This Study Shows Why Your Putting May Get Worse Later In The Round

If your putting seems to fall apart on the back nine (just when you think it should be getting better), you’re not alone. More importantly, it may not even be your mechanics. Golfers often blame missed putts on faulty alignment, poor green reading or wavering confidence. While all of those factors can contribute, a 2025 systematic review published in PLOS ONE has uncovered another surprising cause: mental fatigue.

This comprehensive review analyzed 10 studies from around the world, exploring how mental fatigue affects golf performance. The most common impact? Putting.

The study: Who did it and what they looked at

The study, titled Mental Fatigue in Golf: A Systematic Review, was led by Xiaoyang Pan and colleagues across multiple universities in Malaysia and China. It compiled results from 10 studies conducted in the U.S., U.K., Japan, South Korea, Ireland, Greece and Hong Kong.

They set out to determine:

• Whether prolonged mental effort during golf rounds affects performance
• How putting accuracy changes under mental fatigue
• What role do interventions like caffeine, self-talk or recovery strategies play

Mental fatigue, as defined in the review, is the kind of cognitive drain that comes from prolonged concentration, decision-making and emotional effort. If you’ve walked 18 holes and tried to make every putt you stood over, chances are you’ve got a good idea of what mental fatigue feels like.

What the research shows: Mental fatigue and putting performance

Here’s a snapshot of key studies from the review and what they revealed about how fatigue impacts putting.

Fatigue Factor	How It Affects Putting	Supporting Evidence
Length of round	Putting accuracy drops later in the round as mental fatigue builds especially after hole 25	Players in a 36-hole event showed clear putting declines in the final stretch
Cognitive overload	Tasks that tax the brain (like problem-solving or focusing under pressure) lead to more missed putts	Lab studies mimicking decision-making stress reduced putting performance especially from 12-20 feet
Pressure situations	Under pressure, visual focus shortens and accuracy suffers	Simulated match play and pressure tests revealed sharp focus loss
Lack of fuel	Without carbs or caffeine, players feel more mentally drained and struggle to focus on short putts	Caffeine and carb drinks improved both focus and putting consistency
No mental reset	Players without a routine or mental strategy (like self-talk) see a sharper drop in performance under fatigue	Self-talk users maintained better accuracy despite fatigue symptoms

Why It Happens: The cognitive load of putting

Unlike full swings, putting is a decision-heavy, fine-motor skill that relies heavily on:

• Visual processing
• Motor coordination
• Strategic decision-making
• Emotional control

When fatigue sets in, the brain’s ability to manage these systems starts to decline. This leads to missed reads, poor speed control and breakdowns in focus during your stroke. You may not even feel tired, but your putting stats will reflect it.

What you can do with this information

Knowing that mental fatigue plays a role in late-round putting performance gives you some valuable information to help you stay sharp. Now you need to make the adjustments in your game that can help you lower your scores and make more putts.

Here are some actionable ways to do it:

• Use self-talk: Studies show that positive or strategic self-talk (e.g., “smooth stroke,” “see the line”) can offset fatigue-related drops in performance.
• Fuel properly: Consider a snack or sports drink with carbs and a small dose of caffeine mid-round. It helped players in multiple studies stay more focused on putts.
• Simplify your reads: If you’re mentally worn down, default to a conservative read and focus on solid speed.
• Build a putting routine: A consistent, calming routine can reduce mental load and help your brain shift into automatic mode late in the round.
• Train under pressure: Simulate end-of-round scenarios during practice. Try putting challenges at the end of your session when you’re already mentally drained.

Final thoughts

It’s easy to blame a poor putting round on nerves, poor technique or the condition of the greens. I’ve always just assumed I was rushing at the end of my rounds and that’s why I wasn’t as accurate. This research reveals a different and more fixable explanation. Your brain might simply be tired.