9 Lag Putting Drills to Eliminate 3-Putts Forever
Three-putting is something that all golfers fear. None of us ever want to do it and the most frustrating part about a 3-putt is knowing that it’s avoidable with proper lag putting.
Golfers rarely 3-putt due to a poor second putt. It’s almost always the first putt that sets up a low-percentage second putt that gets missed and then causes anger and a loss of confidence.
If all mid-high handicappers put just a little bit of work in to learn how to lag putt, many 3-putts would be avoided.
Use the drills below that offer a healthy mix of mechanical improvement, as well as developing accurate feel and optimized tempo. To lag putt with the best of them, you’ll have to tap into your natural instincts and these drills will help you do just that.
Lag Putting Drills (Key Takeaways)
If you’re an avid user of Hackmotion you may never be faced with a long putt since you’ll be striking your approach shots so accurately. But since golf is so unpredictable, it’s best to be prepared for any situation starting with these key elements to lag putting like a pro.
- Focus on the feel of each putt more than proper mechanics, your instincts will be your greatest asset.
- Optimize your technique by monitoring wrist action throughout the entire putting stroke.
- Generate power consistently with your shoulders and take the attention away from your arms and wrists.
- Identify your unique tempo and work on applying it on all length putts.
- Practice with pressure by using scoring drills and practicing with a friend.
- Use both current, technologically advanced drills as well as tried and true traditional drills to arm you with the confidence to face any putt.
Contents
9 Lag Putting Drills to Help You Two-Putt Consistently
Practicing regularly with these drills will train your body to recognize different lengths of putts, allowing you to make confident strokes. If used with Hackmotion, you learn how to lag putt quickly and start saving strokes immediately.
Heads Up Drill
This is the most versatile drill and should be done during every practice session. It’s so effective that some players even incorporate it into their pre-shot routine and use a variation of it before every putt they take on the course.
It will teach you to tap into your instinct and become less reliant on mechanics and technique.
Putting is the most ‘feel’ part of the game, and this drill will benefit golfers of all levels in gaining more feel and confidence.
- Video Timestamp: 5:46 – 10:48
Heads Up Drill – Step by Step
- Take your normal stance at address for a putt that is between 20 and 30 feet.
- After going through your pre-shot routine, just before you’re about to putt, turn your head and look at your target.
- While looking at the target, take your stroke.
- You can also do this during your practice strokes to get comfortable creating a stroke that will match the speed of the putt.
Pencil & Coin Drill
Wrist-flipping is the most common error that amateur golfers make when putting.
Some golfers can control it on short putts, but then, when faced with long putts, the urge to flip their wrists to add power is too strong. We want to eliminate this from your putting stroke.
This drill will give you a physical checkpoint to ensure your wrists are not moving unnecessarily.
When used with the advanced Hackmotion wrist sensor, you can guarantee your wrists are doing what they are supposed to do: stay neutral.
- Video Timestamp: 1:20 – 7:20
Pencil & Coin Drill – Step by Step
- Start by securing a pencil (or chopstick) along your thumb bone using the Hackmotion strap or a hair elastic. The bottom should be where your thumb starts, cross your wrist, and end at the bottom of your forearm.
- Next, insert a coin between the bottom of the pencil so it’s held in place by your thumb bone and pencil.
- Make adjustments so the coin can stay in place while you take your putting stroke.
- You should be able to make any lag putt stroke without the coin falling.
Chopsticks Drill
The original chopsticks drill will help you produce power with your shoulders and take the attention away from your wrist action in putting.
Creating the classic pendulum motion is agreed on by many of the world’s top instructors as the best method for producing consistent lag putts.
- Video Timestamp: 2:59 – 6:02
Chopsticks Drill – Step by Step
- Attach two alignment sticks with an elastic band about 6 inches from one end of the sticks.
- Place the long ends under your arms, one under each arm, to create a ‘V’ shape in front of you.
- Rest the bottom of your putter grip in the crease of the two alignment sticks and take your grip.
- With the alignment sticks under your arms and your putter essentially ‘attached’ to the sticks, you can only move your putter if you move your shoulders.
- Take a few practice strokes to get comfortable.
- Hit five putts each to targets at lengths of 20, 25, 30, and 35 feet.
Ladder Drill
This drill will add a bit of pressure to your practice plan and routines. Working on your technique and feel is one thing, but if you can’t do it on the golf course, then all that hard work will be for nothing. This is also a great drill to do with a partner.
- Video Timestamp: 0:21 – 5:45
Ladder Drill – Step by Step
- Lay down an alignment stick perpendicular to your target line about 20 feet away from your starting point.
- Lay another alignment stick down parallel to the first, but 23 feet away from you.
- Your target line will be just to the side of the alignment sticks, so your putts can pass the first stick without rolling over it.
- Hit your first putt so it passes the first stick but stays short of the second.
- Hit your second putt so it passes your first putt but still stays short of the second alignment stick.
- Continue this pattern until one of your putts either comes up short of your previous putt or passes the second alignment stick.
- Record how many putts were able to follow the pattern, and that is your score.
Funnel Drill
Use this drill to challenge yourself from multiple lengths to ensure you can lag putt from anywhere.
