Dial in your lag putting with with Abraham Ancer's simple drill

The three putt might be one of the most dreaded outcomes in the game of golf. Whether you've done the hard yards to get on to the green in regulation, or are putting to avoid bogey or even double bogey, a time too long spent on the green has the potential to ruin an afternoon very quickly.

Perhaps the biggest cause of a prevalence of three putts, aside from not sticking the ball close to the pin on approach in the first place, is poor lag putting: an area often overlooked by amateur golfers who spend most of their time aiming to drain putt after putt from within a 10-feet radius. 

The ability to get long putts closer to the hole, however, is crucial in maximising your chances of 2-putting in the first place. At the pro level, tour professionals drain over 90% of their putts from four feet or less, compared with 70% from six feet. Put simply, every inch counts.

Thankfully, with LIV Golf having landed at the gorgeous JCB Country Club for this year's UK tournament, GolfMagic was on the ground to get some tips from one of the tour's putting maestros: Mexican-American gun Abraham Ancer.

Ever the gent, last year's LIV Hong Kong winner gave us a simple drill to help anyone dial in their lag putting, whether they're trying to get a read of the greens at a new course or wanting to get a more consistent roll and speed with every putt. All you need is a few balls, a putter, and a practice area big enough to line up some monster putts.

Watch our instruction video with Ancer below:

Abraham Ancer's lag-putting drill

1. Set up a mark around 25 feet from the hole on a practice green
2. Place balls in a row behind the initial ball in increments of six feet or so
3. Aim to get the ball within tap-in distance on each putt (ideally slightly past the hole), gauging your speed and power with every increment back
4. Alternate the drill on uphill, downhill and flat putts to get a true feel for the speed of the green

Aiming to hole more putts? Check out our full guide to the best putters and best zero-torque putters you can buy right now.