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How to putt 30, 40 or 50 feet away

If you’re like many of the golfers I know, getting your ball down in two when you’re only 15 to 20 feet away from the hole on the putting surface isn’t too much of a challenge.

But what about when you find your ball on the green 30, 40, or even 50 feet away from the cup?

Long range putts like this can be a challenge, and I’ve seen many a golfer take 3 or even 4 strokes to get their ball into the hole from these distances. Talk about frustration!

Next time you find yourself facing a long range putt you can avoid a disaster by following these simple tips…

Make your target bigger.

When you’re facing a long distance putt the hole can seem like a pretty unrealistic target. Instead of zeroing in on the cup I like to imagine the cup in the center of a circle with a radius of 3 to 4 feet – giving myself a more realist target that I can feel confident about hitting.

Focus on distance over direction.

When you’re facing a long putt it’s more important to get the distance right than it is the line. To get a good feel for the distance of the putt I like to stand half way between my ball and the hole and take a few practice strokes. After getting a feel for how hard I would need to hit my putt to get it half way to the hole, I’ll back up to my ball and take a fe more practice strokes at 100%.

Practice lag putts.

Next time you’re on the practice green drop a few balls and instead of aiming at a hole, just aim for the far end of the putting green. Try to get your ball to die as close to the fringe as possible without actually touching it. This will help you develop better touch on those long lag putts.

Keeping these tips in mind will help you 2 putt from long range more consistently, and avoid frustrating blow up holes caused by 3 or 4 putts!

8 Comments

  1. Val

    August 18, 2017 at 5:31 pm

    For Rick’s 1 arm drill he appears to be standing with his head about a foot away from over the ball. Doesn’t this matter?

    Reply
  2. Bruce K.

    September 1, 2017 at 6:11 am

    Another thing to bring to the forefront is to putt while trying to use only your large shoulder muscles. Try to minimize use of your wrists. These larger muscles can repeat a stroke with far greater consistency than your wrists. So your “practice” strokes have a better chance to become the “real” one.

    Reply
    • SamW

      September 23, 2017 at 6:54 am

      I agree totally with this method. The eyes control distance and direction. The eyes are the radar of your body. You use this skill every day when driving behind another car. The amount of pressure applied to the brake is controlled by what your eyes are telling you about distance and speed behind another car. Many people have played basketball or thrown bean bags into a platform with holes. Your eyes determine the distance to the net and ultimately send messages to your muscles to provide the thrust necessary from your entire body to get it to the net or the hole in the platform. Golf is no different than other sports requiring this skill. You must be able to trust your eyes and use your larger muscles as stated above in order to be consistent. Practice, Practice, and more Practice using your eyes, consistent grip, eyes over the ball, and a pendulum swing using large shoulder muscles will pay off.

      Reply
  3. James Epperly

    September 13, 2017 at 2:41 am

    “Don’t be short!” Never up, never in is good advice.. our partners say, “10-15 inches past the hole..

    Reply
  4. Raymond CHASTEL

    November 5, 2017 at 1:09 am

    The distance you send the ball is entirely controlled by the amplltude of the backswing and the throughswing .If you putt like a pendulum ,which is the better way to put in my opinion ,backswing length and throughswing length are equal .Train with a metronome to get the proper rythm ,like GRANDMA’ s clock .
    Measure the distance to the hole with swivelling your head over the ball ,from target to ball and ball to target

    Reply
  5. Mark Williams

    April 21, 2018 at 6:04 pm

    I tried this in my round yesterday and sunk a 60 footer for birdie to win on the last. Great tip

    Reply
    • Keith @ GolfersRX

      April 23, 2018 at 4:33 am

      Incredible!

      Reply
    • Leon Amer

      October 25, 2021 at 6:55 am

      Yes, those bombs from the next county really make your day, don’t they ?!

      Reply

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