Mastering Putting Distances: What Really Separates Tour Pros from Amateurs

Many golfers spend hours on the practice green without a real plan. They drop a few balls, hit some random putts, and hope their scores drop on the weekend. But if you want to lower your handicap, you need to practice like the pros.

As a golf coach, I often see amateurs focusing on the wrong things. Let me show you what actually matters when it comes to putting. We will look at exactly where you should spend your practice time to see real results.

Which Putting Distances Should You Actually Practice?

When evaluating tour players, you will find they are roughly 50/50 from eight feet. Scratch golfers are 50/50 from about six feet. If you are a mid to high handicapper, your 50/50 make range might be as close as four feet.

There are two main distances that truly separate the tour guys from the amateurs. These key ranges are inside eight feet and way back outside 30 feet. Watch my breakdown of these critical distances here.

From inside eight feet, your primary goal is to simply make more one putts. From outside 30 feet, your sole focus should be completely eliminating three putts.

What about that awkward 15 to 25 foot range? Surprisingly, tour players do not hole many of these intermediate putts either. Crucially, they also do not three putt them.

Amateurs behave very similarly in this middle zone. There is hardly any statistical difference between you and the top pros from 20 feet when it comes to make percentage. They will hole a few more, but nowhere near as many as you might think.

Therefore, spending hours grinding over 20 footers is not the best use of your practice time. Focus your energy on the extremes instead. Make more short putts and lag the long ones close.

How to Make More Short Putts Inside 8 Feet

For short putts that make a real difference to your scorecard, your starting point is king. I assume you can get the speed relatively correct on these short efforts. Even rolling the ball one handed without looking, most players can get the ball just past the hole.

For short putts, you want enough pace to firmly touch the back of the cup. If you leave a 30 foot putt an inch short, it is just an easy tap in. But leaving a five footer short is a completely wasted opportunity on the greens.

You want to give your short putts a confident stroke that gives the ball a chance of going in. To master your start line, you need absolute control over your putter face.

Check out this simple gate drill I use for start lines. You can set up a tiny gate using two tees about 50 millimeters apart. This gap is just slightly wider than the golf ball itself.

If you can consistently putt the ball cleanly through this tight gate, your start line is spot on. Missing short putts is rarely a pace issue for most amateur players. It is almost always a result of pushing or pulling the ball left and right.

Nail your clubface control, and those nervy short putts will start dropping automatically. This naturally assumes you can read the green correctly, which is a topic for a whole different lesson.

Why Putter Face Strike is Crucial for Distance Control

When we move back to the long lag putts, distance control becomes your number one priority. Something that gets vastly underrated in putting is the sheer quality of your strike.

Are you consistently hitting the center of your putter face? It is a very small swing, so you absolutely should be finding the middle every single time.

To test your strike quality, I use another incredibly effective training method. See how to set up the putter strike gate drill here. Place a tee just outside the toe of your putter and another just inside the heel.

Make your stroke and try to squeeze the putter straight through the gate. If you hit the outside tee, you are striking the ball off the toe. If you hit the inside tee, you are catching it off the heel.

Off center strikes completely kill your ball speed and ruin your distance control. You could make the perfect length swing, but a toe strike will leave the ball woefully short of the hole.

Use this tee gate drill to guarantee center contact every time you practice. Once you strike the ball pure, your distance control will instantly become more predictable.

How to Control Putting Distance with Tempo and Swing Length

The final piece of the distance control puzzle is your swing length and tempo. Length of swing on its own is not enough to control distance effectively. You can make two very different swings with the exact same length and get wildly different results.

The true secret to phenomenal lag putting is maintaining a completely consistent tempo. Yes, you are changing the length of your swing to dictate the distance, but your internal rhythm must never change.

Listen to the tempo metronome I use right here. I like to use an app called Tour Tempo in the background while I hit putts. You can easily use a standard free metronome on your phone as well.

The rhythm is incredibly simple to follow. Beat one is the takeaway, beat two is the backswing, and beat three is the hit. If you can maintain the exact same tempo, you only need to adjust the length of your backswing.

A shorter backswing with a smooth tempo produces a perfect 15 foot putt. A longer backswing with that exact same smooth tempo produces a reliable 30 foot putt.

Consistency is everything in the game of golf. You must keep your tempo consistent and your strike consistent at all times. The only variable you consciously change is the overall length of your swing.

Start Shaving Strokes Off Your Scorecard Today

Stop wasting time on the practice green without a defined purpose. Focus your efforts inside eight feet and outside 30 feet to see immediate scoring benefits.

Master your start lines with the tee gate drill for your short putts. Dial in your strike by squeezing the putter through the heel and toe tee gate. Finally, find a smooth tempo and use your swing length to control your lag putts perfectly.

If you practice these specific elements, your handicap will inevitably drop. Are you still struggling to put these concepts into action on the golf course?

It might be time to take a closer look at your personal mechanics and setup. Book a lesson with me today, and we will build a bulletproof putting stroke tailored just for you. Let us get to work and start saving those vital strokes on the greens!