How to stop 3 putting
How to stop 3 putting: most three-putts start with first-putt speed, not the second putt. The numbers by handicap, and a 15-minute practice plan.
September 25, 2026 · 6 min read
To stop three-putting, fix the speed of your first putt. Three-putts usually start with a long first putt that finishes 5 or 6 feet away, not with a missed tap-in. Get your lag putts inside about 3 feet, read the last third of the putt, and practise speed more than line. Do that and three-putts become rare.
Here's how often golfers actually three-putt, where those three-putts come from, and a practice plan built around the putts that cause them.
How many three-putts is normal?
Data from Lou Stagner, a golf statistician, shows how often golfers three-putt from 36–40 feet, by handicap (GOLF.com):
| Handicap | Three-putt rate from 36–40 ft |
|---|---|
| Scratch | just over 25% |
| 5 | 33.8% |
| 10 | 38.6% |
| 15 | 43.5% |
| 20 | close to a coin flip |
From 10 feet, the gap is small: a 20-handicap three-putts only about 7% more often than a scratch golfer. Two things stand out:
- Distance is everything. From 10 feet three-putts are rare. From 40 feet even scratch golfers three-putt one time in four. Three-putts are a long-putt problem.
- Handicap shows up most on long putts. The difference between a scratch golfer and a 15-handicap from 40 feet is almost 20 percentage points. That's where the shots go, without missing a single extra 10-footer.
Where three-putts come from
A three-putt is usually one of these:
- Bad speed on a long first putt. You leave it 8 feet short or run it 6 feet by, then miss the second. This is the big one.
- A good first putt on a bad read. The pace was right but it slid below the hole and left an awkward 4-footer. It's often a downhill putt that broke more than you thought.
- Missing short putts. Three- and four-footers you should make.
- Putting from off the green or into trouble. A putt from the fringe up a tier, or a downhill putt that runs off the green.
Fix number 1 and you fix most three-putts. Numbers 2 and 3 come next.
Step 1: lag putting is about speed, not line
On a 40-footer, being 3 feet off line is fine. Being 20% off on speed leaves you 8 feet away. So on long putts:
- Read the slope for speed first. Is it uphill or downhill, and how much? Turn it into a plays-like distance: on a medium-speed green, add or take off about 12–15% of the length for each 1% of slope. A 30-footer on a 2% grade plays about 38 feet uphill and 22 feet downhill. Full numbers are in how hard to hit a putt.
- Look at the hole during practice strokes. Let your eyes set the length of the stroke.
- Aim to finish past the hole, not at it. A long putt that finishes short never had a chance and usually leaves a longer comebacker than you think.
- Control distance with stroke length and a steady rhythm, not by hitting harder.
The goal on a lag putt isn't a tap-in. It's a second putt from inside 3 feet, which you'll make almost every time.
Step 2: read the last third
Long putts break most near the end, when the ball is slow. A 30-footer across a 2% slope needs about 40 inches (nine and a half cups) of break at Stimp 10, in Plumb Bob's putt simulation. Most of that curve happens in the final 10 feet. Golfers who read only from behind the ball miss that, leave the ball below the hole, and face a sidehill 5-footer.
Walk up and read the area around the hole from the low side. Decide where the ball will be turning. If it's downhill at the end, expect it to turn a lot and roll out. Then check the direction: see how to tell which way a putt breaks.
Under-reading is the most common miss in golf, and it sets up a lot of three-putts. Low-side misses on long putts often finish further away than high-side ones, because they run away down the slope. See why you miss on the low side.
Step 3: leave yourself the easy second putt
Where you miss matters. On a sloped green, a 3-foot uphill putt is much easier than a 3-foot downhill slider. When you're lagging:
- On a steep downhill putt, it's fine to finish a little short, below the hole, leaving an uphill second putt.
- On an uphill putt, be aggressive. A putt past the hole leaves a downhill comebacker, but it's short and you've seen the line.
- With a big break, favour the high side. A ball above the hole slows as it approaches; a ball below it runs away.
Step 4: make the short ones
Three-putts hurt twice when you also miss 3-footers. Two quick fixes:
- Pick a spot and hit it firmly. On putts inside 4 feet, aim inside the edge of the hole and hit it firmly enough to take most of the break out. From this range, a firm putt that hits the back of the cup still drops.
- Practise the circle drill. Six balls in a circle 3 feet from the hole. Make all six in a row before you move to 4 feet. On a sloped green, this gives you uphill, downhill and both breaks.
A 15-minute practice plan
| Minutes | Drill | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Roll 3 balls each to the fringe from 20, 30 and 40 ft, not to a hole | Calibrates your stroke length to today's green speed |
| 5 | Ladder: tees at 10, 20, 30, 40 ft; each ball just past the last | Distance control without the pressure of a hole |
| 3 | Circle drill at 3 ft | Makes the second putt automatic |
| 2 | One long uphill and one long downhill putt, reading the last third | Practises the read that sets up the lag |
Do this before every round and three-putts will drop. Most golfers practise 6-footers for 15 minutes instead. That's the wrong way round.
Track it properly
Counting three-putts is a start, but it hides where they come from. Note the distance of every first putt and how many putts you took. After a few rounds you'll see whether your three-putts come from 30+ feet (speed), from 15–25 feet (reads), or from short misses.
Plumb Bob does this for you in a round. Every putt you read is scored with strokes gained against a tour putter from the same distance, and your stats show make percentages by distance and slope, and what to work on. It also gives the plays-like distance and the aim point for your lag putts, which is exactly the information that stops three-putts. (Practice and friendly rounds only: a device read isn't allowed in competition.)
FAQ
How do I stop 3 putting?
Fix the speed of your first putt so your second putt is from inside 3 feet. Turn uphill and downhill putts into a plays-like distance, read the last third of the putt, and practise lag putting more than short putts.
How often do golfers 3-putt from long range?
From 36–40 feet, scratch golfers three-putt just over 25% of the time, 10-handicaps 38.6% and 15-handicaps 43.5%, according to Lou Stagner's data. For 20-handicaps it's close to a coin flip.
What is the main cause of three-putting?
Bad speed on long first putts. From 36–40 feet, even scratch golfers three-putt over a quarter of the time, and 15-handicaps more than 40%.
Should I leave long putts short or long?
Long, by a little. On long putts, finish just past the hole, within a foot; our simulations found charging long putts 3–4 feet past costs extra comebackers. On a very fast downhill putt, finishing slightly short and below the hole is fine, because it leaves an uphill second putt.
What's a good drill to stop 3 putting?
Roll balls to the fringe from 20, 30 and 40 feet without a hole, then the ladder drill: putt each ball just past the previous one. Both train distance control, which is what stops three-putts.