Let’s start today by getting straight into the putting conversion percentages of PGA Tour players, who play on the best greens and dedicate more time than any to this area…
From 3 feet: 99.34%
4 feet: 91.43%
5 feet: 80.72%
6 feet: 70.21%
7 feet: 60.6%
8 feet: 52.86%
9 feet: 46.38%
10 feet: 41.25%
11-15 feet: 30.1%
15-20 feet: 18.3%
20-25 feet: 12.47%
25+ feet: 5.45%
3-putt avoidance >25 feet: 91.71%
Notice the biggest decreases are between 4 feet and 8 feet and the point at which they will make or miss breaks even at around 8 feet. The excellent 3 putt avoidance stat shows how often they putt the ball to within 3 or 4 feet from outside of 25 feet.
Here are some comparisons to Scratch and 18-20 handicappers:
This shows how important it is for higher handicap players to practice their long range putting as if you aren’t getting inside of 5 feet you are more likely to 3-putt than 2-putt. It is important to recognise that even the best miss from 3 or 4 feet so don’t beat yourself up if you do!
Top Tip: Practice your long range lag putting and aim to get within 4 feet. You have a much better chance of keeping your 3-putts to a minimum!
Lee Wilson; August 2020