Play Smarter with Wayne ‘Radar’ Riley – Putting

20 September 2024

In this edition of Play Smarter with Wayne ‘Radar’ Riley, we look at putting and how the typical amateur golfer performs on the green.

In previous editions of the Play Smarter series, Radar has shared performance insights into both amateur golfers’ tee shot tendencies and their approach play problems – if you haven’t read them, be sure to check them out to start saving strokes!

Below, Radar highlights one of the most alarming statistics in amateur golfer that countless players suffer from.

Yes, you heard it correctly, for the 15hcp golfer (the average club golfer), 55% of their putts come up short of the hole, and as Radar rightfully says, 100% of short putts don’t go in!

Now you may be worried about racing the putt three feet past the hole, or further, but a putt that finishes 3ft past the hole is far better than one that finishes 3ft short. If your putt is going to miss long, at least you get a rough idea as to how the putt will break for the return putt, a short putt does not give you this information.

Better distance control = less three putts

As the above data shows, players who miss short more often are also more likely to three putt – technique and ability may contribute to this somewhat but the stats are the stats!

How often do you hit a putt that is bang on line for going in the hole but you don’t hit it? For many golfers, this will be a familiar feeling and it can be frustrating. 

Let’s imagine you have a 20ft putt with minimal break. It is unlikely you will miss the putt 5ft to the right, or left, with perfect pace. But it is not uncommon to see players leave a putt 5ft short which would have had a chance if it had been hit.

So what can you do to three putt less often?

Two things that will help you minimise your number of three putts and prevent you from dropping some easy strokes: 1. Distance control 2. Short putts

Starting with distance control, as Radar says, never up, never in so spend some time practicing on the putting green. A visual aid can be something as simple as gauging your stroke length in relation to your stance, and practice from various distances to get dialed in.

Work on your short putts to build confidence. By dedicating time to your short putts, particularly those at 3ft, you can be more aggressive on longer putts as you know that you can make the return. 

Often it can be the fear of missing the return putt that causes amateurs to leave the putt short or barely make it past the hole. When it comes to putts inside 3ft, here are some handicap benchmarks, if you are not matching these numbers, you should spend some time practicing from this distance:

Make % 0-3ft

The gist is, as a minimum, you should be making 9 in 10 attempts at this distance, any less and you are losing strokes on the field.

Confidence is a large factor in every aspect of golf and putting is no different, work on your putting, build some confidence, and as Radar says find the bottom of the cookie jar more often.

Shot Scope performance tracking users can tell exactly what distance they need to work on by consulting the subscription free mobile app and web dashboard which is home to over 100 tour level statistics on their game.

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