Putting and the short game: where rounds are actually won
Roughly 40% of the strokes in a round happen within 50 yards of the hole, and almost all of them are available to a golfer with no athleticism and no swing speed. This is the cheapest part of the game to improve.
Written and maintained by the Golf Game Bet Calculator team, who build the scoring engine this site runs on. Last reviewed .
Speed first, line second
Amateurs read break obsessively and ignore pace, but pace determines break: a putt struck firmly takes less break, a dying putt takes more. Read the line for the speed you intend to hit, and pick one philosophy — dying it in at the front edge, or firm at the back of the cup — and stay with it all round.
On long putts the target is not the hole, it is a three-foot circle around it. A lag putting drill: putt to the fringe from 40 feet and try to stop the ball within a club length of it, ten times. This builds distance calibration far faster than hitting the same six-footer over and over.
Reading greens
- Look at the whole green from 30 yards out as you walk up. Water drains somewhere; that direction is usually the general slope.
- Read from behind the ball, then from the low side — the low side shows the tilt most clearly.
- Identify the last three feet before the hole. That is where the ball is slowest and breaks most.
- Note grain on Bermuda and kikuyu greens: a shiny path means downgrain and faster, dull means into the grain and slower.
Plumb-bobbing is mostly theatre. Feel the slope through your feet as you walk around the hole — it is more reliable and faster, which the group behind will appreciate.
The stroke and setup
- Eyes over or just inside the ball line; the putter should swing straight back naturally.
- The stroke is driven by the shoulders. Wrist flicks are what makes distance control random.
- Ball slightly forward of centre so it starts rolling rather than hopping.
- Keep the tempo constant and change length of stroke for distance — not speed of stroke.
Putt, chip or pitch?
The order of preference around the green never changes: putt if you can, chip if you cannot putt, pitch only when you must carry something. Every step up in loft increases the penalty for a slightly heavy strike.
- Putt from off the green whenever the fringe is short and dry. A poor putt finishes ten feet away; a poor chip finishes anywhere.
- Chip and run with an 8- or 9-iron: land it a yard or two onto the green and let it release. Land spot first, then the club that makes that land spot work.
- Pitch with a sand or lob wedge when a bunker or thick rough is in the way. Accept the middle of the green.
Choosing the club by carry-to-roll ratio
A simple way to pick a chipping club without guesswork is to think in carry-to-roll ratios: how far the ball flies in the air compared with how far it rolls once it lands on the green.
| Club | Approx. carry : roll | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| 7-iron / 8-iron | 1 : 4 | Long fringe, flat green, plenty of green to work with |
| 9-iron / pitching wedge | 1 : 2 | Standard chip-and-run, most common greenside shot |
| Gap or sand wedge | 1 : 1 | Short-sided lies with a small landing area |
| Lob wedge | 2 : 1 | Must clear a bunker or rough and stop quickly |
Ratios are approximate and vary with green speed, firmness and the individual strike — calibrate on the practice green before relying on them.
Bunkers, briefly and correctly
Greenside bunker shots are the only shot in golf where you deliberately miss the ball. Open the face, aim to enter the sand roughly two inches behind the ball, keep the clubhead moving through, and finish the swing. The most common fault is deceleration — the ball stays in the bunker because the swing stopped, not because the strike was bad.
From a fairway bunker, do the opposite: take one more club, choke down, keep the lower body quiet and hit the ball first. Clearing the lip matters more than the yardage, so check the lip before choosing.
Practice that transfers
- Three-foot circle: six balls around the hole at three feet. Make all six before you leave. This is the length that decides matches.
- Ladder drill: putt to 15, 25, 35 and 45 feet in sequence, then back down.
- One-ball chipping: hit one chip from a spot, then move. Repetition from the same lie flatters you; the course never gives the same lie twice.
- Up-and-down game: nine random short-game shots, score them as up-and-down or not. A percentage is the only honest feedback.
A weekly practice split for a one-hour session
| Time | Activity | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| 15 minutes | Three-foot circle + ladder drill | Distance control and confidence over short putts |
| 15 minutes | Chip and run with 2-3 clubs, one landing spot | Consistent land spot, judge release |
| 10 minutes | Bunker shots, vary the lie | Committed acceleration through the sand |
| 10 minutes | Up-and-down game from random spots | Score-relevant feedback, simulate pressure |
| 10 minutes | Lag putting from 30-50 feet | Speed calibration for long approach putts |
Rotate the order weekly so no single skill is always practised fatigued.
Short game and the bet
Different formats change which short-game shot is correct. In match play or Nassau, when your opponent is already on the green in two, a safe chip to twenty feet is worthless — go at the flag. In Stableford, protecting a point by taking the centre of the green is often the higher-scoring play. And in junk bets, sandies and greenies pay directly for exactly these shots, which is why groups with a good short-game player usually stop offering them.
Common technical faults and quick fixes
- Chunked chips: usually caused by weight hanging on the back foot. Set weight slightly forward and keep it there through impact.
- Bladed chips over the green: often a rising clubhead caused by trying to help the ball into the air. Let the loft do the work and keep the low point ahead of the ball.
- Missing short putts left or right: check that the putter face is square at address, not just at setup — many golfers aim the face open or closed without realising.
- Inconsistent lag putt distance: practise with a stroke-length gate (two tees) so the backswing length, not extra wrist action, controls distance.
Related reading
- Course management and strategy
- Wedges, bounce and putter fitting
- Choosing a golf ball for greenside spin
Frequently asked questions
What should I focus on first to improve putting: line or speed?
Speed. Pace determines how much a putt actually breaks — a firm putt holds its line while a dying putt breaks more near the hole — so amateurs who read line obsessively but ignore speed misjudge breaks constantly. Practising lag putting to a three-foot circle around the hole improves scoring faster than any amount of extra green-reading.
How do I decide between putting, chipping and pitching from just off the green?
Putt if the fringe is short and dry, chip with a mid iron if you cannot putt, and pitch with a wedge only when you must carry rough, a bunker or a slope. Each step up in loft raises the penalty for a mis-hit, so the lowest-loft option that reasonably reaches the hole is almost always correct.
Why do my bunker shots stay in the sand?
The most common cause is deceleration through impact. Golfers steer the club into the sand and stop the swing out of fear, which leaves the clubhead buried instead of skimming through. Enter the sand about two inches behind the ball, keep accelerating, and finish the swing fully — the bounce of the wedge does the work.
What is grain and does it really affect putts?
Grain is the direction grass fibres lean, most noticeable on Bermuda and kikuyu greens. A shiny, silvery path means you are looking down-grain, which plays faster; a duller path means into the grain, which plays slower and can hold a subtle break open longer near the hole. On bentgrass greens grain has almost no effect.
How much practice time should go to the short game versus full swing?
A commonly cited split is that roughly 60-70% of shots in an average round happen from 100 yards and in, yet most golfers spend the majority of practice time on the range hitting full shots. Shifting even one extra practice session per week to putting, chipping and bunker play produces a faster scoring improvement for most players.
What is an up-and-down and what percentage should I expect?
An up-and-down is getting the ball in the hole in two strokes from just off the green — one short-game shot plus one putt. Tour professionals convert roughly 55-65% of up-and-downs; a good amateur target from a reasonable lie is around 30-40%, and tracking your own percentage over real rounds is more useful than any single practice drill.