Lag Putting Drills for Longer Putts That Actually Transfer to the Course

Long putts — generally 25 feet and beyond, sometimes called lag putts — are rarely about making them; they're about avoiding a three-putt by leaving a simple, short next putt. That reframes the entire practice priority toward distance control over precise line.

The clock drill

Place tees or small markers at 20, 30 and 40 feet from a hole, arranged roughly like clock positions around it, to practice putts from multiple directions and distances in a single session rather than repeatedly from the same spot — closer to the variety you'll actually face on the course.

The "leave it short of the hole" mental model

For putts you have no realistic chance of making, aim to leave the ball just short of the hole rather than aggressive enough to run several feet past on a miss. A putt that finishes a foot short and a putt that finishes a foot long are equally close to the hole distance-wise, but the short putt psychologically and practically tends to produce a simpler, more comfortable next attempt for most golfers.

Practice from actual green-to-green distances, not just on the practice green

If your home course's practice green doesn't have long enough distances to simulate real lag putts, use the fringe-to-fringe distance on a large practice green, or even a hallway/backyard putting mat rolled out to its full length for pure speed-feel practice (see our putting mats guide) — the specific line matters less here than calibrating your effort-to-distance relationship.

Read the overall slope, not just the last ten feet

On very long putts, it's tempting to focus your read only on the section near the hole. But the overall slope across the entire putt — including sections far from the hole — affects the ball's speed and path throughout, not just its final few feet. See our green reading basics guide for the full read process.