It’s a great way to add pressure to your practice sessions and is best used in conjunction with Hackmotion to identify the length of putts you need to improve.
You will require space on the practice green, so be sure to use this drill when it’s not very busy. You don’t want to impede others who are practicing, and you don’t want others to get in your way either.
Funnel Drill – Step by Step
- Create a half-circle shape around a hole using tees that are all about three feet from the cup.
- Use a few more tees to denote five different starting points at 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 feet from the cup.
- Start from the closest tee and hit five putts. If all five come to rest within the half circle around the cup, then you take all five balls with you to the second starting point. Any putts that ended up outside the half-circle are eliminated from the challenge. (eg, if only four putts stayed within the half-circle, then you take four balls with you to the second starting point.
- Continue this pattern until you can complete all five lengths with all five balls, then choose either longer putts or more difficult putts (uphill, downhill, breaking, etc).
Use a Metronome
Gaining control of your tempo is a huge help to mastering lag putting. Since long putt lengths are unpredictable, having a consistent tempo is a great way to get comfortable over any putt you face.
To practice this, you will first need to discover your natural tempo. The Hackmotion app features a built-in metronome that allows you to set any beat per minute you prefer.
You can experiment with the different speeds and then lock in the BPM that works for you and your lag putting stroke.
- Video Timestamp: 4:29 – 9:14
Use a Metronome – Step by Step
- Place two tees in the ground about three feet apart from each other, and place a ball in the middle, but one ball width closer to you at address.
- Using the metronome feature on the Hackmotion app, choose a beats-per-minute that matches the length of your stroke between the two tees.
- Monitor how far you hit putts with the stroke length and a comfortable beats-per-minute to establish a benchmark distance for your lag putts.
Accordion Drill
This drill is more advanced and can be adapted to accommodate lag putting. It should be performed with your pre-shot routine, like a dress rehearsal, as you’ll be faced with multiple length putts.
Once you get the hang of it, you can increase the difficulty by choosing uphill and downhill putts as well.
Accordion Drill – Step by Step
- To set up the ‘course’, you will need nine tees.
- Line up three tees six to eight inches apart.
- Measure 40 feet and line up another three tees also six to eight inches apart.
- Place one tee right in the middle of those two groupings (approx. 20 feet from each of the furthest two tees.
- Place the last two tees between the middle tee and each grouping (approx. five feet from the middle tee and 15 feet from the last tee in each grouping)
- Start the drill by putting one ball from one of the last two tees placed and put towards the closest grouping with the goal of your ball coming to rest between the first two tees.
- If you are successful then turn around and putt towards the far-side grouping with the goal of having your putt come between the first and third tee.
- If successful, then refocus on the nearer grouping but move a foot closer to the middle tee and repeat the process.
- If you can make it to the middle tee without missing then increase the length or choose a more challenging putt.
Stroke Length Drill
Although putting is predominately about feel, some players still want to stick to mechanics. This drill combines both. Technical players will appreciate the factual nature while still applying some instinctual improvement.
If used with Hackmotion, technical players will have all the data they need to feel comfortable and gain confidence. Using the metronome feature again is an excellent way to attach numbers to feels.
You’ll be able to see and measure your stroke length in order to adapt to various lag putts you’ll face while on the course.
- Video Timestamp: 0:20 – 9:50
Stroke Length Drill – Step by Step
- Address a ball that is 20-25 feet away from the cup.
- Place a tee in the ground that is about one inch off the toe of your putterhead.
- On either side of that first/center tee place two more tees about a eight inches away (16 inches feet from each other).
- Place two more another eight inches, and a final pair eight inches beyond those.
- The three tees on either side of the center tee will represent your backswing and follow through length.
- Hit three balls, each starting at the center tee while limiting your stroke to the first tees on either side of the center tee. Record your average distance from the hole for each.
- Do this for the other two tees that will represent longer strokes.
- Combine this drill with the metronome feature in the Hackmotion app and you will be able to determine the perfect tempo and stroke length to attack the hole. Use this information as a benchmark stroke for all future putts on the golf course.
Fringe Putting Drill
One of the most famous and legendary drills to improve lag putting has been used for decades.
You can utilize this drill during practice or for warming up before a round. It’s especially helpful if you find yourself on greens that are a much different speed than you’re used to.
All you need is your putter, a ball, and room to putt to the edge of the green.
- Video Timestamp: 2:02 – 3:03
Fringe Putting Drill – Step by Step
- Find a spot between 20 and 40 feet from the edge of the green with a clear path.
- Hit three to five putts from 20 feet so all the balls end up at least a foot on to the fringe (remember, short putts have a zero percent chance of going in).
- Once you’ve made all your putts trickly on to the fringe, back up five feet and repeat the process.
Final Thoughts
With these drills you will be able to two-putt from anywhere on the green. Combined with a solid practice routine for short putts you will never be nervous standing over any putt ever again.
Hackmotion is equipped to help you improve on any length putt. The advanced system tracks your movements and alerts you when you’ve made any mistakes. Just like the full swing features, the putting information is personal and comprehensive.
The Hackmotion system is designed to help you improve all aspects of your game. It fits comfortably on your wrists and is compatible with Apple and Android systems. It’s the only golf coach you’ll ever need to start shooting the best scores of your life.
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