Putting Speed, Why It Is So Important To Putts (Video) - by Pete Styles
Putting Speed, Why It Is So Important To Putts (Video) - by Pete Styles

Why is speed so important to your putting? I’m going to rephrase this question slightly for you; do you want to stop three putting? Yes therefore that’s why speed is important to your putting, because putting speed is the reason why we three putt. Very, very rarely would you ever see a golfer miss a putt three feet left or three feet right of the hole it just does not happen. But we see them every single green every single day missing them three foot long, three foot short. And it’s those second putts that you then miss which create the three putt. So let’s put this into context for you I’m going to line up for a couple of putts here. So first putt I’m going miss to this -- well I’m going to hit this one straight to the hole but I’m going to hit too far this is a common thing we see. I hit it straight to the hole but I hit it too far and it rolls six seven feet past the side of the hole. Then we see the golfer from the next hole and he does this -- and it pushes it to the side.

Now the first putt guaranteed would have drawn comments from your playing partners like oh good effort Pete that was pretty close that nearly went in you were unlucky there just a bit hard. But its gone six foot past and I will miss the return putt. The next putt pushed it way wide of the hole two feet to the side but perfect speed and that putt would draw no comments from your playing partners, nobody will tell you that you were unlucky and that you hit a good putt. Because it’s so far wide of the hole it was never exciting it never looked like it was going to go in. But which one would I now rather have of course I would rather have this one, this one creates the two putt the previous one creates the three put. So speed is by far in a way the biggest priority in terms of when I’m hitting putts towards the hole. If can control my speed to the greatest extent I would reduce and probably eliminate three putts. Now this is happening at club level and at tour level you ever watch a good player on the tour three putt and it was the speed that cost them not necessarily the line. So if you can control your speed you take out the three putts. The other consideration is that if it is a makeable length of putt or a shorter length of putt but maybe it’s got a little bit break on it. The putting speed controls the break, let me say that again the speed will control the amount it breaks. Because if I have a short putt that curves but I hit it really hard it curves less, it breaks later and it misses on the high side if I over hit it. And if I have a short putt that’s breaking and I under hit it, it breaks more it breaks early and it misses on the inside of the low side. So when you have got a breaking putt that you are trying to hold the speed controls the line and the amount it breaks. So therefore speed is again the biggest priority whether its straight long putts whether its short curving putts speed is your priority. Be better at controlling your speed and you will be better at holding putts. 2014-10-08

Why is speed so important to your putting? I’m going to rephrase this question slightly for you; do you want to stop three putting? Yes therefore that’s why speed is important to your putting, because putting speed is the reason why we three putt. Very, very rarely would you ever see a golfer miss a putt three feet left or three feet right of the hole it just does not happen. But we see them every single green every single day missing them three foot long, three foot short. And it’s those second putts that you then miss which create the three putt. So let’s put this into context for you I’m going to line up for a couple of putts here. So first putt I’m going miss to this — well I’m going to hit this one straight to the hole but I’m going to hit too far this is a common thing we see. I hit it straight to the hole but I hit it too far and it rolls six seven feet past the side of the hole. Then we see the golfer from the next hole and he does this — and it pushes it to the side.

Now the first putt guaranteed would have drawn comments from your playing partners like oh good effort Pete that was pretty close that nearly went in you were unlucky there just a bit hard. But its gone six foot past and I will miss the return putt. The next putt pushed it way wide of the hole two feet to the side but perfect speed and that putt would draw no comments from your playing partners, nobody will tell you that you were unlucky and that you hit a good putt. Because it’s so far wide of the hole it was never exciting it never looked like it was going to go in. But which one would I now rather have of course I would rather have this one, this one creates the two putt the previous one creates the three put.

So speed is by far in a way the biggest priority in terms of when I’m hitting putts towards the hole. If can control my speed to the greatest extent I would reduce and probably eliminate three putts. Now this is happening at club level and at tour level you ever watch a good player on the tour three putt and it was the speed that cost them not necessarily the line. So if you can control your speed you take out the three putts.

The other consideration is that if it is a makeable length of putt or a shorter length of putt but maybe it’s got a little bit break on it. The putting speed controls the break, let me say that again the speed will control the amount it breaks. Because if I have a short putt that curves but I hit it really hard it curves less, it breaks later and it misses on the high side if I over hit it. And if I have a short putt that’s breaking and I under hit it, it breaks more it breaks early and it misses on the inside of the low side. So when you have got a breaking putt that you are trying to hold the speed controls the line and the amount it breaks. So therefore speed is again the biggest priority whether its straight long putts whether its short curving putts speed is your priority. Be better at controlling your speed and you will be better at holding putts.