Short putts should be so easy—with this tip they are

JD Cuban

In 2025, the PGA Tour average for putts made from five feet was nearly 81 percent. That’s practically a gimme, whereas the average 15-handicapper is closer to 50 percent on putts from three to five feet, according to statistics from Arccos Golf.

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What makes short putts a challenge for amateur golfers? For one, nerves. There’s a lot of pressure because so many of these shorties are to save par, bogey or worse. Poor technique is also to blame. I see many flying elbows and an overuse of the shoulders. The trail elbow separates from the body on the backstroke, leading to inconsistent contact and speed. On short putts, the more stable you keep your trail elbow, the more freely you can swing the putterhead (above) and the more likely you are to find the bottom of the cup.

JD Cuban

JD Cuban

So how do you keep the trail elbow from running away? First, at address, lock that elbow in so it’s resting on your hip socket. Then, as you swing back, feel like the elbow is staying in tight to your body and let the putterhead swing behind the grip. As long as you keep the butt end of the grip (represented by the tees in the photos above) pointing just forward of your zipper throughout the stroke, you should accomplish this. Going through, it’s vital you keep your lead shoulder down and let your hands and arms, not your shoulders, swing the putterhead forward.

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Work on these simple keys, and you’ll soon be turning these three-, four- and five-footers into gimmes, just like the pros.

Todd Anderson, one of Golf Digest’s Legends of Golf Instruction, is director of instruction at the PGA Tour Performance Center at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.