Table of Contents
Introduction
On this platform, we have already established that you need a lot of personal equipment to play golf. In any complete golf set, one of the most important clubs that you will find is the putter. Putters are used to guide the ball into the hole after you have used your driver or any other club to play it into the green. Putters are generally used for short-distance shots, and they are called into action when you need precision instead of speed and distance. Generally, there are three kinds of putts; the lag putt, the short putt and the mid putt. The unkind rule about putting is that you must avoid doing it three times at a stretch. This means that once your ball is in the green, you can only putt twice or your score will be significantly affected. The short and mid-range putts are easier to make because the ball is already close to the hole. However, it is a different ball game when you have to make the hole from a farther distance. Lag putting is one of the major causes of 3 putts, and the sad news is that we cannot always avoid it. Even if you drive your ball with the right speed and it heads in the right direction, it can still fall far away from the hole and within the green. This means that you have to learn how to lag putt so that you don’t have to improvise on the golf course. Lag putting might be a bit difficult to grasp, but with continuous practice, you would be playing like a professional in no time. This article has outlined four practical steps that you can take when you want to lag putt. Enjoy!
Four simple steps for lag putting
If you want to lag putt, the first thing you have to note is that, except you have the precision of a surgeon, it will take two putts to sink it into the hole. The first putt should be to get the ball as close to the hole as you can while the second putt will allow you to sink the ball easily. Below are four easy steps you can follow if you want to putt from a long distance and avoiding putting three times.
1. Read the green 
The first thing you need to do is assess the green. One mistake that golfers make is to look at the ball from behind and draw a mental map from the ball to the hole. This might work for short putts, but it is a recipe for disaster when it comes to lag putts. You need to take a step back and look at the green from different angles. This process doesn’t require a trained eye or extra practice; it only requires your natural golf instinct. All you need to do is take a few sideways steps to both the left and right sides of the ball and look at the putt distance in front of you. It would help if you also took note of the terrain of the green and how you can use it to your advantage. When you have done this, you would know how hard you need to hit your ball to get it to the target position.
2. Get the right stance
Putting requires you to be able to control your ball speed and distance, and you cannot do this if you have the wrong body posture. On this platform, we have already discussed the right stance for playing golf. However, when you want to putt, you have to adjust a few things. It would be best if you bowed from your hips, and your arms should hang from your shoulders so they can be free enough for you to control them when swinging. Another thing you have to note is that your lower body and your head should remain still during this period. If they are moving, it would be harder to control distance and direction. The face of the putter should be well-positioned behind the ball and perfectly aligned so it can strike well on impact.
3. Control your ball speed and distance
Controlling your ball speed and the distance it covers is necessary. After you have read the green and you have the perfect stance, you have to make sure that you hit the ball with the right amount of force and at the right angle. You should always follow the principle of “aim small, miss small”. This means that you should always hit the ball with lesser force than necessary. Now that you are ready to hit the ball, you should also avoid hula-hoop mistake. This mistake is common with less experienced golfers and even some advanced golfers. The hula-hoop means that you create a mental circle around the hole and direct your ball towards that circle. This strategy might work now and then, but the problem with this strategy is that, if the ball lands outside that circle, you are going to end up playing three-putts. The best thing to do is aim directly for the hole. If you are lucky, your ball will fall right into the hole, and you will not need then the final step, but if not, you can easily finish up the process with your second and final putt
4. Hit the final putt
At this point, your ball should be close enough to the hole, and all that is needed is for you to sink it. It would help if you remained calm and collected when hitting the final putt. All you have to do is hit the ball with the least force possible and carefully sink it in the hole.
Conclusion
Golf is just like any other sport. It would require you to keep learning and improving your skills constantly. Lag putting is one of the many aspects of the game, and if you master it, you are one step closer to being unstoppable on the golf course. This article has outlined simple and practical steps that you can follow if you want to lag putt the right way. All that is left is for you to keep practising and dominating. Enjoy
