away. Using 4 golf balls, make five attempts (20 putts) from each tee to see how many you get inside the 3-foot circle. Keep track of your progress and see how this drill will help you save shots on the golf course and lower your handicap.