x
Skip to main content
Golf Logo
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
Become a better lag putter with this soccer strategy. Here’s how
SHARE
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Golf Logo
  • News
    • Latest
      • News
      • Features
      • Shows
      • PGA Tour Schedule
    • Series
      • Tour Confidential
      • Monday Finish
      • Hot Mic
      • Rogers Report
    • Shows
      • The Scoop
      • Subpar
      • Seen & Heard
  • Instruction
    • Game Improvement
      • Driving
      • Approach Shots
      • Bunker Shots
      • Short Game
      • Putting
      • Rules
      • Fitness
    • Series
      • Top 100 Teachers
      • Rules Guy
      • The Etiquetteist
    • Shows
      • Warming Up
      • Play Smart
      • Short Game Chef
      • Pros Teaching Joes
  • Gear
    • Clubs
      • Drivers
      • Irons
      • Hybrids
      • Fairway Woods
      • Wedges
      • Putters
    • Other Gear
      • Balls
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Golf Accessories
    • Series
      • ClubTest
      • Winner’s Bag
    • Shows
      • Fully Equipped
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • Course Finder
      • Courses
      • Resorts
    • Lifestyle
      • Accessories
      • Celebrities
      • Food
      • Style
      • Betting Advice
    • Shows
      • Super Secrets
      • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Shop
      • Clubs
      • Shafts
      • Training Aids
      • Balls
      • Bags
      • Technology
      • Apparel
      • Accessories
      • Our Picks
      • Shop All
    • Collections
      • The GOLF Collection
      • The Birdie Juice Collection
      • The Fully Equipped Collection
      • Shop All
  • Newsletters
    • Sign Up for GOLF’s Newsletters
      • Hot Mic
      • Monday Finish
      • Play Smart
      • Our Picks
      • Top Stories
      • Sign Up for All
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Features
    • Shows
    • PGA Tour Schedule
  • Instruction
    • All Instruction
    • Driving
    • Approach Shots
    • Bunker Shots
    • Short Game
    • Putting
    • Rules
    • Fitness
  • Gear
    • All Gear
    • Drivers
    • Irons
    • Hybrids
    • Fairway Woods
    • Wedges
    • Putters
    • Balls
    • Shoes
    • Apparel
    • Golf Accessories
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • All Travel
    • All Lifestyle
    • Course Finder
    • Courses
    • Resorts
    • Accessories
    • Celebrities
    • Food
    • Style
    • Betting Advice
  • Series
    • Tour Confidential
    • Monday Finish
    • Hot Mic
    • Rogers Report
    • Rules Guy
    • The Etiquetteist
    • ClubTest
    • Winner’s Bag
  • Shows
    • The Scoop
    • Subpar
    • Seen & Heard
    • Warming Up
    • Play Smart
    • Short Game Chef
    • Pros Teaching Joes
    • Fully Equipped
    • Super Secrets
    • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Clubs
    • Shafts
    • Training Aids
    • Balls
    • Bags
    • Technology
    • Apparel
    • Accessories
    • The GOLF Collection
    • The Birdie Juice Collection
    • The Fully Equipped Collection
  • Newsletters
    • Hot Mic
    • Monday Finish
    • Play Smart
    • Top Stories
    • Our Picks
    • Sign Up for All
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
InsideGolf

InsideGOLF: +$140 value for $39.99

Join Today
Putting

Become a better lag putter with this soccer strategy. Here’s how

By: Zephyr Melton
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Follow on Instagram
March 5, 2025
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
left: zephyr melton lines up for putt. right: goalie dives to save shot in front of soccer player with crowd in background

Adopting a soccer strategy can help you roll the ball close on lag putts.

Getty Images

Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

Lag putting is one of the most crucial — yet often overlooked — skills in golf. But if you want to take stress off your game and reduce your three-putts, it’s absolutely essential.

The key to lag putting is having great speed. Yes, your line is important, but your dispersion from left to right will always be much tighter than your dispersion back to front. For this reason, it’s imperative you dial in your speed if you want to become a great lag putter.

Once you start to doubt your speed on the greens, though, things get tricky. It’s then that you start questioning your feel and if you really know how hard to hit a putt. This leads to inconsistent putts from distance that leave us outside of gimme range more than we’d like. Naturally, the three-putts follow.

