How to Eliminate the Dreaded 3-Putt
Part 2: How to make a Higher Percentage of Your Short Putts

One of the fastest ways to lower your scores is to eliminate unnecessary 3-putts. Whether the cause of your 3-putt greens is poor lag putting or misses from short range, those extra strokes add up fast – and they can wreck your confidence for the rest of the round.

In Part 1 of our discussion on how to reduce the number of 3-putt greens, we focused on how to improve your long-distance lag putting, ensuring that you leave yourself with makeable short putts of 3-5 feet. That’s key because data shows that even higher handicap golfers still make about 84% of puts from 3 feet and around 50% from 5 feet. But outside of that range, the odds drop sharply.

Now, in Part 2, we’ll help you convert those short putts more consistently by addressing the most common reasons amateurs miss – and what you can do to fix them.

OK, You’ve Lagged It Close. Now You Need to Make the Short One.

You carefully read the break of the green, you determined the proper speed required, and you managed your distance control well. Congratulations, you successfully navigated Part 1 of the process. As hoped for, you’ve left yourself with a makeable short putt. But now it’s the moment of truth. Part 2 of the 3-putt avoidance process is to then convert by holing out your next putt. All the great work you just accomplished in lagging it close will be for naught if you don’t.

The purpose of this article (Part 2) will be to help you understand why so many of us miss these short putts, and to learn some things that you can do to make more of them.

There are Many Reasons We Miss Short Putts.... But One is Paramount

Missing short putts can be really frustrating. You're close to the hole, it should go in but somehow it doesn't, and you’re left to wonder what you did wrong. Being that close might lead you to believe that the fix is an easy one. But, despite this proximity to the hole, there are actually several possible things that can cause you to miss from short distance.

While it’s not possible to address all of the various reasons in this limited space, given that many are technical issues and others are mental issues, we’ll look at just the most prevalent ones that most golfers experience:

• Face Angle at Impact


• Poor Setup or Alignment


• Inconsistent Stroke Path


• Deceleration


• Ball Position Errors

Face Angle at Impact

How your putter’s face angle is oriented at impact is far and away the #1 reason we miss short putts. Delivering the face so that it is square to your swing path, and starts the ball on the intended line, is absolutely imperative for short putt success. All of the other reasons are certainly valid and can result in missed putts, but none of them carry the weight and significance of the face angle issue. Why?

Because the face angle directly controls where the ball starts, and on short putts, the starting line is everything. It’s been scientifically determined that putter face orientation at impact controls about 90% - 92% of the ball’s starting direction on short putts. You might think that your swing path (i.e., out-to-in or in-to-out) would be a more influential factor on short putts but launch monitor analysis has proven that improper face angle is far more consequential.

On long putts, a misaligned face can sometimes be compensated for by speed or green contours. But on these short putts, there isn’t enough distance for the ball to “correct” its path. If it starts offline, it stays offline.

Consider this: The diameter of the hole is just 4 ¼”. At a distance of 5 feet from the hole, a putter face that is a mere 1 degree open or closed at impact can send the ball more than an inch offline — often enough to miss the putt. A face angle that is 2 degrees open or closed at impact (an amount still so small as to be virtually undetectable), can cause you to miss the hole entirely!

Because face angle is the predominant reason for missed short putts, we’ve included a drill below that you can practice to improve your ability to consistently produce a square putter face at impact.

Poor Setup or Alignment

It should go without saying that, on short putts, alignment is critical. If you're not aligned correctly — even if your stroke is solid — you're starting from a disadvantage.

If your shoulders, hips, eyes, or putter face are misaligned, the start line will be impacted resulting in a putt that’s offline. Also, being misaligned in this manner can change how straight or curved the line looks to you. That can lead to subconscious compensations during the stroke, like pulling or pushing it to “correct” what appears to be wrong.

A good setup (square shoulders, eyes over or just inside the ball, parallel feet) helps the putter naturally return square to the target line.

Most golfers miss short putts not because they mis-hit the ball, but because they aimed wrong and didn’t realize it.

