Three
Putt Blues
with Ben Hongo, PGA
Senior Teaching Professional
Kapalua Golf Academy
THREE PUTT, THREE PUTT and THREE PUTT! We've all done it,
especially if your home course has large undulating greens like those at Kapalua's
The Plantation Course. I think I have the
drill that may make things a little easier on your next round.
Dave Pelz, renowned short game guru, tells us PGA TOUR
players make 94% of their putts from 3 feet out but only 56% from 6 feet out.
When I read these statistics, a light bulb went off in my head. We three putt
more often because of our inability to control our distance effectively. I hope
this drill will reduce your putts per round and shave some strokes off your handicap.
You
will need 12 balls and 6 tees. Starting from 6 feet (about
2 steps), place a tee every 6 feet from the hole. You should
have a tee on the green at 6 feet, 12 feet, 18 feet, 24 feet,
30 feet, and 36 feet. Then place 2 balls at each tee station.
Starting from short putts to long putts hit all 12 balls and
try to lag them inside of a 5 foot circle around the hole.
Do three sets, then try from the opposite direction. I recommend
trying this drill 2 times a week before a round of golf. This
will take about 15 minutes and will significantly improve
your lag putting.
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