GOLF.com: Five Root Causes of Missed Short Putts — And How to Fix Them

Short putts are among the most costly misses in golf — strokes that should never be dropped. Top 100 Teacher Kellie Stenzel pinpoints five recurring reasons recreational golfers struggle inside short range, and offers concrete fixes for each.

The Five Root Causes

1. Peeking and Early Head Movement

Looking up too soon disrupts both putter face angle and stroke path. The discipline is to hold the finish position and only then look up — the ball should already be in the hole by the time your eyes arrive.

2. Assuming the Putt Is Straight

Even short putts usually carry some degree of break. Defaulting to "it's straight" is a mental shortcut that costs strokes. A subtle read adjustment can be the difference between a miss and a make.

3. Ball Position Errors

Too far forward opens the shoulders and promotes an out-to-in path, causing pulls. Too far back encourages an in-to-out path, leading to pushes. Verifying ball position in every practice session reinforces this fundamental.

4. Body-First Setup Sequence

The correct routine is to aim the putter face first, then align the body to match. Reversing this order makes accurate face alignment nearly impossible, especially under pressure.

5. Inconsistent Grip Pressure

Whether you prefer a light or firm hold, consistency throughout the stroke is what matters. Sudden grip changes destabilize the face and create unwanted acceleration, hurting both direction and distance control.

Strokeslab Perspective

SG: Putting data consistently shows that short-range conversion rates represent one of the largest gaps between tour professionals and amateur golfers. Stenzel's five fixes map directly to the mechanical breakdowns that appear in putting statistics. The encouraging takeaway: focused 15-minute practice sessions targeting these fundamentals can produce measurable gains in SG: Putting — and by extension, your scorecard.