Golf Tips: How to Avoid a Three Putt

golf ball near the hole

golf ball near the hole

The correct way to play golf is simple. Hit the ball into the fairway. Hit the ball onto the green. Then two putt into the hole. Put a par on the score card. It might sound simple enough, but it is tremendously harder done than said. Getting on the green is all fine and good, but putting is the most important part of the game, as they say “drive for show, putt for dough”.

What is a Three Putt?

A three put is when your ball is on the green but it takes you three additional strokes to get the ball into the hole. Three putting is the quickest way to increase strokes on your score card and handicap. You might hit a ball beautifully and far but if you cannot avoid three putts (or more), your scorecard will never show it. It is not only the faster way to gain strokes, but it is the most frustrating. How many times have you hit a green with only 10 feet for birdie and ended up getting a bogey? No matter how great you play a hole, a three putt will always ruin it!

So how do you avoid those pesky extra putts? There are two main ways. The first is obvious, practice, practice, practice, and more practice.

The other is to use the correct putter for your stroke. Everyone’s putting stroke is a little different so putters do not work the same for everyone. The most favored putter among pros and amateurs alike is the Scotty Cameron. Just because it’s their favorite, however, doesn’t mean it should be yours. However great a putter may look, it might not work for you.

How your putter can reduce three-putts

There are three main factors into getting a putter: weight distribution, feel, and aesthetics. Putters are made with different weight distributions so you must find the one that works well with your stroke.

The feel of the putter is crucial. Do you like a soft touch, do you want the ball to bounce off the face, do you like to not even know you hit the ball, etc. The only way to know this is by practicing with all different putters and seeing what kind of touch you like and what works best for you.

Then there is the aesthetic look. You want to look down on your putter with confidence. You want to feel like you will sink every putt. So you need a good looking putter. Do you like the designs of the Odyssey putters? Do you like the white of the Taylor Made Ghost? Or do you like the classic designs of the Scotty Cameron? It is up to you to find the putter that works best for you.

3Balls.com offers a wide variety of golf clubs and putters from all brands. The difference with buying a putter is that they generally do not wear out from use. This means that the putter that may fit you may be over 20 years old. There are stories of pros grabbing old putters from clubhouse bargain bins and winning events with them.

A putter works different for each individual, finding that club that fits just right is tough, but 3Balls.com is a great place to start.

 
Photo credit: markus spiske / Foter / CC BY

Related Posts

Leave a Reply