Best Lag Putters on the PGA Tour.
Best Lag Putters on the PGA Tour.
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Lag putting is something amateurs do not practice much. Go to any putting green and watch golfers before they tee off. They will hit some 10 footers, some 3 footers, and then hit a few long putts but pay no attention to where the ball finishes. After they have hit their long putts, they'll pick up their balls and head over to the first tee.
Spending 7 to 10 minutes working on lag putting and getting the greens' feel before you go out will help lower your score. And remember to do this drill before every round because the pace of the greens varies from day to day, even on the same course. Of course, if you are playing away from your home course, even more important!
Mark Brodie, writing for golf.com, has selected the top 5 lag putters on the PGA Tour. You'll be surprised at the stats, and this might even encourage you to work on this part of your game even more!
#3 Ricky Barnes surprised me, as he is not a regular contender on Tour. It looks like if Ricky worked more on his long game, he might make an impact!
How many putts of 22 feet or longer does a Tour Player sink in 4 Rounds?
If you guessed between three and seven, you're in good company with most of my golf friends. But the right answer is a measly 1.4 holed putts!
Tournament highlight reels lead us to believe that pros sink putts from just about everywhere. So it's surprising to learn that even Tour winners only average 2.4 holed putts of 22 feet or longer in the week of their victory. That's far less than one long holed putt per round.
In fact, since 2012, only two golfers have sunk eight long putts in a tournament: Billy Horschel at the 2014 BMW Championship (which he won) and Chris Stroud at the 2014 Crowne Plaza at Colonial (T14).
Why do the world's best players hole so few long putts? Simply put, making long putts is harder than it looks. Tour pros sink only 7 percent of their 30-footers. That small chance of success from long range—coupled with only 21 attempts per four rounds, on average—leads to few hole-outs from downtown.
Here are the best long putters from the 2014 season, based on strokes gained per round on putts starting 22 feet or more from the hole:
1. Adam Scott.
2. Rory McIlroy.
3. Ricky Barnes.
4. Graeme McDowell.
5. Steve Stricker.
Let's examine how weekend golfers stack up to the likes of Adam, Rory and the rest. For putts that start between 25 and 35 feet, Tour pros leave only one in four putts outside of three feet from the hole. Guys like you and me, however, leave one in four outside of five feet of the hole. The main reason recreational golfers sink slightly less than one long putt (from 22 feet or longer) in four rounds? Poor distance control.
To save strokes from far out, like the players above, your goal should be to leave your long putts as close to the hole as possible. If they go in, it's a bonus.
KNOCK IT CLOSE FROM DOWNTOWN.
On long putts, many weekend players make a backstroke that's too short and a follow-through that's too long. An overly short backstroke requires additional muscular effort to get the ball to the hole, which results in poor touch and inconsistent distance control. With a backstroke of the proper length, the putter can just swing and let the ball get in the way.
To hone in on the actual length of your backstroke, hit putts from 5, 10, 20 and 40 feet and watch closely to see how your backstroke naturally increases with the putt distance. Next, hit the same-length putt three times with different backstroke lengths: a short backstroke with a long follow-through, a long backstroke with a short but quick follow-through, and a backstroke and follow-through of equal length. The last one should feel the best. Getting used to that feel will help you hole more putts. -- David Orr is the director of instruction for Campbell University's PGA Golf Management Program.
Source: Mark Broadie golf.com Mel Sole Golf School.
Pictures: Oliver Gunning kompuder_dude Keith Allison Secret in the Dirt Tour Pro Golf Clubs
Thanks for reading - Best Lag Putters on the PGA Tour. Rickie Barns was a surprise. He must be a pretty poor ball striker!
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