Long-Range Lags

GOLF MAGAZINE's Private Lessons

Maybe you're hitting mid-irons or fairway woods into greens you used to reach with your short irons. So what? You can still make plenty of pars. Since it's more difficult to hit longer approaches near the hole, work on becoming a great lag putter. Two putts are two putts, whether from four feet or 40.

Let Your Body React

Barry Ross

Stability is critical on short putts, where body movement and wrist breakdown lead to misses. But on longer putts, the body needs to be free to react to the swinging of the hands and arms. Rather than locking the body and wrists -- which creates an unnatural, almost robotic stroke with no feel for distance -- let the wrists hinge and your upper body turn as you swing back and through. How much? The stroke will let you know -- if you stay relaxed.

Think "Even Tempo"
Faced with a long putt, many golfers try to put more pop on their forward stroke rather than swinging the putter back farther; this is a recipe for three-putts. To develop distance control, use the same tempo for every stroke. Granted, some strokes look quicker than others, but that's only because they're longer: A longer stroke has more room to accelerate, therefore it puts a firmer rap on the ball. You should feel the putter swinging back and through at the same pace. Try counting "one" on the backstroke and "two" through impact to even out your tempo.

Forget The Cup

Barry Ross

Which do you think is more important on a long putt, line or speed? The answer is speed; you can miss a long putt two or three feet to one side and still have an easy second putt, if the speed is right. To work on speed control, get on the practice green with several balls and putt to the edge of the fringe without rolling onto it; start at 20 feet away and work your way back. Without worrying about a hole, you'll put less emphasis on direction and more on distance.