The Key To Lower Scores: The Putt Lengths You Should Really Practice

Most amateur golfers toss a few balls onto the putting green at random distances and start practicing without a plan. With limited practice time, it’s essential to make every session count so base your practice on actual data to focus on the areas that matter most. We’ve tapped into Shot Scope data to analyze approach play and putting performance to identify the putt lengths that deserve your attention. If you spend some extra time on these areas, you may save yourself a few shots.

Approach play from 100 yards – Shot Scope data

The first thing we wanted to look at is how close to the hole amateur golfers are leaving their approach shots. We looked at 200, 150 and 100 yards from the pin. From 150 to 200 yards, the proximity to the hole for most average golfers was far enough away that you would have to look more at chipping and pitching distances instead of putting.

However, from 100 yards, we found some great information. The data shows a 15-handicap golfer misses the green more often than they will hit it. The average proximity is 59 feet from the pin from 100 yards. Most players miss short.

Scratch golfers have an average proximity to the pin of 31 feet when approaching from 100 yards.

How does this play into your putting?

You need to work on longer putts, particularly in the 40 – to 60-foot range, so you are prepared when faced with a few of these throughout your next round.

Handicap	Proximity (ft)	Shots to Finish	Green Hit %	Short %
0 hcp	31ft	3.05	70%	14%
5 hcp	41ft	3.24	57%	21%
10 hcp	49ft	3.43	49%	26%
15 hcp	59ft	3.70	40%	31%
20 hcp	65ft	3.84	34%	39%
25 hcp	75ft	4.11	28%	46%

Putting performance by distance – Shot Scope data

Next, we look at how accurate golfers are from certain distances and which putts may need the most work. It’s pretty obvious that the further away you get from the hole, the less likely you are to make the putt.

You’ll also notice that the longer the putt is, the more level the playing field becomes. For instance, a five-handicap golfer makes 67 percent of putts in the three- to six-foot range, while a 15-handicap makes just 59 percent.

If you look at the 24- to 30-foot putts, the five-handicap is making about seven percent of these putts but so is the 15-handicap. There is really no difference in the one-putt performance on these longer range putts. However, on the shorter putts (12ft and under), the lower handicaps are much more likely to one putt.

If you were wondering where lower handicap golfers are saving strokes, it’s from 12 feet and under.

When we did our 2024 best golf putter testing, we gave the 10-foot putting performance the most weight in the test. If you look at the Shot Scope data below, it’s easy to see the opportunities to make shorter putts that mid and higher handicappers are not capitalizing on.

Putt Length	5 hcp	15 hcp	25 hcp
0-3 ft	96%	93%	88%
3-6 ft	67%	59%	48%
6-9 ft	44%	36%	30%
9-12 ft	34%	22%	17%
12-18 ft	19%	16%	12%
18-24 ft	13%	9%	6%
24-30 ft	7%	7%	4%
30+ ft	3%	2%	2%

A look at three-putting

Three-putting is a nightmare regardless of your handicap. Any putt you leave more than three feet from the hole significantly increases your chance of three-putting. Also, players who miss putts short are more likely to three-putt than those who miss putts long.

If you look at the data above again, the five-handicap golfer is twice as likely to make a nine- to 12-foot putt as the 25-handicap. Why? They are much more confident in their short putt percentages so they have faith they can sink putts from varying distances. At three to six feet, the five-handicap golfer is 19 percent more likely to hole their putt than the 25-handicap.

For higher-handicap golfers, improving in the 12-foot and under range will decrease the likelihood of three-putting.

One more tip

Now that you have some more direction as to what putt lengths to practice, there is one more thing you should keep in mind as you practice. The percentage of putts golfers miss short of the hole tends to be a problem regardless of the handicap.

Missing the putt long means you at least allowed it to roll past the hole and potentially drop. While you are working on improving your putting, ensure you get the golf ball to the hole!

Miss Short% Data

Handicap	5hcp	15hcp	25hcp
Miss Short %	45%	55%	59%

Final thoughts

Here are the key takeaways about what putt lengths to practice:

• Practice 40- to 60-foot putts as these are common distances you’ll face on your approach shots.
• Work on increasing your make percentage on putts within 10 feet as this is where strokes are saved.
• Avoid the three-putt by mastering putts from three to six feet and ensure you are not leaving any of your putts short.