Putting · Drill
Putt to the Fringe to Learn Long-Range Speed
Part of our putting programs for three-putts. Build a program with it
From long range, speed matters more than line. Take the hole away and you take away the worry, too. Find a long, open stretch of green. Putt toward the fringe from 30 to 50 feet. Try to stop each ball within a putter length of the edge. Keep the same rhythm. Change only the length of your stroke. Then finish by putting to a real hole from the same spots.
The drill
- Find a long, open part of the green.
- Putt toward the fringe from 30 to 50 feet.
- Stop each within a putter length of the edge.
- Keep your rhythm; change stroke length.
- Finish putting to a real hole.
Why it works
On long putts, distance error causes most three-putts, because a small miss in line costs less than a miss in speed. Aiming at the fringe gives you a wide target and removes the pull to steer the ball toward a hole. Keeping the rhythm constant and changing only stroke length ties your feel for distance to one simple variable, so it repeats under pressure.
Common mistakes
- You speed up or slow down the stroke to change distance.Keep the same tempo on every putt and make the backstroke longer or shorter.
- You hit every ball from the same spot.Move to a new distance between 30 and 50 feet after each ball or two so you learn to adjust.
- You stop watching the ball once it leaves the putter and ignore where it finishes.Note where each ball stops relative to the fringe and change your stroke length on the next putt to correct it.
How you'll know it's working
- Most balls finish within a putter length of the fringe, both short and long.
- Your tempo feels the same on every putt, and only the length of the stroke changes.
- When you finish at a real hole, your first putts leave you a short, easy second putt.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Use a shorter distance, such as 20 to 30 feet, and lay tees a putter length from the fringe to mark the target zone.
Harder: Set tees a putter length from the fringe as a tight zone, and count only balls that stop inside it, or change to a sloped or uphill and downhill stretch of green.
Common questions
How do I stop three-putting from long range?
Focus on distance control first, because most long three-putts come from leaving the first putt well short or long. Practice getting the ball to stop near a target area, then worry about line.
Why practice putting to the fringe instead of a hole?
The fringe is a wide, forgiving target that lets you focus only on speed. Without a hole to aim at, you are less likely to steer the ball or tighten up.
