The Best Examples of Lag Putting Drills for Reducing Strokes

Start With Real Examples of Lag Putting Drills for Reducing Strokes

Before we talk about mechanics or theory, let’s get straight into practical examples of lag putting drills for reducing strokes. These are the exact kinds of routines teaching pros use with students who are tired of three‑putting from 20–40 feet.

You don’t need fancy training aids. If you have a putter, some balls, and a practice green (or a halfway‑decent carpet), you’re ready.

Ladder Drill: The Foundation Example of Distance Control

One of the best examples of lag putting drills for reducing strokes is the classic ladder drill. Think of it as speed training for your putter.

Pick a reasonably flat section of the putting green. Place tees (or coins) at 10, 20, 30, and 40 feet from a starting point. If you’re at home, use tape or books on the floor to mark distances.

Start with three balls. Putt one ball to the 10‑foot marker, one to the 20‑foot marker, and one to the 30‑foot marker. Your goal is not to hole them. Your goal is to finish inside a 3‑foot circle around each target. That 3‑foot circle is important—data from the PGA Tour and amateur studies show that most golfers have a much higher make rate from inside 3 feet compared to 4–6 feet. You’re trying to leave yourself a putt you expect to make.

Once you can consistently finish within that circle, stretch the drill to 40 or even 50 feet. This drill builds a mental library of how big your stroke needs to be for each distance, which is exactly how better players develop feel.

The “Leapfrog” Drill: A Great Example of Building Feel, Not Just Technique

Another strong example of lag putting drills for reducing strokes is the leapfrog drill. This one forces you to adjust feel on every putt instead of repeating the same distance.

Pick a reasonably long putt, around 25–30 feet. Hit your first putt to any distance. That first putt becomes your reference. Now the game is simple: each new putt has to finish 1–2 feet past the previous ball, without going off the green or more than about 6–8 feet past.

You’re teaching your brain to:

• Control speed relative to your last putt
• Make tiny adjustments in stroke length and tempo
• Feel what “just a little more” or “just a little less” actually means

This is one of the best examples because it mirrors real golf: you rarely face the exact same putt twice. You’re constantly adjusting.

Circle Safety Zone Drill: Turning Long Putts Into Stress‑Free Two‑Putts

If you want real, on‑course examples of lag putting drills for reducing strokes, you need something that trains both distance and your “leave.” That’s what the circle safety zone drill does.

Find a long putt—30, 40, or even 50 feet. Around the hole, create a 3‑foot circle using tees, coins, or even your putter laid down in a rough circle.

Roll 10 balls from your starting point. The only thing that counts as a “win” is finishing inside the circle. Holed putts are great, but the real objective is leaving yourself a tap‑in.

Keep score. For example:

• 8–10 balls in the circle: excellent
• 6–7: good but room for improvement
• 5 or less: keep working at that distance

This drill trains your brain to value speed control over line from long range. That’s very much in line with modern coaching and performance analysis, which shows that from longer distances, the priority is getting the ball close, not trying to “make everything.”

For context on how make percentage drops with distance, you can explore putting stats from organizations like the USGA or research summaries from golf science programs at universities.

The “Around the World” Lag Version: Pressure From Every Angle

You’ve probably seen the short‑putt “around the world” drill. This is the long‑putt version, and it’s one of the best examples when you want to mix in slope and different breaks.

Choose a hole and step back about 25–35 feet. Place balls in a circle around the hole—front, back, uphill, downhill, sidehill. Now you’ve got 6–8 different long putts, all roughly the same distance but with different breaks.

Your job: hit every putt and try to leave it inside that same 3‑foot safety circle. Keep track of how many you get in the circle out of 8.

This drill gives you:

• Realistic, on‑course style putts
• Different slopes and breaks, not just flat putts
• A little performance pressure as you track your score

Among the best examples of lag putting drills for reducing strokes, this one stands out because it simulates what you actually face during a round: you rarely get the same angle twice.

The One‑Ball “Walk It In” Drill: Training Like You Play

Most golfers practice lag putting with a pile of balls. Then they go on the course and only get one chance. That’s a mismatch.

Here’s a simple example of a lag putting drill for reducing strokes that mirrors how you actually play:

Go to the practice green with only one ball. Pick a long putt—maybe 25–40 feet. Hit the putt, then walk up and finish it out. Keep a mental (or written) score for how many two‑putts you make out of 10 holes you create for yourself.

This drill:

• Builds a pre‑shot routine for long putts
• Teaches you to focus, since you only get one try
• Connects your lag putt and your short putt, just like a real hole

It’s a powerful, simple example of how to turn practice into something that actually lowers scores.

The “Gate and Distance” Combo: Line Meets Speed

While lag putting is mostly about speed, you still need the ball starting on your intended line. This example of a lag putting drill blends both.

