How to Stop 3-Putting (Simple Drills That Work)

To stop 3-putting, focus on three things: distance control on long putts, a reliable read of speed and slope, and solid alignment and contact on short ones. Get your first putt inside a comfortable tap-in range and the three-jab disappears. This guide gives you the drills to do exactly that.

Nothing drains a scorecard - or your morale - like a 3-putt. The frustrating part is that most three-putts are not caused by bad short putts; they start with a poor first putt that leaves too much work. Fix your speed and your reads, and the rest follows. Here is how to practise it.

Why You 3-Putt in the First Place

The majority of 3-putts come from distance control, not your stroke on the short one. Leave a 40-foot putt eight feet short or blow it eight feet past, and you have set up a knee-knocker you will miss often enough to hurt. Poor green reading and inconsistent contact compound the problem.

So the priority order is clear: lag putting first, green reading second, short-putt fundamentals third. Reading the surface well is its own skill - our guide on how to read greens like a tour pro digs into speed, slope and line.

So How Do You Stop 3-Putting for Good?

Build your practice around three habits: lag your first putt close, read speed and slope together, then hole the short ones with square contact. Master those three and the dreaded three-jab quietly disappears from your card, turning tense two-putts into stress-free pars.

Drill 1: Master Distance Control (Lag Putting)

The single most valuable putting skill is rolling the ball the right distance. Practise the "ladder" drill: place tees at 20, 30 and 40 feet and try to lag each putt into a three-foot circle around the hole. Focus on the length of your stroke, not hitting harder - a longer, smoother stroke produces distance, not a jab.

Do this for ten minutes and you will quickly feel how stroke length maps to distance. For more on taming long putts, see how to improve long putts and lag putting.

Drill 2: Read Speed and Slope

Green reading is really speed reading. A putt breaks more when it is slow, so your pace decision and your line decision are linked. Practise walking to the low side of the hole, picking your line, and committing - indecision is a putting killer.

On the practice green, roll putts across different slopes and watch how much they curve at the end as they lose pace. Training your eye to predict that last-second break is what separates lag putts that finish close from ones that spin out.

Drill 3: Lock In Alignment and Contact

Short putts are missed for two reasons: poor alignment and off-centre contact. Use the "gate" drill - set two tees just wider than your putter head about a foot in front of the ball, and roll putts through the gate without clipping either tee. It trains a square face and centre strike at once.

Alignment of your body and the putter face matters as much as the stroke; the same principles apply across your whole game, as we cover in our golf alignment guide. Combine the gate drill with a short circle of three-foot putts around the hole to build confidence under a little pressure.

Build a Pre-Putt Routine

Consistency on the greens comes from a repeatable routine: read the putt, pick a spot a few inches ahead of the ball on your line, take one or two practice strokes for distance, then commit. A routine quiets the mind and stops the tentative, decelerating stroke that causes so many misses. Putting is part of the wider short game - these short game tips help you leave easier first putts in the first place.

Track Your Putting and Drop Strokes with Hole19

You cannot fix what you do not measure. Hole19's Shot Tracker records your putts every round, and Advanced Stats break down your putting performance - average putts per round, three-putt frequency and putting from different distances - so you know exactly which drill to prioritise. Reading greens is easier too when you arrive knowing the surface, and the GPS rangefinder on more than 45,000 courses keeps your approach play sharp so you face fewer long putts.

If you want a structured plan rather than ad-hoc practice, CORE Golf's putting drills and improvement plans turn these fundamentals into guided sessions, building your lag putting, green reading and short-putt confidence one practice at a time.

For a deeper edge, Otto - the AI caddie in the Hole19 Intelligence tier - turns your tracked rounds into clear, personalised advice on where you are leaking strokes on the greens. Join more than 4.8 million golfers using Hole19, and start the 14-day free trial to watch your 3-putts fall.

Frequently Asked Questions

What causes most 3-putts?

Poor distance control on the first putt. Leaving long putts well short or running them well past sets up missable second putts. Lag putting, not the short stroke, is usually the real culprit.

What is the best drill to stop 3-putting?

The ladder drill for distance control - lagging putts from 20, 30 and 40 feet into a three-foot circle. Pair it with the gate drill for short-putt alignment and contact.

How do I improve my green reading?

Read speed and slope together, since slower putts break more. Practise picking a line from the low side, committing to it, and watching how putts curve as they lose pace.

Can an app help with putting?

Yes. Hole19's Shot Tracker and Advanced Stats record putts per round and three-putt frequency, so you can target the right drills and measure your improvement over time.