Phil Mickelson says this is the key to making every 3-footer

8 Views

December 4, 2023

phil mickelson hits a putt during the 2022 sentry tournament of champions

Phil Mickelson’s drill will make it easier to make your whole quick putts.

Getty Pictures

Welcome to Play Smart, an everyday GOLF.com game-improvement column that may make it easier to play smarter, higher golf.

Three-footers are sometimes scooped up on the weekends, however if you’re taking part in for one thing, these putts could make the knees shake. Execs and different high-level gamers are fairly good at making these testers. Weekend warriors? Not a lot.

Leaving your lag putts contained in the leather-based ought to all the time be the purpose, however that’s solely half the battle. To make these lag putts really matter, you’ve acquired to make the clean-up putt, too.

The shorties are simple to disregard, however essential for scoring. A 3-footer may not look like a lot, however when you miss a pair, they’ll make you sweat. Everybody — professionals included — has missed a three-footer earlier than, and it’s by no means a enjoyable expertise.

The one approach to be sure you’re as much as snuff on these putts is to follow them (clearly). However as a substitute of mindlessly swiping away on the placing inexperienced, you need to go into the follow session with a purpose.

Within the video under, Phil Mickelson particulars the important thing to creating all of your three-footers, and an excellent drill that will help you follow it.

Mickelson has wowed followers together with his wedge play his whole profession, however he’s tidy with a putter in his arms, too. And a few of that may be attributed to a tip he realized from Jackie Burke Jr.

“The trick that Jackie Burke taught me is 25-75,” Mickelson mentioned. “We need to return 25 % [and] by way of 75 %. That basically helped me as a result of after I was going so lengthy [in the backstroke] my face angle would transfer as I might ease into the ball.”

By shortening the backstroke, it gave Mickelson’s putter face much less time to open or shut in the course of the stroke. And moreover, it promoted a extra aggressive stroke by way of the ball.

“I need to hit this ball aggressively, however nonetheless have it die into the outlet,” he mentioned. “That’s the premise for the approach.”

To follow this when hitting his three-footers, Mickelson used what he known as the three-foot circle drill the place he arrange 10 tees in a three-foot circle across the cup. Earlier than he would depart the placing inexperienced, Mickelson would go round this circle till he made 100 putts in a row.

“I do it three or 4 occasions per week whereas I’m competing,” Mickelson mentioned. “That is the muse of it.”

Should you can bear in mind 25-75 whereas doing this drill, you’re certain to make greater than your fair proportion of three-footers.

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com the place he spends his days running a blog, producing and modifying. Previous to becoming a member of the group at GOLF, he attended the College of Texas adopted by stops with the Texas Golf Affiliation, Staff USA, the Inexperienced Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all issues instruction and covers beginner and ladies’s golf. He might be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.

Trending Merchandise