What's Worse? A Missed 5-Footer for Birdie or 3-Putt from 30 Feet?

When I played competitive golf, missed five-footers for birdies frustrated me to no end. They always felt like a missed opportunity. If I missed one early in the round, it felt like a chance to get off to a good start might have slipped away. If I missed one late in the round, I blew an opportunity to finish strong.

As for three-putts from 30 feet? I viewed them as part of the game. While I was never thrilled with three-putting from 30 feet, I was far more accepting of them than the missed five-foot birdie.

But my thinking was backwards. Sure, missing a short birdie putt can be frustrating, but three putting, even from 30 feet or more, is worse. Miss a short birdie putt, and you still make par. Par is the score you’re supposed to get. Birdies and better are bonuses. Three putts result in, except for the three-putt eagle attempt, bogey or worse.

Think of it this way: par or better is good. Bogey or worse is bad.

I understand a lot of you are thinking; that’s all well and good, but I make a lot of bogeys and worse. I don’t get many birdie opportunities.

This is why most average players get more upset over the missed short birdie attempt than the three-putt. They usually don’t get a lot of opportunities for birdies. Three-putts are more common and more expected. As a result, three-putts are more accepted simply because they are more common.

But you need to change your thinking just as I changed mine. Get more upset at the three-putt. You can save more shots by reducing your number of three-putts than by making the occasional birdie. Golf is all about big number avoidance. Reducing the number of three-putts is a great way to avoid big numbers.

So how do I avoid three-putts?

Not to sound braggy, but I’ve always been a good putter. I spent a lot of time around the practice green as a kid waiting to play. I never feared putts of any kind. I practiced long putts and short putts, left breaking putts and right breaking putts, uphill and downhill putts. Instinctively, I learned what really mattered in becoming a good putter. The past few years, my putting has declined as I don’t spend time practicing very often. Some days are good, some days are so-so. When I do practice my putting, I focus on the one thing I learned as a kid that truly mattered to being a good putter.

Enough already. What really matters?

Speed control. Learn to have good speed control, and you will become a good putter. All good putters have speed control. Think of someone you know who is a good putter. Good putters usually hit putts which look like they are going in even when they miss. Why? Because their putts have perfect speed.

Yeah, but you still have to have the right line, don’t you?

I like to ask students whether line or speed is more important. I am always surprised at the number who say line is more important. Line is important, but speed control is far more important. I can hit a putt on my intended line, but my speed still needs to be correct. Hit the putt too hard, it doesn’t take enough break. Hit the putt too soft, the putt breaks too much. However, if my speed is good, I can miss the line a little and still make the putt. If I miss, I have a short putt left. If my speed is bad and I miss the line, it might be three-putt time.

By having speed control as my focus, I can keep the ball finishing consistently around (or in) the hole thus reducing my chances for a three-putt. By eliminating three-putts, I can reduce the big numbers on my scorecard.

When you practice putting or are hitting putts before a round, focus on speed. Don’t worry about making putts. Try to hit putts from different distances focusing solely on speed. Get the speed right, and your putting and scores will improve.

If you get more upset at yourself over a missed five-foot putt for birdie than you do for a three-putt from longer range, stop. You need to be more accepting of the missed birdie and more upset at the three-putt. The three-putt is doing more damage to your score than the occasional missed birdie from five feet. Reduce the number of three-putts, and you will see your scores drop.

Once again, thank you for reading Go Golf. Feel free to leave a comment. If you would like additional content, consider upgrading to a paid subscription. Paid subscribers receive additional content such as: drills, exercises or additional stories regarding the topic of the newsletter for the week.

As always, be thankful when you get to play this amazing game. Be grateful for every shot. Appreciate every moment on the course. Now, go golf!