You could begin by counting the short putts you miss, but making your short putts shorter is more important than being able to sink more three- and four-footers. Keep track of putts of 30 or more feet that finish within three feet of the hole. There's a good chance that poor lag putting is driving up your stats. When you record your number of putts on a hole, circle it if a lag putt left you within three feet. You'll probably be circling many more 2s than 3s. That shows you the importance of a good first putt.
Improving your chipping is another way to bring down your total putts. Tour players get up and down from within 10 feet of the green more than 90 percent of the time. If you think the pros do so well because of their putting, you're wrong. They one-putt because they chip to within three feet most of the time. You chip to six or eight feet, then miss the putt and blame your putter. Record your chips that end up within three feet of the hole. Put a check next to the hole when you have a chip shot, and circle it if you get it within three feet. As the circles increase, your putting stats will improve.
One more putting indicator: The more greens you hit, the fewer putts you'll take. If you don't believe me, keep track and over the long haul, you'll see it's true. Whenever you mark a GIR, jot down how many putts you take. You might have long putts on greens you traditionally missed, but with better iron shots, you'll get the ball closer on greens you traditionally hit, leading to fewer three-putts. Trust me, sharper iron play over time will reduce your putts.
As you collect data, patterns will develop, and you'll see a clear road to lower scores. Try recording these stats, then transfer them to a spreadsheet. You can start with this scorecard [click here to download].
Analyzing your stats is the best way to identify your problem areas and track your progress. With the Golf Digest Challenge, you can post scores and keep tabs on every part of your game online. Get started today!
Lucius Riccio teaches at Columbia University and has been on the USGA's Handicap Research Team since 1979.
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