Lag putting tips: Try this leapfrog drill to work on distance control

There aren’t many things in golf more daunting than standing over a 40-footer, so this lag putting drill is the perfect way to practise those long putts.

This exercise can be very helpful with lag putting, but one thing about it is that it doesn’t involve a hole. That can catch a lot of people out, but that makes this pace putting drill very effective.

Rather than thinking about line, you’re purely focused on how far you hit the putt. Also, you won’t have any putts that fall in the hole, that were carrying too much pace. It’s a great test of lag putting.

How to set up the leapfrog drill

The first thing you need to do is set up two alignment sticks that are parallel to each other. Then, take three golf balls.

Set the sticks out a comfortable width apart, mine about two feet apart here, and then set up your golf balls around ten feet away, just to get started. You can mix this up, too. For example, you can make your target smaller, or introduce more golf balls, to make it more of a challenge.

How to complete the lag putting tips

You want to hit the first ball so that it only just gets between the sticks. Then, try and get the second ball right in the middle of the alignment sticks. That leaves the final ball, which you want to get between the second golf ball and the end of the sticks.

Start off with a flat, relatively short putt, and then build up to longer, more sloping putts. If you can get three balls between the sticks from around 30 feet, you’re going to build up really great pace control. This is an easy way to practice long putts, but you can add more elements to make it difficult.

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Add another level of challenge

If this is too easy, try doing the drill while looking at the sticks, rather than the ball. That really means that you focus on the speed, rather than anything technical. It can be easy to get too methodical over long putts, but when you just want to get it close, it’s all about focussing on pace.

You might find that this is more difficult than you thought at first, but if you can start to complete it, then it will help your pace putting a great deal.

Ailsa Murphy is a PGA Professional at Peebles. You can book a virtual lesson with her through Skillest and follow her on TikTok.