Do you make all of your four-foot putts? The four-foot putt can be nerve-wracking, especially when it counts the same as your 270-yard drive. Despite its simplicity, it’s easy to miss. Many golfers overthink this shot and fail to commit. I’ll share three tips to help you master your four-foot putts, potentially saving you one or two strokes per round.
Aim First – Then Set Your Feet In
Aim is the most important part of a four foot putt.
If your speed is just a little off, you’ll still have a chance of the ball rolling into the hole or the back edge catching it before it runs away from you.
However, with only four feet to work with, you’ll never make the putt if your aim is wrong. You have to aim these correctly.
There are different schools of thought about how much break to play and whether you should just go straight for the cup. When you are dealing with a severe break, you may need to aim outside the cup. Most of the time, it’s best to keep your aim inside the cup.
You may want to use the line on your golf ball to point at your target when you pick your spot.
Then, set the alignment line on your putter to match this.
Now, bring your feet in square to that line.
If you set up with your feet first and then set the putter down, the chance of your putter face being open or closed to your alignment line is quite high.
Aim first. Setup Second.
Follow Through Down The Line
The instinct on these four foot putts is to hit and hope.
You tap at the ball, grit your teeth, and check to see if it’s made it to the hole.
Stop doing this. You have to follow through on these short putts just as you would any other shot in golf. Honestly, follow through is in every sport. Do you see baseball players throw a ball without following through? How about tennis shots, football punts, etc?
My mindset right before I putt a four footer is to make sure the putter moves past (or at least even with) my lead foot when I’m done.
It’s the last thing I think before I putt, and it works.
Thinking about the follow-through will ensure you don’t stop the putter head at the ball. This gives you just a little extra chance of making the putt and makes it easier to start the ball on the intended line.
Trust that follow through to give you more confidence on these four foot putts.
Wait Until The Ball Drops To Move Your Head
Consistency in a putting stroke is the true sign of a great putter. If you can repeat the same actions, you can get really good at putting.
However, most golfers switch to a different method for these short putts.
They take their stroke and immediately look to see if the ball went in the hole.
Instead, try waiting until the ball drops to move your head. Practice this on the putting green and take putts from four feet, where you never pick your head up until you hear the ball drop into the hole.
When your head moves too soon, the putter face opens. You’ll hit a putt that often ends up short and right of the hole.
Although I don’t love the “keep your head down” concept throughout the game of golf, it applies on these four foot putts!
Drills To Help You Make More Four Foot Putts
In addition to these three tips, make sure you spend some time making four foot putts on the practice green.
The most important thing here is to follow this routine and three steps each time you hit a practice putt. Setting yourself up and making 10 four footers in a row without moving away from the ball isn’t simulating on-course conditions.
Instead, set up a four foot putts, go through the steps, make it and then move a foot to the left or right and make one from another angle.
Put some pressure on yourself to make 10 or 15 in a row as you work in a circle around the hole. This will help with your mindset the next time you go to the course.
A few training aids that could help include:
Final Thoughts
Four footers are not inside the leather. You should be making all of these, and with these simple adjustments to your setup and stroke, your confidence on the putting green should increase.
Dr Tee
2 years ago
5 ball drill: my short game coach PGA professional Dan Bubany at LaPaloma in Tucson teaches this–place 5 balls spaced equally around the hole 3 feet from cup and go around the hole sinking each. Record your results every ten balls and then repeat as many times as desired trying to improve sink rate. When you can sink 10 out or 10, move out to 4 feet and repeat. Do not leave putting green until you have improved on previous results or sunk at least 10 out of 10 at both 3 feet and 4 feet Perform this drill several times per week and before each round. Performing this drill forcing you to challenge yourself and improve, and the hole will start to look a lot bigger on these shorties when you are out on the course.