Set up a gate of two tees just wider than your putter head, about 6–8 inches in front of your ball. Then pick a target 30–40 feet away. Your challenge is to roll the ball through the gate while finishing inside your 3‑foot safety circle.

The gate keeps your stroke honest, while the distance goal keeps you focused on speed. This reflects a trend in modern instruction: using simple constraints (like gates) to improve mechanics without overthinking your stroke.

You can see similar constraint‑based training ideas discussed in sports science and motor learning research at universities such as Harvard and other academic sources.

Home Carpet Drill: A Real Example for Golfers Without a Practice Green

Not everyone has easy access to a practice green. That doesn’t mean you can’t work on lag putting. Here’s a real example of a lag putting drill for reducing strokes you can do in your living room.

Lay down a putting mat or pick a long hallway with relatively smooth carpet. Mark distances at 6, 9, 12, and 15 feet using tape. Put a small towel or piece of cardboard at the end as your “hole.”

Your goal is to stop the ball right at the front edge of the towel, not ram it into the baseboard. Work through your distances in random order: 9 feet, then 15, then 6, then 12, etc. This randomness is important; it forces your brain to constantly adjust, just like on the course.

While it’s not perfect—carpet speed won’t match a real green—it still trains your ability to control speed and adjust stroke length. And that’s the core of every good lag putting drill.

If you’re concerned about posture or back pain during practice, you can explore general guidance on safe movement and posture from sources like Mayo Clinic or NIH, especially if you’re practicing indoors frequently.

How These Examples of Lag Putting Drills Fit Modern Golf Trends (2024–2025)

Over the past few years, golf instruction has leaned heavily on data and performance stats instead of old myths.

A few key trends that connect directly to these examples of lag putting drills for reducing strokes:

• Make rates from long range are low for everyone. Even tour pros don’t make many putts outside 20 feet. The smart goal is to leave an easy second putt, not to hole everything from downtown.
• Speed control is king. Modern stats tracking apps and strokes‑gained data show that distance control has a bigger impact on scoring than obsessing over tiny stroke details for most amateurs.
• Practice needs to look like play. Randomized distances, one‑ball drills, and pressure games line up with current research in motor learning and skill acquisition.

That’s why the best examples of lag putting drills for reducing strokes are built around:

• Random distances, not just the same putt over and over
• A clear “success zone” (like the 3‑foot circle)
• Simple scoring or challenges to create pressure

You’re not just grooving a stroke—you’re training a skill that holds up on the 18th green when your score actually matters.

Building a Simple Weekly Lag Putting Routine

It’s one thing to know a bunch of examples of lag putting drills for reducing strokes. It’s another thing to actually use them in a way that sticks.

Here’s how you might organize a short weekly routine:

On a day when you have 30–40 minutes:

• Warm up with the ladder drill at 10, 20, and 30 feet
• Mix in the leapfrog drill for 10–15 balls
• Finish with the circle safety zone drill from 30–40 feet, tracking how many you get inside 3 feet

On a busier day (15–20 minutes):

• Play the one‑ball walk it in drill around the green, 6–10 holes

On a day when you can’t get to the course:

• Use the home carpet drill to work on random distances and touch

Rotate through these examples so practice doesn’t get stale. Variety keeps your brain engaged and helps you adapt to different green speeds and conditions.

FAQs About Examples of Lag Putting Drills for Reducing Strokes

Q: What are some quick examples of lag putting drills for reducing strokes if I only have 10 minutes?
Short on time? Try a mini ladder drill at just two distances—say 20 and 35 feet—and then finish with the one‑ball walk it in drill on 3–4 different holes. You’ll still touch on distance control and pressure in a short session.

Q: Which example of a lag putting drill should a beginner start with?
Beginners should start with the ladder drill at shorter distances like 10, 15, and 20 feet. It’s simple, visual, and gives instant feedback. Once you can regularly finish inside 3 feet, move up to longer putts and add the circle safety zone drill.

Q: How often should I practice these examples of lag putting drills to see fewer three‑putts?
If you can practice lag putting 2–3 times a week, even for 20–30 minutes, you’ll usually see a noticeable drop in three‑putts within a few weeks. Consistency matters more than marathon sessions.

Q: Can these lag putting drills help older golfers or players with physical limitations?
Yes. These examples of lag putting drills for reducing strokes focus on feel and distance, not big, athletic movements. If bending is an issue, reduce the number of balls you use, take more breaks, and consider guidance on joint health and posture from sources like NIH or Mayo Clinic to keep practice comfortable.

Q: Do I need training aids, or are these real examples that work with just a putter and balls?
All of these drills are real examples that work with standard gear: a putter, a few balls, and maybe some tees or coins. Training aids can help, but they’re not required to build distance control and cut down on three‑putts.

If you walk away with one idea, make it this: the best examples of lag putting drills for reducing strokes all teach you to control speed and leave yourself short, makeable second putts. Do that consistently, and your scorecard—and your confidence—will look very different in a hurry.