The key to good putting is not making 3 foot putts but making 6 foot putts. This will be a theme repeated here many times. You have to be very good at 6 foot putts to be a good putter.

Why?

Lets start with short putts. If you concentrate on making 3 foot putts then what happens outside of three feet? It feels like a completely different putt doesn’t it. Well it did for me. So I decided to practice making 4 foot putts. Then 5 foot putts. Then 6 foot putts.

With putts that are 6 foot and under 85% of the time you can simply line them up and putt inside the hole. By that I mean that most likely there is not a break that will cause you to line your putt up so that you are aiming outside the hole. All putts should aim for the inside of the hole. At 6 foot if you have to hit the ball harder to power through a break and miss you will not be left with a long putt.

Medium putts. With the confidence of being able to make 6 foot putts you can be more aggressive. I have seen many players with a 15 foot putt that lag it up there because they are afraid of having a longer than 3 foot putt. But if you are good at 6 foot putts then who cares if you miss a 15 footer. You will always be able to make the comeback. If you are worried about 3 foot putts then you are worried about missing a 15 footer by too much.

Long putts. Lagging a 30 foot putt to within 3 feet is difficult, even for good putters. Again being confident with 6 foot putts lets you be more aggressive with long putts. I would not expect to make more than 10% of putts that are 25 feet or longer, but at least you can give them a chance.

See Around the World 6 foot drill for a good way to practice 6 foot putts.

http://www.goodputting.com/blog/2008/03/26/around-the-world-6-feet/

Coach Kip

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