Last updated Nov 03, 2023
3 Foot Putts: How to make them every time
I've been playing golf for over a decade competitively, and I still struggle to keep my head down on those 3-footers. Why is it so hard? Here's my take on it.
Written By: Zach Gollwitzer
Posted in: Golf Mental Game ,Putting Fundamentals
3 footers are the simplest part of golf.
And at the same time, they generate tremendous amounts of anxiety for the average golfer.
I've got a challenge for you, and when I say challenge, I mean it!
For 18 holes, listen on every 3 footer. Don't look at the hole until the putt has had plenty of time to go in. This means staring at a dimple on the ball, and then after the ball has been hit, still staring at the spot of grass that the ball was previously sitting on.
As Gary Player says, "the hardest thing to do in competitive golf is to keep your head down on short putts."
It's all about trust.
If you successfully keep your head down on every single putt for an entire round, you have trusted your stroke.
Maybe you missed a few though...
That's okay.
I'd rather you miss a putt because of a faulty stroke/green reading rather than missing a putt because you don't have the discipline to keep your head down.
About the author: Zach Gollwitzer
Hey, I‘m Zach, the founder of The DIY Golfer! I created this site while playing D1 collegiate golf with a simple mission—I wanted to learn the golf swing and get better at golf myself.
Fast forward a few years, and my “journal“, The DIY Golfer, has been viewed by millions of golfers worldwide looking to do the same with their games. my mission is to make golfers more consistent in just a few hours a week through advanced practice strategies and timeless, first-principle golf instruction.
