In a latest submit, I offered lag placing drills to undertake on the observe inexperienced.
Nonetheless, this text takes a step again to higher perceive what lag placing is and how one can higher execute them on the golf course. As well as, I’ll clarify why lag placing is an efficient approach to fight the dreaded 3-putt.
Following these steps will allow you, as an beginner, to confidently navigate the placing inexperienced and cut back your total golf scores. Moreover, I’ll train you the way to learn grass grains and use them to your benefit in lag putts.
Desk of Contents
- What’s Lag Placing?
- Recommendations on How you can Hit Higher Lag Putts
What’s Lag Placing?
Lag placing is the artwork of getting the ball near the cup on lengthy putts. Your intention is to not sink the primary putt however reasonably relaxation it inside a few toes of the cup. This places you in a primary place to empty the second putt. Should you hit a inexperienced in regulation, that might see you card a par.
You usually choose to lag your putt if you end up greater than 20 toes from the opening. The vast majority of golfers, particularly novices, is not going to sink this putt. Due to this fact, you need to set your self up for a brief putt in your subsequent shot.
Recommendations on How you can Hit Higher Lag Putts
Delicate Grip
Lighter grips are greatest suited to lag putts which depend on really feel and judgment greater than the rest. A looser grip offers you a superior placing really feel for 2 causes. Firstly, it means that you can really feel when the putter head is veering off-path, providing you with an opportunity to pause and proper the difficulty.
Secondly, a golfer who employs lighter grips for longer putts can higher really feel the highest of the backstroke for optimum distance management. A agency grip reduces suggestions, limiting your capacity to guage energy and putter head path.
Golf Professional Rory Hie suggests not controlling the pendulum movement. As a substitute, permit your grip to supply the texture of the putter’s weight in your fingers. As well as, a lighter grip helps you higher choose the velocity of the putt to stop you from over-hitting your putts:
Begin Small
The 15, 20, 40, and 50-footer drill is one you need to constantly apply in your observe periods. Lay down 5 balls at every interval and begin from the closest mark.
Putt all 5 balls, and don’t progress to the next distance till all balls are inside 3 toes of the opening. Hold going till you obtain a 100% success charge from the furthest mark. This helps you obtain a superior really feel for the perfect putter size on the backstroke for every distance.
If you get onto the course, you’ll not concern 60-footers, as your muscle reminiscence will take over and enhance your lengthy placing sport.
Have a look at The Cup Throughout Follow Strokes
Coaches typically grill into excessive handicapper golfers, the thought of trying over the ball at tackle. Whereas that is appropriate at setup, I discourage it throughout your observe stroke.
That is problematic on a lag putt the place it is advisable to choose the space to the cup and break of the inexperienced. You can not analyze the format appropriately if you’re not centered on what lies forward. Zero in on the opening throughout your pre-shot routine and take a couple of observe strokes to guage the required power.
Do that as typically as you want till your placing stroke replicates the shot you’re about to hit. Bear in mind your coaching from the Begin Small drill and make use of that really feel for correct distance management.
Learn The Inexperienced
Studying to learn greens takes observe, however the quicker you study the ropes, the better an extended putt turns into. Often, you might have a 50-foot downhill putt that breaks left to proper. As a substitute of using the identical size backstroke as I might on a flat floor, I cut back my energy.
As well as, I take advantage of the break of the inexperienced to take my ball in direction of the neighborhood of the cup. Amateurs wrestle with this component of the inexperienced, because the undulation is complicated and startles the typical golfer.
Rickie Fowler explains that he reads the inexperienced as quickly as he walks as much as it. This provides him an understanding of which route it’s sloping and the extent of undulation:
As soon as he has marked his ball, he approaches the opening from the opposite aspect to check how the ball will journey right down to the cup. Then he reads the inexperienced from behind his ball and correlates the 2 findings.
As soon as he feels the road of the putt, he can now flip his consideration to the load of his stroke. This helps him optimize his velocity management for higher lag putter outcomes.
Learn The Grain
One other vital issue to contemplate is the grass grain and the route of its development. Golf teacher Stefany King exhibits a easy trick to studying the expansion route of the grass. This helps you determine the velocity of your putt and the trail of your ball roll:
She suggests inspecting the cup and figuring out the world that’s browned out across the edge. That is the aspect the place the grass is rising with the inexperienced. Meaning in case you putt from that aspect, it will likely be a slower putt and a straighter line.
Conversely, in case you putt from the other aspect, the ball will roll quicker and gravitate to the brown aspect of the cup. This can be a good begin for novices prepared to go the additional mile for an excellent lag putt. Over time you’ll study in regards to the influence of Bermuda, poa, and bentgrass. However for now, this is a perfect introductory lesson.
3-Foot Radius
The important thing to your first long-range putt is to get it right into a zone of 3-feet across the cup. Work on getting the ball previous the cup, particularly on downhill putts. You can not overhit the ball, as it might roll off the inexperienced.
Nonetheless, in case you depart your first putt brief, you’ll face a tough downhill second putt, which you wish to keep away from as a lot as potential.
My recommendation is to place an alignment stick 3-feet behind the cup to encourage you to not cross this level in your first putt. You may comply with the identical process as the beginning small drill, the place you hit 5 putts from totally different distances.
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As well as, there’s the choice so as to add scores into the equation to make your observe time extra thrilling. Should you sink your first putt, you set your self down for a birdie. Nonetheless, a ball that passes the cup however stays inside 3 toes equals a par.
Something past the alignment stick or wanting the opening is a bogey. After your 5 observe putts from every distance, tally up your rating earlier than shifting to the next interval.