If you ever find yourself in this situation during the round, don’t panic. Instead, take a page out of soccer players’ playbooks and trust your instincts. Here’s how.

Use a soccer strategy for better lag putting

Golf is an inherently mental game, and that’s especially true on the putting green. For whatever reason, once we get closer to the hole, we often start thinking too hard and get in our own heads. But this is no recipe for success.

When this happens, try relying more on your feel than your analysis. What’s the best way to do this? By using techniques from other sports and being more reactive.

“Sometimes when I’m giving a putting lesson I will relate to another sport,” says instructor Kelan McDonagh. “You’ll notice David Beckham or Lionel Messi, they never run up beside the ball and take a practice stroke or a practice kick before they react to what the job is at hand.”

In other words, when soccer players are taking a free kick, they stand behind the ball, choose a direction to kick and go. There’s no standing around and over-thinking. Instead, they allow their instincts and athleticism to take over.

“When it comes to putting, I like to teach it in a way where we’re a little more aligned on our instincts,” McDonagh says. “We’re just gonna be a little bit more reactive in relation to the ball and the target.”

McDonagh recommends getting your read on the putt and then standing behind the ball while looking at the hole. Then, as you step up to the ball, keep your eyes locked on the hole and take a couple of seconds to get set. Take one last look at the hole and then pull the putterhead back and stroke the ball.

“[It gives] a lovely flow to your stroke,” McDonagh says. “There was no tension. No overthinking. You don’t give yourself time to [overanalyze]. You just let it flow towards the hole.”

If you find yourself struggling to lag the ball close to the hole, give this technique a try. When we stop thinking and instead start reacting, our instincts take over and guide the ball close to the hole.

GOLFTEC Swing Evaluation

Click below to learn more or to book a swing evaluation with GOLFTEC.
Buy Now from www.golftec.com

Latest In Instruction

3 hours ago

Eliminate penalty strokes for good with this clever strategy

7 hours ago

2 keys for playing golf at elevation, according to LIV pros

1 day ago

The secret behind Justin Thomas’ crazy clubhead speed

1 day ago

How a simple grip change can fix your bunker shots

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.

  • Author Twitter Account
  • Author Instagram Account

Related Articles

Driving
zephyr melton swings while instructor stef shaw looks on

Eliminate penalty strokes for good with this clever strategy

By: Zephyr Melton
Approach Shots
pga tour pro justin thomas hits a tee shot during the 2025 rbc heritage

This 'hallmark' of elite ball strikers is absent in high handicappers

By: Zephyr Melton
Putting
PGA Tour pro Justin Rose lines up putt on No. 6 at the Masters

Make more putts using this tour-trusted alignment hack

By: Maddi MacClurg
Putting
phil mickelson hit putt during 2025 LIV Hong Kong

This 'simple but brilliant' advice will make you a better lag putter

By: Zephyr Melton
Approach Shots
collin morikawa hits an iron during the 2025 masters

2 ways to compress the golf ball and hit more crisp iron shots

By: Zephyr Melton
Approach Shots
debbie doniger coaches GOLF.come editor zephyr melton

When (and how) should you choke down on the golf club?

By: Zephyr Melton
Instruction
Golfer putting on green from above.

7 tips for reading greens more effectively

By: Kellie Stenzel, Top 100 Teacher
Instruction
players hit balls on the range ahead of the 2025 masters

Masters range data shows key practice habit you should follow

By: Zephyr Melton
Instruction
jordan spieth swings on the range at the 2025 masters

Masters tech shows 1 key move Jordan Spieth uses to hit pure irons

By: Zephyr Melton
Sign up for GOLF's Newsletters
Get the latest news, the hottest instruction tips, new product releases, golf media insider reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Choose your favorites now.
Sign Up
Categories
  • News
  • Instruction
  • Gear
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
Services
  • Masthead
  • GOLF Media Kit
  • GOLF Magazine Customer Service
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Opt-out of Ads/Sharing
  • Your Privacy Choices
Social
  • facebook
  • x
  • instagram
  • youtube
Membership
InsideGOLF Logo
More than $140 Value for JUST $39.99

INCLUDES 12 SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS, 1 YR OF GOLF MAGAZINE, $20 FAIRWAY JOCKEY CREDIT - AND MUCH MORE!

LEARN MORE

© 2025 EB Golf Media LLC. An 8AM Golf Affiliated Brand. All Rights Reserved. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.