I concentrate on keeping a focus point in front of the ball and keeping my head and eyes from moving until the back of my putter passes that spot. You may find the first couple you hit utilizing this will be a bit strong. However, within a few minutes it should help you get much better at distance control.

that is interesting I may have to try it

Thanks my only 2021 resolution, to get more putts past the hole. I have always been a "die" putter and over the years have gotten worse about leaving them short. I watch everyday players here at my home course and almost every one of them leaves their putts short. Then I turn on the TV and almost every pro putt missed goes past the hole. I am placing a white tee a foot past the hole on the practice green and trying to reach that point on every putt. Practicing that way for various length putts. Time will tell if I have gotten better. Good luck with yours. I think it was another famous Texan (Lee Trevino) that once said: "At least 80% of putts left short never went into the hole".

With chipping i always try to envision a landing spot and visualize how i expect the ball to release and just focus on trying to land on that spot. However, coming up "short" isn't always a bad play, i want to leave myself with the easier putt, flat or more uphill, sometimes the leave short is ok. With putting speed control is a bit more intuitive than mechanical - think about throwing a ball to someone 10 yards away vs 30 yards away, my guess is your body will adjust to the target and you can still throw accurately from either distance. Practicing long lag putting in the 40-60ft range until you can consistently control your distance will help on the 15-20ft putts too.

Great technical answers. My #1 issue with (woefully) short chips is a fear of failure - a.k.a. blading the shot across the green to the next tee box. A six inch problem between the ears. Working to improve my confidence over the winter by working on consistent contact in the basement.
My worst short putts are when I’m not sure of a line. Just need to 100% commit to get the ball to or just past the hole.

I struggled for many years leaving putts short - like hole after hole after hole......frustrating.
A few key things helped me.
1. Putter (equipment) - I found, for me, insert putters were a no go. Using a putter without soft inserts helped. I also like a firmer ball.
2. Putter (equipment) - I had great luck backweighting my putter (adding weight to the butt end). You can do this yourself, let me know if you want tips - instructions.
3. Practice drill - first one would be the standard ladder drill to gain confidence with your distance control. There are numerous videos on this.
4. Practice drill - practice putt like Spieth. This is really helpful to feel yourself releasing the putter head - freeing your swing. From various distances, take your normal setup but before you pull the trigger - continue looking at the hole or your target spot. You'll likely hit the ball way past the hole until you get a better feel for it. Focus on the feel. Then putt like normal, you should have a more free swing and release better. I'll bet you surprise yourself with how many putts you make this way.

Chipping is a different story.

I have really been having a problem with that lately and this morning on the range I widened my stance and found that I was making more putts. More balance and able to keep the ball on line. Maybe just me. Have been struggling since I came back from my year off.

Same distance back same distance through for chipping and putting.
Just need to practice to find your distance.

Make sure you are not decelerating, a very common thing when touch is involved.

this is what I have notice I struggle with a lot. I am working on a shorter back stroke when putting but making sure my hands and club head finish passed my left foot

Good point in the deceleration. I try to make sure I follow thru low.

I sometimes make the mistake of "falling in love with the line." When that happens, I always come up short of the hole.

Constant issue for me but Ive got better at getting it to the hole or past.I think it is a mental block for me with not wanting to run the ball past 3, 4, or 5 feet so I try and cozy it up close. Doing that never gives the ball a chance to go in so I'm working through that.

exactly hahaha I think it is fear of going passed the hole but the disappointment of leaving it short is just as bad. Next time I play a practice round I am going to try and give myself a point every time I leave a putt passed the hole and deducted a point every time I leave it short. not worry about the miss or make but on the distances

I have the same problem and every season I get into a period of several weeks where everything comes up short. Don't know if it will work for you but I changed my pre-game putting warm-up to using the pin for alignment but work on getting the ball to stop in a 2'-0 circle PAST the pin.

Try to find a spot on the practice green with straight uphill putt about 7 to 10 feet. The goal is to ofcourse make the putt, but all misses must miss long at least 6"-12" past the hole. After 50 putts or 15 minutes find a flat 5 to 7 foot putt, if you don't decelerate all your putts that don't go in should end up about 18" past the hole..Go back and forth 15 mins each . Hope this helps...madgolfer hitemstraight

While on the practice green I found placing a few tees about a foot past the hole and focusing on putting to them rather then the cup seemed to help.

Dale (above) gave the same drill and if he uses it it must be correct!

One thing that really helped me when it came to putting was the "attack angle", if you will. One thing that many people do, is hit upward on the ball when they putt which doesn't give as effective a roll as you might intend. Hitting up on the ball can give you those hops at the beginning of the putt that kill speed. Prior to my putt I tend to lean the shaft just slightly forward to ensure I'm getting more forward spin on the ball.

Same could be said for chipping, a better angle of attack could help. Try not to think about helping the ball up and trust the loft of your wedge to do the work for you.

Hope this is of some use!

For putts, check your putterhead weight. Most people have a putterhead that is too light. The heavier the head, the better speed control you will have. For chips, keep that weight on your left foot through the ball. Don't try lifting the ball on chips with your hands by flipping them.

About 6 months ago I realized most of my misses were online but short. It wasn't mechanical, it wasn't my setup or style, it wasn't my equipment. I realized that it was my fear of going past the cup. Couldn't explain why but accepted the fact that it was an irrational fear. There was nothing on the other side of the cup that was threatening to me (no hazards, no alligators). Once I accepted that it was a mental issue, I stopped leaving my putts, chips, and approach shots short. As Don O stated and Bill alluded to, it was that 6 inches between my ears. Mental block, fear, whatever you choose to label it as, it's worth considering.

I have a simple drill that I use, and that I've shared with everyone in the TT forum before.Here it is;

Place 4 coins on the practice green, essentially in the shape of a rectangular box.Place the front two coins about 18 to 24 inches apart, same for the back 2 coins.Front to back, make the distance 3 to 4 feet from the front coins to the back coins..Pick a distance from the "box",say 15 feet, and start putting, trying to keep all your putts inside the box. When you've done this without missing, increase your distance,and repeat the drill.

Hope this helps. Best of luck.

For me, it's all in the head.


I spend time reading the putt (from all angles), and get a good idea / perception of how far the putt actually is. I rely on my distance control and make sure I fully commit to the putt. Any non committed putt will result in deceleration and poor distance control consistency therefore low confidence.

Spend some time on the practice green dialling in your pace control, I'd suggest getting three balls and hitting them as closely dispersed as possible.

Best of luck

David Ledbetter has a great video on YouTube "How to Putt With Tempo" It has helped me with being more consistent with my stroke.