Putting · Lesson
Build a Stroke-Length Chart for Your Putts
Part of our putting programs for three-putts. Build a program with it
You can putt by numbers. On a flat part of the practice green, find the stroke that rolls the ball 5 feet. Use your feet as markers for how far back and through you go. Then find 10, 15, 20 and 25 feet. Keep your backstroke and follow-through matched. That keeps your speed steady. On the course, pace off the putt and use the matching stroke. Uphill gets a bit more. Downhill gets less. At a new course, test your 10-foot stroke first and adjust.
Step by step
- Find your stroke for 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 feet.
- Use your feet as markers.
- Pace off putts on the course.
- Add a bit uphill, take some off downhill.
- Recheck your 10-foot stroke at new courses.
Why it works
Distance control in putting comes from the speed of the putter head at impact. Speed depends mostly on stroke length when your tempo stays the same. If you match the backstroke and follow-through, the putter does not need to be pushed or slowed at impact, so the same stroke gives the same roll each time.
Common mistakes
- You change tempo to get more or less distance instead of changing stroke length.Keep one steady tempo and let only the length of the stroke change between 5 and 25 feet.
- Your follow-through is shorter than your backstroke, which means you are slowing down into the ball.Match the two lengths using your feet as markers, and let the putter head swing through to the same point you took it back to.
- You build the chart on a sloped part of the green, so the distances do not carry over to flat putts.Find a flat area for the chart, and only add or subtract from those strokes when the putt on the course is uphill or downhill.
How you'll know it's working
- Five balls hit with the same stroke finish within a short putter-length of each other.
- The ball comes off the face with a consistent roll and the contact feels the same near the center of the face each time.
- Your pace-offs on the course leave first putts close enough that you rarely face a long second putt.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Start with just the 5-foot and 10-foot strokes, and keep a tee or coin at each foot marker so you can see how far back and through you go.
Harder: Drop balls at random distances and pace them off, pick the matching stroke without hitting a practice ball first, then compare where each one finishes.
Common questions
How do I control distance when putting?
Control the length of your stroke while keeping your tempo steady. Build a chart of stroke lengths for set distances so you can repeat them.
How much more should I hit an uphill putt?
Add a bit of stroke length so the ball reaches the hole with the same pace. Use the stroke for a slightly longer putt, and test it on the practice green to learn how much your greens need.