Inconsistent Stroke Path

While face angle has the biggest influence on start direction, your stroke path can affect the face angle at impact, especially if you're trying to manipulate the path mid-stroke. A consistent stroke path helps you naturally return the face square to your intended line.

If your stroke path is too far inside-out or outside-in, your brain may subconsciously manipulate the face open or closed to compensate. These compensations can lead to inconsistency and are hard to repeat under pressure.

A smooth, consistent path helps you to make solid contact in the center of the putter face, which is crucial for a clean roll and predictable distance control. On short putts, mishits can make the ball hop or skid offline, even when aimed correctly.

Deceleration

Deceleration is one of the sneaky killers of short putts. It’s subtle, but it can completely throw off your stroke. And it can contribute to a loss of face control. When you decelerate through impact, the putter face often opens or closes unintentionally. It’s much harder to keep the face square and, as we’ve said repeatedly, even a small face angle error can cause a missed short putt.

Why do we sometimes decelerate on short putts? Often it stems from fear: fear of missing, fear of hitting it too hard, or not trusting your read. This mental hesitation physically shows up in your stroke, almost like "steering" the ball instead of rolling it.

What should you do instead? Ideally, you want a smooth acceleration. Not a jab or a hit, just a smooth, slight acceleration through the ball. Think of a pendulum stroke, with the follow-through equal to or slightly longer than the backswing.

Ball Position Errors

Ball position isn’t usually something that golfers think about when it comes to putting. But they should. Ball position can be critical because it affects how your putter face returns to the ball — and even small mistakes in short-putt setup can lead to big misses.

Where you have the ball positioned in your stance can have a direct impact on your ability to deliver a square face at impact. If the ball is too far back in your stance, the face may be closing at impact. If it’s too far forward, the face might be opening as it moves through the impact zone.

Proper ball position also helps the putter swing naturally on its arc. If the ball is too far back or forward, your stroke path gets distorted, and you may start pushing or pulling putts. A consistent ball position helps your eyes see the target line the same way every time. This consistency builds trust and confidence — two huge keys to short-putt success.

Great Drill to Improve Square Face at Impact

One of the best drills to train a square putter face angle, especially on short putts, is the "Gate Drill." It's simple, powerful, and it’s used by many PGA Tour pros (including Tiger Woods, who made it famous).

Here’s how it works:

• Place your ball on the ground about 3–5 feet from the hole or target.
• Place two tees or coins just wider than your ball — about 1/4 inch on each side — creating a "gate" for the ball to roll through.
• Align the gate so the ball must roll perfectly straight to pass through cleanly.
• Putt through the gate. If the ball hits a tee or coin, your face angle is off at impact.

As you get better in performing the Gate Drill, you may want to increase the level of difficulty a bit. How?

• Make the gate tighter.
• Add a putter gate behind the ball (2 more tees just wider than your putter head) to reinforce stroke path + face control).

Why is the Gate Drill so effective in helping you to consistently deliver a square face at impact? First, you get instant feedback. If the ball clips one of the tees, you know your putter face wasn’t square. Second, it forces you to focus on square impact, not just stroke path. And third, it builds trust and consistency, especially under pressure.

Final Thoughts

The purpose of this 2-Part article is to help golfers reduce the number of 3-putts they have during their golf rounds. 3-putt holes are destructive for two reasons: they obviously add a lot of wasted strokes to your scorecard. They may feel small in the moment, but they add up fast and can absolutely ruin your round. But, furthermore, they can negatively impact your confidence, a result that can linger for the rest of your round. Missing an 8-footer for birdie stings, but missing a 2-footer for par after a 3-putt? That can get in your head.

If you have a chronic issue with 3-putting, it likely means that there is a problem in one or both of the two areas we discussed in this 2-part article. The problem might be poor lag putting (lack of good distance control on longer putts), or it may be that your short putt technique needs some improvement.

But the good news is that 3-putting is totally preventable. If you can lag well and make short putts consistently, your scores will drop fast. Hopefully the suggestions we’ve made for you in these two articles will help you to beat the 3-putt blues.

For more helpful tips on how to become a better golfer, read Five Ways to Improve Your Golf Practice and Achieving Peak Performance: Lessons from Elite Golfers .