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Stop Three-Putting: PGA Coach Ethan McCallister’s Safety Zone Drill for Perfect Speed Control
By Ethan McCallister, PGA
Published on
Three-putting is often the result of poor speed control rather than a missed line. To solve this, the "Safety Zone" drill focuses on developing a "feel" for distance by removing the pressure of the hole and replacing it with a broader target area.
The Setup:
- Find a flat area of a putting green and use the edge of the fringe as your back boundary.
- Place one tee on the green roughly 2-3 feet before the fringe to create your "Safety Zone."
- Set up three different starting positions with tees at 10, 20, and 30 feet from the fringe.
The goal is to hit 5 putts in a row from each distance that stop inside the zone—past the tee but before the fringe. If you are more advanced, you can increase the number of putts that must land in the zone, or complete the drill on various slopes to increase the difficulty. Since you are aiming for a "zone" rather than a singular point, you build confidence and consistency in your speed control. Additionally, when practicing this, focus on your rhythm and the length of your swing. Consistent pace comes from a consistent tempo; once you dial in the distance to the fringe, the hole starts to look much larger on the course. Using a metronome is a fantastic way to build a consistent and repeatable tempo, while only adjusting your length of swing to change the distance the ball travels."
