As soon as you read the title of this post, you immediately said ‘DUH’ – of course it is important. Most amateurs, including myself, have experienced rounds where we seem to putting from 30 plus feet from the pin more often than not. It is frustrating because we are getting to the green reasonably, however we are not in a position to sink putts that will lower our scores. Actually, we are placing ourselves at distances where three putts are just as likely as two putts. And one putts are a rare commodity. Over the years I have practiced the skill of long putting and have my own technique which has drastically reduced the number of three putts I make over any given round. This is no big secret, but the fundamental aspect of my distance putting relies on only one thing; lets explore that today.

Before I revel my big secret (well not so big) I thought I would share Brad Faxon’s thoughts on distance putting. Considered on of best putters in the game, Faxon as a great deal to offer:

You can see from the video that there is a great deal of influences in every long putt. For my game, I believe distance control is more important than line (no I am not creating the discuss between which is king) on long putts. If I cannot get the ball to the hole or even close, it does not matter what my line is because I will miss the putt anyway. The key is not to miss the putt by more than two feet regardless of the distance.

If you are struggling with distance control on long putts, here is something by Faxon that might help:

My technique is slightly different that what is shown in the video. I do pick a target, but is it usually not more than a third of the distance from my ball to the pin. Additionally, I take three practice strokes while looking at my contact point and the final stroke I hold my putter a in the direction I want my ball to go and stare at my line. This technique engages my mind to hit the ball in the direction and distance I am seeking.

The cardinal rule for my distance putting is not to be short. I would rather have a two or three foot putt coming back to the hole than be short all together. Last night at Men’s night is a perfect example of what I mean. On two separate occasions my ball stopped three inches from dropping in the hole because I left my ball short. It was so frustrating because I broke my cardinal rule. Our group continually talks about not leaving the putt short, but alas I was bared the brunt of several jokes about leaving my putts short. Although it was all in good fun (which I definitely took it as), it was a kindly reminder to get the ball past the hole because if the ball does not reach the hole, it has zero chance of finding the bottom of the cup.

Distance control while putting is a critical skill. I spent (spend) some time practicing this skill because I use it often. After years of practicing my distance control, I can happily say that my three putts have been drastically reduced. I save many strokes by being able to get the ball to the hole on long putts and as a result it encourages me to continue to practice this skill.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!