Putting · Drill
On Fast Greens, Play for the Two-Putt
Part of our putting programs for three-putts. Build a program with it
Slick greens punish greed. A long putt that rolls eight feet past leaves a scary one coming back. Make the two-putt your goal. Warm up with lots of lag putts from 30 to 50 feet. Don't try to make them. Try to leave every one in easy range. And remember that a close approach isn't always a good one on fast greens. Finishing under the cup often beats finishing close to it.
The drill
- Practice lag putts from 30 to 50 feet.
- Try to leave each one close.
- Avoid rolling them far past.
- Accept two-putts.
- Aim approaches to leave easier putts.
Why it works
On fast greens the ball rolls farther for the same stroke, so a small error in speed becomes a large error in distance. A putt that finishes past the hole often leaves a downhill return, which is harder to control than an uphill one. If you aim to leave the first putt in easy range, you remove the long comeback and most three-putts. Judging distance matters more than line on long putts, so the drill trains speed first.
Common mistakes
- You try to make the long putt and hit it too hard.Pick a landing zone around the hole and aim to stop the ball inside it, not to hole it.
- You look only at the hole and ignore how far the ball is from it.Take a practice stroke while looking at the hole, then make the real stroke with the same length and tempo.
- You leave every putt short because you fear going past.Aim to finish a short roll beyond the hole on flat putts, and only play for under the cup when the putt is downhill or the next one would be.
How you'll know it's working
- Most of your long putts finish within a short, easy putt of the hole, and few finish well past it.
- Your misses are spread short and long about evenly, not all on one side.
- You contact the ball on the same spot of the face each time, and the roll looks smooth and even.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Start from 30 feet on a flat part of the green and count a putt as good if it stops within a three-foot circle around the hole.
Harder: Move to 50 feet on a sloped green and count a putt as good only if it stops uphill of the hole inside a smaller circle.
Common questions
How do you avoid three-putting on fast greens?
Focus on speed over line on long putts and aim to leave the ball close enough for an easy second putt. Where you can, leave yourself an uphill putt rather than a downhill one.
Is it better to be short or long on a fast green?
Finishing slightly short or below the hole usually leaves an easier putt than finishing past it, because uphill putts are easier to hit firmly. Do not leave the ball so short that you still face a long putt.
