Why You Need This: In this video, you'll learn how to never 3 putt again.

Speed control is what it's all about if you're looking to eliminate 3 putts.

Imagine you have a 30- to 40- foot putt.

It's easy to leave the putt 6 feet short or to hit your putt 6 feet past the hole.

However, you don't have to worry as much about the direction unless you're facing an enormous break on the green.

Most of your long putts won't have tons of break...

So, in this video, let's focus on your long putt speed control.

I have a couple of drills for you to work on.

First, put your left hand on your left thigh and swing your putter with just your right arm.

Switch hands and do the same with your left hand.

Then put both hands on the putter and swing back and forth the same amount...

...meaning that the distance that you take your putter back equals the distance that your putter travels past contact.

For longer putts, the same applies.

Bring the putter farther back and farther through contact.

Practice different length putting strokes without the ball.

Then putt some balls to within 1 foot of the fringe.

Once you putt a good one, back up a few steps and again putt to within 1 foot of the fringe.

Hit a good one?

Great...

Back up a few more steps and repeat the drill.

Keep on doing this drill until you're on the other side of the green.

Watch now to learn great drills to master your putting distance control.

You'll improve your tempo for all length putts...

And you may never 3 putt again!

Golf Pros Featured:

Instructors Featured: Clay Ballard    

Video Duration: 3:53

Video Transcription:

Hi guys. So speed control is what it’s all about to eliminate the 3 putts.

Imagine you have a 30 or 40-foot putt, it’s very easy to leave a putt 6-7 short or 6-7 feet long, but it’s not going to be that easy to miss it 6 or 7 feet to the right or left. You’re just not going to end that far off line in most cases unless there’s tons and tons of break.

The key for never 3-putting again, to really making sure that you get up and down on those very long putts, get them right by the hole, is all about the speed.

I’ve got a couple drills there that is really going to help you for the speed. Here in a second we’re going to putt to the fringe, but as we’re doing this, as we’re warming up before we ever hit a putt, I want you to do a couple things for me.

First, we’re going to put our left hand on our left leg. I’m going to swing this putter, I’m not going to worry about anything other than rhythm, tempo, and really feeling like I have a nice smooth stroke back and through. I’m going to keep my lower body completely still as I’m doing this.

My left hand’s making sure my legs don’t move at all. Same thing with my right hand, put it on my right leg, and I’m going to do the same thing with my left hand, swinging the putter.

Again, I’m not really worried about technique here, I just want it to be completely smooth. I shouldn’t feel any tension or tightness at all in my left hand or my right hand as I’m doing these putts.

Now as I put these together, as I’m hitting a short putt I want to have a one and two. I can go one and two tempo, so it’s nice and smooth going back and then through.

I could imagine that this is going to be back about a certain, same amount and through the same amount.

Let’s imagine I’m going to putt a 10-footer. I’m going to go one and two, and then I’m going to come back and through the same amount. That’s a 10-foot putt, meaning my putter head is going to move back about that far and through about that far on a nice rhythm, a nice tempo.

Now if I want to go to a 20-foot putt, all I’m going to do is make this a little bit longer. I’m still going to use my one and two tempo. I’m just going to make it a little farther back, and a little farther through as far as the stroke. So maybe that’s a 15 or 20-footer.

If I want to go to 50, 60-footer, I’m just going farther, and farther back, farther and farther through, but I’m keeping that same tempo, that same rhythm and timing the entire time.

Once I’ve done these and I’ve just practiced the tempo, I’ve practiced a couple with just my right and left arm only, now I’m going to putt to the fringe.

What I want to do is I’m going to roll this ball all the way up to the edge of the fringe here. I want it to be within a foot of this fringe.

Once I hit a good putt, or it has to be the first putt, I’m going to take two steps back. Then I’m going to putt one from about 6 or 8 feet farther behind this one.

So let’s go ahead and try out this first putt. One and two, and now we’re right up against the fringe. That’s a good one, that’s within a foot for sure.

I’m going to go ahead and take a couple steps back now. Now I find myself probably 25-30 feet away from the fringe. I’m going to do the same thing. One and two, and there we are.

That one’s going to be pretty good speed also, right up against the edge. Two more steps back, I’ll cheat and take three steps this time.

Now I find myself probably – I don’t know – maybe 40-45 feet. Same thing, longer stroke, one and two. May have putted that one just a little bit hard, but it might be all right. Yeah, that’s within a foot of the edge.

Let’s go all the way back to the other side of the green. So you’re just going to keep on putting until you get all the way to the other side, and now I’m faced with a 50 or 60-footer.

This is going to be the one that counts. If I can get it within a foot of the fringe, then I’ve completed the drill. If I miss this one, then I’ve got to start all the way over. One and two. I don’t know, will it get there?

All right, pretty good speed on that one. Definitely within a foot of the fringe. Work on those drills. Keep the tempo the same, just lengthen the stroke to hit it farther. You guys are going to get rid of a lot of those 3 putts.

Good luck to you guys.