Distance Control
Putts consistently come up short, or blow well past the hole, even when the line looks good.
Why it happens
Distance in putting is governed almost entirely by the length and speed of your stroke, inconsistency here is usually a tempo problem, not an aiming problem.
Possible causes in your swing, and how to fix each one
Tap any cause to see its fix. Work through them one at a time, usually one or two are the real culprit.
01
Using the wrists to generate power
A handsy stroke is far harder to repeat than one driven by the shoulders.
Practice a one-tempo, shoulder-driven pendulum stroke and vary distance by changing the length of the stroke, not the speed of your wrists.
02
Misreading the green's speed
Even a perfectly repeatable stroke will misfire if your feel for the day's green speed is off.
Hit a handful of practice putts of varying lengths before your round to calibrate your feel to that day's conditions.
03
Steering or decelerating on longer putts
Fear of racing a long putt past the hole often causes an unconscious deceleration, leaving it well short instead.
Focus on accelerating smoothly through impact, with a follow-through at least as long as your backswing.
04
Ball position too far forward or back
This can subtly change the effective loft and contact quality of your putter, affecting how the ball comes off the face.
Keep the ball around the center of your stance, or very slightly forward, for the most solid, repeatable contact.
Recommended video
Gain Better Distance Control | Putting Tips with Chris Ryan
TaylorMade Golf Europe
How do you compare to the pros?
Putts per round (lower is better)
Distance Control is one of the most common reasons recreational golfers take several more putts per round than tour pros.
Sources: PGA Tour putts per round, official 2022-23 season stats (about 29); Break X Golf amateur data aggregate, 15-handicap band (about 34.8).
When to stop self-diagnosing
If you've genuinely worked through two or three of these causes over several range sessions and the miss keeps showing up, that's not a failure since it usually means the real cause is something you can't feel or see in your own swing. A single 30-minute lesson with a certified instructor, who can watch you hit balls, will find it faster than any website. Bring this page along and tell them what you've already ruled out; it'll save you both time.