Here’s a comment we recently received from Janette:
My putting definitely hinders me BIG-TIME and iron approach shots to the greens (+ chips) are erratic…
Thanks for the comment Janette.
Along with Chris and Rich, I wrote the book on How to Break 90…
However, just to be clear I am more like you than Chris and Rich when it comes to golf so I understand your struggles!
I did reduce my handicap from 20 to 12 and reached a point where I was consistently breaking 90 on the Baltimore municipal courses I was playing. Actually I was consistently shooting in the low to mid 80s and even shot in the 70’s several times.
So I had the same struggles and figured out how to overcome them.
Putting…
Here is how I consistently two-putt.
First I have a “circle of confidence” around the hole. It is a 3-foot circle around the hole. I’m confident I will make this putt at least 90% of the time. I don’t play any break on these putts unless the break is extreme and it’s rare I will aim outside of the hole.
This is an aggressive putt. I putt it with the speed to go at least 12-18 inches past the hole. This putt does not trickle into the hole on the last roll. It goes in with some speed.
That is because putts with more speed tend to hold their lines better so you can putt them straighter. And that is particularly important around the hole. All kinds of bad things can happen as a putt slows near the hole. Spike marks, footprints, pebbles, etc. can all knock the putt offline.
More speed means the putt is more likely to hold it’s line and roll into the hole. And on the rare occasion that you do miss, you’ll have a 12 to 18 inch tap in.
I recently filmed a putting video showing this drill.
Disclaimer: While this video is a good demonstration of the COC drill, it was really a test video. Rich refers to my caddie as “Mr. Shakes”!!
The other part of the putting equation is “lag” putting. So when you are outside of your COC, you want to “lag” the putt inside your COC so you then make the second putt.
So the “lag” putt is a less aggressive putt. Sure you would like to make it but even pros don’t make most putts longer than 10-feet so a player who struggles to break 90 can’t be expected to make a lot of long putts either.
The common mistake is to be too aggressive and blow this putt 5 or 10 feet past the hole. That leads to a lot of 3-putts!! Just “lag” the putt into your circle of confidence, sink the second putt, and walk off the green with a two-putt.
Consistently 2-putting should drop several strokes off your score.
A simple “lag” putting drill is to stroke 10 or 20 putts of 15 to 20 feet and keep track of how many you “lag” into your COC. To take it a step further you can putt out and keep track of how many times you 2-putt. You can make into a game that simulates the pressure on the course.
For example, you say, I’m stroking 10 20-foot putts and I’m not stopping until I 2-putt 6 times or 8 times depending on your level of skill. This adds pressure as you approach your goal. You can then take this confidence to the course.
To take your putting to an even higher level, lag your putts into the back half of your COC. In other words, don’t be short. There’s not much more frustrating than seeing your putt headed straight into the hole only to see it come to a stop a few rolls from dropping into the hole.
I also understand you chipping and pitching frustrations. I’ve spent more time practicing my putting so I don’t 3-putt much. And while I can consistently chip or pitch the ball onto the green, I could definitely stand to improve my accuracy – or in other words getting the ball closer to the hole!!
Part of this is developing the proper feel of chipping and pitching. I filmed a chipping “feel” drill recently too which you can find here:
Remember, “Mr. Shakes” filmed this but it will still show you what I’m working on.
Also consider the various options when you are chipping and pitching around the green.
#1: Club selection: various wedges, other irons, even 5-wood or hybrid
#2: Ball position: forward, middle, back
#3: Club face: you can open or close the club face to produce a higher or lower shot
I generally don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. Your mission is to experiment and practice until you find out what works best for you, what gives you the most confidence, and then take that confidence to the course to shave strokes off your score.
You can improve you pitching and chipping skills by practicing chipping and pitching into say a 15-foot circle around the hole, then as you improve shrinking the circle to 10-feet, 5-feet, and then eventually getting to the point where you can pitch or chip into your COC.
That’s when you will really shave strokes off your score by getting up & down – the “holy grail” for golfers. Turning 3 shots into 2 is how the pros shoot low scores.
I hope this helps, Please let me know if you have further questions.
Dedicated to Lower Scores and More Fun on the Course,
Robert Phillips
Co-Author “How to Consistently Break 90”
P.S. Do you know the 5 most common swing faults and the quick fixes that will help you play better golf in a hurry? Claim your free videos here: Common Swing Faults and Quick Fixes
