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2 October 2026 · 10 min read

Learning to putt in golf: grip, stance, pendulum stroke and distance control for beginners

Two things decide every putt: where the face points and how far the putter swings. Grip, stance, pendulum stroke and length, with numbers from the PGA and Shot Scope.

Learning to putt in golf: grip, stance, pendulum stroke and distance control for beginners — post image

You learn to putt in four steps: grip, stance, pendulum stroke and length. According to the PGA of America two things decide every putt: the length, which is set by how far the putter goes back and through, and the direction, which depends on where the face points at impact. With three-putts, length plays a big part, because putts left short are among the biggest causes, says Shot Scope. This post goes through the technique in order and includes a test you can do yourself.

What counts in putting: direction and length

The PGA of America names two main factors in its First Swing booklet: the length, which depends on the backward and forward swing of the club, and the direction, which depends on where the face points at impact. PGA Deutschland sorts putts by their aim. With the approach putt the focus is on dosage, with the directional putt on choosing the right line. Directional putts lie mostly in lengths up to 2.40 m, approach putts mainly beyond that.

Its learning material arranges putting in two stages. The rough form covers grip, pendulum movement and position to the ball, the fine form the dosage with range of movement, ability to differentiate and rhythm. This post follows that order. Reading the green, which also belongs to the fine form, we leave out here.

The grip: light, comfortable and from the side

With the putter you hold differently than with the long clubs. Karl Villwock, a PGA Golf Professional, advises on golf.de a grip from the side: between the putter grip and the forearm a line should form. The PGA of America only asks that the grip is light and comfortable and gives control and accuracy. The options range from a split grip with the hands apart to the cross-handed grip, and the best is what is comfortable for you and lets your hands work together. PGA Golf Professional Fabian Bünker presents four common grips on golf.de:

GripHow you hold itWhat it stands for, according to Bünker
OverlappingBoth thumbs lie on top of the grip, the putter rests mainly in the fingersIt combines control of direction and length
CrosshandedFor right-handers the left hand sits below the rightControl of direction, can help players who often miss from short range
ClawThe lower hand points in the direction of play and guides the faceCan reduce unwanted movements with restless hands
Ten-fingerThe putter is held like an iron or a woodBeginners can concentrate fully on the pendulum movement

Whoever is just starting does not have to deal with complex grips straight away, says Bünker, and a single right putting grip does not exist. Try two or three and measure the result, for example with the test further down. The grip of the long clubs is covered in How to hold a golf club, the choice of putter in Choosing a putter: blade or mallet.

Stance, eyes and ball position

The sources do not quite agree on the details. The table shows what each says:

PointStatementSource
BodyAnkles under the shoulders, hips back and up, arms hanging loosely from the shouldersPGA of America
StanceHip-widthgolf.de, Villwock
EyesDirectly over the ballPGA of America
BallUnder the left eye, the elbows point rather inward, the chin slightly downgolf.de, Villwock
Testing the eyesTry outside, inside and over the ball and choose the position from which you see the straight line bestSwiss Golf
AlignmentEyes, shoulders, hips and feet parallel to the target lineSwiss Golf
Aiming pointPick an intermediate target 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 cm) in front of the ball, align the putter blade and the ball to itPGA of America

The eye position is where the sources part: over the ball, under the left eye, or the one you find yourself. Swiss Golf describes an exercise for it: set up 5 to 7 balls in a straight line on the target line, then place the eyes outside, inside and over the ball. After that decide on one position and set it up the same way before every putt.

The pendulum stroke and its tempo

The movement comes from the arms and shoulders, not from the hands. Villwock names passive wrists and a passive hip, the movement comes solely from the even swinging of the arms, and the shoulder movement is a mix of rotation and tilt. “The shoulder is the engine for a good putt,” he says (our translation). How big the arc of the putter is depends on your posture: the more upright you stand, the narrower the swing arc, writes Swiss Golf.

The physicist Robert Grober of Yale University describes in his paper Resonance in Putting the putt of world-class players as a pendulum driven at twice its natural frequency. He builds on three observations of good putters: the putter head moves at constant speed at impact, the total duration of the stroke hardly depends on the length of the putt, and the backswing takes about twice as long as the downswing. That describes good putters. It does not prove that you will putt better with this ratio.

For you that means: you change the length of the stroke, not the tempo. An exercise that follows from the observations: with every putt count two beats for the backswing and one for the downswing, whether the putt is short or long. Swiss Golf puts its exercise catalogue under the terms Read, Speed and Aim and writes that the tempo determines the line and the size of the hole.

