Lag putting
Drills to Improve Lag Putting
Use practical, measurable drills to sharpen distance control and make long-putt practice feel more like the course.
Practice the skill you actually need
Lag putting improves fastest when practice has changing distances, consequences, and feedback. Ten balls from the same 30-foot spot will teach you something, but the course rarely gives you the same putt twice. Mix the length, slope, and pressure.
Three drills worth keeping
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The ladder drill
Place tees or coins at 20, 30, 40, and 50 feet. Roll one ball to each distance, trying to finish within three feet. Start over if you leave one wildly short or long. -
The three-ball capture
From 35 to 45 feet, putt three balls. All three must finish inside a putter-length circle around the hole before you move to a new location. -
The fringe stop
Pick a long putt with no hole involved and try to stop the ball just before the fringe. This is excellent for learning pace without obsessing over line.
What to measure
Keep feedback simple enough that you’ll actually use it. Track how many balls finish inside three feet, how often you leave the ball short, and whether your misses are mostly pace or direction.
| Drill | Good sign | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Ladder drill | Distances feel different but rhythm stays similar | 8 minutes |
| Three-ball capture | Comeback putts get shorter | 10 minutes |
| Fringe stop | You control roll-out without a cup | 5 minutes |
Putting it in focus
Lag-putting progress is easy to misjudge because a few holed long putts can hide poor speed. FocusGolf can track shots, distances, session history, and progress trends from a Wear OS, Apple Watch, or Garmin watch without club sensors. Use it alongside your ladder or capture drills so the question becomes clearer: are your first putts finishing closer, more often, from the distances that used to scare you?
Make it competitive
End every session with one ball from a new long distance. You get two putts. If you three-putt, repeat the same distance once, then move on. This small dose of consequence keeps practice honest without turning it into punishment.
Final thoughts
A good lag-putting drill should teach feel, not just repetition. Change distances, create a clear success zone, and write down what happens. Over a few weeks, you’ll start recognizing the stroke length and tempo that match the putts you used to fear.