Break Long Putts Into Segments for Best Results (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles
Break Long Putts Into Segments for Best Results (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles

If you've developed a really good consistent putting stroke, the next stage of being a good putter is being able to read greens. Particularly being able to read long putts on greens, because it's those long putts that you've got to get close to be able to make the two putts.

So, the first thing when you're a good distance away from the hole, let's say that we're 45 ft. away from the hole. The first thing we've got to consider is getting the distance control right. If we can get the distance control right from that far distance away, we'll probably be able to make a two-putt.

And now if we've got a big breaking putt that really curves quite a long way, from 45 feet, it's difficult to see the far end of the putt and to judge how it would break. So what I would encourage you to do is break the putt into two sections. Maybe pick a midpoint halfway down the run of the putt and go to that section and read the second half of the putt as if that's where your ball was. So, you read from the midpoint to the hole and see how it will break and then you come back to the start of your putt where your ball is and read from your golf ball to the midpoint, so you read them as two separate putts.

Now just be aware that the first pass of the putt, the ball won't break quite so much because it's going to be traveling faster. So when you hit your 45-ft. putt, the ball will scuttle over the first few feet and it won't curve all that much then as it gets to the halfway points and starts to slow down, the break will increase and as it rolls the last 5 or 6 ft. to hole in, it is slowing it down, it will start to break but its maximum moment.

So you've got to be careful that you read the putt into two sections and then you hit the ball to the halfway point within of speed to get it all the way to the hole. But just by breaking the putt down into two sections, it might feel like you've got a bit of the better controlled read over the far section rather than just looking right in front of you, thinking, well it will do this here, but I can't see 45 ft. away.

So, I split the putt into two, add those two putts together to make the 45 footer and focus on distance control. Distance control is the key to making sure you can two-putt from the long range.

 2012-08-07

If you've developed a really good consistent putting stroke, the next stage of being a good putter is being able to read greens. Particularly being able to read long putts on greens, because it's those long putts that you've got to get close to be able to make the two putts.

So, the first thing when you're a good distance away from the hole, let's say that we're
45 ft. away from the hole. The first thing we've got to consider is getting the distance control right. If we can get the distance control right from that far distance away, we'll probably be able to make a two-putt.

And now if we've got a big breaking putt that really curves quite a long way, from 45 feet, it's difficult to see the far end of the putt and to judge how it would break. So what I would encourage you to do is break the putt into two sections. Maybe pick a midpoint halfway down the run of the putt and go to that section and read the second half of the putt as if that's where your ball was. So, you read from the midpoint to the hole and see how it will break and then you come back to the start of your putt where your ball is and read from your golf ball to the midpoint, so you read them as two separate putts.

Now just be aware that the first pass of the putt, the ball won't break quite so much because it's going to be traveling faster. So when you hit your 45-ft. putt, the ball will scuttle over the first few feet and it won't curve all that much then as it gets to the halfway points and starts to slow down, the break will increase and as it rolls the last 5 or 6 ft. to hole in, it is slowing it down, it will start to break but its maximum moment.

So you've got to be careful that you read the putt into two sections and then you hit the ball to the halfway point within of speed to get it all the way to the hole. But just by breaking the putt down into two sections, it might feel like you've got a bit of the better controlled read over the far section rather than just looking right in front of you, thinking, well it will do this here, but I can't see 45 ft. away.

So, I split the putt into two, add those two putts together to make the 45 footer and focus on distance control. Distance control is the key to making sure you can two-putt from the long range.