Eliminate those dreaded three-putts with this fun game

by Cennydd Mills
The putter is the most used club in the bag and yet it’s the one that you probably practice with the least. Think about that for a minute.

The key to eliminating those dreaded card and confidence wrecking three putts is to get the pace of your lag putts right. It’s also essential to be good at holing out the tricky shorter putts. In order to practice both elements, I use a simple putting game called “Lag and Drag”.

You simply do what it says on the box: lag your first putt as close as possible to the hole, obviously trying to hole it, and then instead of putting it in from the spot where it finishes, you drag the ball back a putter length. This means you’re always left a testing putt to improve your hole-out ability.

Try playing 9 holes on the putting green using this game, keeping count so you have a target score next time. Trust me, when you get out on the course, putting will feel much easier.

Those pesky short putts are a real drag when you miss them. So drag your lagged putt back a putter length and learn to knock them in with confidence. You should be aiming to hole your lag putt but even if it settles on the lip of the cup, drag it back. Your scorecard will thank you.