Viktor Hovland’s 1 simple tip for team placement

When amateurs have a putt over 30 feet, many of us approach the putt incorrectly—which can add putts and, ultimately, result in three-shots.

Of course, we can go through our pre-shot routine reading greenunderstanding speed and distance, and checking our aim, but there is a common mistake that then occurs – trying to empty it.

Do you know how often a PGA Tour player hits a putt from 20-25 feet? The best golfer on tour from this range only in 2024 (Max Greyserman). drained it 23 percent of the timewhich means an Average Joe like you or I has a couple salways a chance to do so.

Here it is input lag comes into playwhich focuses on the number on your speed and simply placing your first shot close enough to sink the second shot.

So what’s the best approach when deploying with long distance lag? In the video below, six-time PGA Tour winner Viktor Hovland shares his favorite tips, which should help you avoid the temptation of closing in on the cup and instead just worry about putting it close.

Viktor Hovland says to ignore the hole when putting from long distances

In the video, Hovland details his approach to a tee shot from a lofty 45 feet — which no amateur golfer should seriously consider pulling off, even if you’re feeling hot on the putter.

Instead of focusing on emptying it, Hovland says it’s more important to just focus on speed, making sure you leave the ball somewhere close enough to the cup to make your follow-up attempt.

“(In shooting this kind of distance), it’s very important to have the right speed, which is where I would say I spend most of my time preparing for a new tournament,” Hovland says.

Instead of worrying about doing it, Hovland suggests picking a spot a little more than halfway to the hole and being intentional about rolling it over that spot.

“When you’re really far from the hole, instead of looking at the hole and thinking how far you have to hit it to get it to the hole, I pick a spot about 60 percent of the way and think about how fast the ball has to roll over that point to just end up close to the hole,” he adds.

As you drive the ball, be locked in on the point of aim, focusing on the size of the shot to ensure you have proper distance control.

“Once I get my line and pass the ball, I take a few practice swings to see and feel how far that spot is,” explains Hovland. “When I’m on the ball, the line doesn’t matter, the shot doesn’t matter – all you have to focus on is speed.”