Distance control: why so many putts stay short

Shot Scope has analysed data from thousands of rounds. According to it the average golfer leaves 55 % of his putts short of the hole, a golfer with a handicap of 25 even 59 %. When a golfer with a handicap of 15 three-putts, 8 feet remain for the second putt on average, about 2.4 m. Anyone who wants to avoid three-putts should, according to Shot Scope, work on distance control.

The short putts are the counterpart. A golfer with a handicap of 25 holes 9 of 10 putts from inside 3 feet (about 0.9 m). From 3 to 6 feet (about 0.9 to 1.8 m) his rate is a little worse than 50 to 50. A test for length comes from the PGA of America booklet: pick five putts from 10 to 30 feet (about 3 to 9 m) and try to hole out in two putts or fewer on each. Then add up all the putts. Two putts per hole make 10 putts.

Putts over the five holesRating of the PGA of America
13 or moreNeeds improvement
11 to 12Good
10Very good
9Tour professional

How many putts are normal?

Two series of numbers help you place your own. PGA Deutschland gives rates from the Tour:

Distance to the holeOne putt on the TourThree putts on the Tour
60 cm99.3 %0.1 %
1.50 m75 %0.3 %
2.40 m49 %0.5 %
4.50 m22 %1 %
9.00 m7 %5 %

For amateurs Shot Scope gives the putts per round and the number of holes after which a three-putt comes on average. At a handicap of 0 it is 29.4 putts per round.

HandicapPutts per roundHoles per three-putt
530.216.7
1533.19.7
2533.87.6

According to Shot Scope the putts per round also depend on how often you hit the green: whoever hits more greens has more putts. How to read such numbers is in Strokes gained for amateurs.

What this means for you: a worked example

A golfer with a handicap of 25 three-putts every 7.6 holes on average, one with a handicap of 5 every 16.7. Over 18 holes that makes 2.4 and 1.1 three-putts per round. A three-putt costs one putt more than a two-putt, so from the three-putts alone about 1.3 more putts per round result. Between the two groups the table shows 3.6 putts (33.8 minus 30.2). What follows from it:

  • Length first: the first putt should come so close to the hole that the second one is short.
  • Then the short putts: Shot Scope names reliable holing out from inside 3 feet as the second lever against three-putts.
  • Then the test with five putts from 10 to 30 feet, noted down every week with the same number.

At the simulator and at home

How a putt feels different in the bay and what the device sees of it is explained in Putting in a golf simulator. Exercises for the mat at home, with numbers to note down, are in Practising putting at home. In the directory 33 of the 110 indoor venues mention putting in their description, that is a green, a zone or an analysis, and 9 an analysis device such as SAM PuttLab or PuttView (as of 2 October 2026, our own entries). Two examples from the entries: Indoorgolf Sursee names a PuttView P10 putting simulator, the Vivian Ross Golf Academy a Sam PuttLab for lessons.

Where to try putting

For the first visit golf simulator for beginners is the start. Anyone who wants to check the technique with a pro finds the venues with coaching under indoor golf training: 81 of the 110 indoor venues offer it (as of 2 October 2026, our own entries). The nearest venue is shown by golf simulator near me, all venues by canton by the map.

Frequently asked questions

How do I hold the putter correctly?

There is no single right grip. The PGA of America asks for a light, comfortable grip with which your hands work together. Common ones are overlapping, crosshanded, claw and the ten-finger grip, which is meant for beginners. Try them and measure the result on the green.

Where does the ball go when putting?

The sources differ: the PGA of America puts the eyes directly over the ball, PGA Golf Professional Karl Villwock places the ball under the left eye. Swiss Golf lets you test for yourself from which position you see the straight line best.

How many putts per round are normal?

According to Shot Scope it is 29.4 putts at a handicap of 0, 31.2 at a handicap of 10 and 33.8 at a handicap of 25. The number also depends on how often you hit the green, because whoever hits more greens has more putts.

Why do my putts stay short?

Many golfers do this: according to Shot Scope the average golfer leaves 55 % of his putts short of the hole, at a handicap of 25 it is 59 %. Putts left short are among the biggest causes of three-putts. Help yourself with the test of five putts from 10 to 30 feet.

How fast should the putting stroke be?

According to Robert Grober the backswing of good putters takes about twice as long as the downswing, and the total duration hardly depends on the length of the putt. So you change the length of the stroke, not the tempo. That describes good putters, it does not prove an advantage for you.

Sources