“Never up, never in.”

It’s one of golf’s oldest sayings, and chances are you’ve heard it hundreds of times. Usually, it comes from a well-meaning playing partner after you’ve left a birdie putt a foot short. The logic seems simple enough: if the ball doesn’t reach the hole, it has no chance of going in. While there is certainly some truth to that, the advice only tells half the story. In fact, an obsession with making sure every putt reaches the hole can often lead to more missed opportunities, longer comeback putts and, ultimately, more three-putts.

The real secret to good putting isn’t simply making sure the ball gets to the hole. It’s understanding how speed influences the likelihood of a putt dropping and, just as importantly, where the ball finishes when it doesn’t.

The Psychology of Fear

Imagine standing over a 12-foot putt. What’s going through your mind? For many club golfers, the biggest concern isn’t necessarily missing the putt, but leaving it short. Nobody wants to hear the familiar comment from their playing partner, and that fear can influence the way they approach the stroke.

Rather than making a natural, controlled putting motion, golfers often add a little extra force to ensure the ball gets past the hole. The problem is that this additional speed can turn a relatively straightforward putt into a much more difficult situation. A putt that might have finished just short of the cup can suddenly race four or five feet beyond it, leaving another putt that requires just as much concentration as the first.

Ironically, in trying to avoid one mistake, golfers often create another. Instead of focusing on giving the ball the best opportunity to drop, they become preoccupied with eliminating the possibility of leaving it short. Good putting requires a different mindset, one built around controlling speed rather than simply hitting the ball hard enough to reach its destination.

Why Speed Matters More Than You Think

Most golfers spend a considerable amount of time thinking about their putting line, carefully reading the break and identifying where they want the ball to enter the hole. While green reading is undoubtedly important, speed plays an equally significant role in determining whether a putt drops.

Consider two putts travelling along exactly the same line. One approaches the hole with considerable pace, while the other arrives at a more controlled speed. The slower-moving ball has a greater opportunity to take advantage of the slope and break of the green as it approaches the cup. Gravity has more time to influence its direction, potentially allowing the ball to fall into the hole from the side.

A putt travelling too quickly has far less opportunity to do this. Unless it approaches the centre of the cup, it is much more likely to lip out or run straight past. In other words, the harder you hit a putt, the more accurately you need to aim it. This is why speed control is such an important part of becoming a consistent putter. You aren’t simply trying to get the ball to the hole; you’re trying to give it the best possible chance of falling in.

The Science Behind the Speed

The relationship between putting speed and the effective size of the hole has been examined extensively, including in research by golf biomechanics experts such as Dr Alastair Cochran and putting coach Dave Pelz.

Pelz’s testing highlighted the importance of finding an appropriate finishing speed, with a commonly recommended target being a ball that would finish approximately 12 to 18 inches (30–45 cm) beyond the hole if it missed. This provides enough pace for the ball to reach the cup while maintaining a manageable speed as it passes over the edge.

At this pace, the hole effectively offers a wider capture area because the ball has more opportunity to fall in from different entry angles. Increase the speed significantly, however, and that effective capture area becomes smaller. The physical dimensions of the hole haven’t changed, but the margin for error has.

Think of it like landing an aeroplane. A controlled approach gives you room to adjust and land safely, whereas approaching too quickly leaves very little margin for error. Putting works in much the same way. The objective isn’t to get the ball to the hole as quickly as possible, but to deliver it with enough pace to reach the cup while retaining the opportunity for it to drop.

What the Best Putters Understand

One of the biggest misconceptions among amateur golfers is that professional players are constantly trying to hit their putts firmly into the back of the hole. Watch some of the world’s best putters closely and you’ll notice that many have a remarkably smooth and controlled approach.

They understand that pace and direction work together. A perfectly read putt can still miss if it arrives at the hole travelling too quickly, while a putt with slightly less-than-perfect direction can sometimes find its way in when it has the appropriate speed. Their objective is to maximise the opportunity for the ball to drop, rather than simply ensure it reaches the hole.

This becomes particularly important on longer putts, where the primary objective is often to leave a comfortable second putt. Professional golfers don’t expect to hole every 30-footer, and they certainly don’t judge their putting solely on whether the first putt disappears. Instead, they place considerable importance on distance control, understanding that avoiding a difficult comeback putt is just as valuable as making the occasional long-range putt.

The Hidden Cost of Aggressive Putting

Consider two golfers playing the same course over an entire season. Golfer A consistently rolls their putts with controlled pace, leaving most missed attempts around 30 centimetres past the hole. Golfer B takes a more aggressive approach, regularly sending missed putts two metres beyond the cup.

While both golfers might hole a similar number of first putts, the difference becomes clear when they miss. Golfer A is regularly left with a short, manageable second putt, whereas Golfer B has to deal with considerably more difficult comeback attempts. Over time, those extra misses and occasional three-putts can have a significant impact on their scores.

For many amateur golfers, the biggest opportunity to improve their putting isn’t necessarily learning to hole more long-range putts. It’s reducing the number of strokes lost through poor distance control. A good first putt doesn’t always need to finish in the hole; sometimes its greatest success is leaving you with a simple tap-in.

Distance Control Is a Skill

One of the most important things to understand about putting is that you’re not going to make every putt. Even the best players in the world miss regularly, particularly from distances beyond 10 feet. Expecting every putt to drop is an unrealistic standard and can create unnecessary pressure.

A more productive way to approach putting is to focus on making your next putt as easy as possible. From 30 feet, your primary objective shouldn’t be to hole the putt at all costs. Instead, concentrate on delivering the ball with enough control that, if it misses, you’re left with a comfortable second attempt.

This change in mindset can make a considerable difference to the way you approach the greens. Rather than becoming frustrated when a longer putt doesn’t drop, start judging the quality of your putting by how consistently you control distance. The more comfortable you become with pace, the less pressure you’ll place on yourself to make every first putt.

Does Every Putt Need to Finish Past the Hole?

Of course, putting isn’t quite as simple as applying the same speed to every situation. Green conditions, slopes and distances all influence how firmly a putt should be struck.

An uphill putt, for example, will generally require a little more pace because gravity is working against the ball throughout its journey. Conversely, a downhill putt on a fast green may need a much gentler stroke to avoid leaving a difficult comeback attempt. Slower greens will also require a more assertive approach than particularly fast surfaces.

The important distinction is that there is no universal speed that works for every putt. Good putters continually adjust their pace to suit the conditions, taking into account the slope, green speed and distance to the hole. The goal is always to find a speed that gives the ball a realistic opportunity to drop without creating unnecessary difficulty if it misses.

A Better Way to Think About Putting

Perhaps it’s time to reconsider one of golf’s most familiar sayings. Instead of constantly reminding yourself to never leave a putt short, try focusing on never leaving yourself a difficult second putt.

It’s a subtle change, but it shifts your attention away from the fear of missing short and towards something you can actively control: speed. Rather than trying to force the ball into the hole, you’re concentrating on giving it the best possible chance of dropping while managing the consequences if it doesn’t.

This is particularly useful when playing longer putts, where controlling distance is often more important than trying to hole the ball outright.

Put It Into Practice

The next time you’re on the practice green, try a simple exercise to improve your distance control. Place a tee approximately 30 centimetres behind the hole and hit a series of putts from around 10 to 20 feet away.

Your objective is to either hole the putt or finish the ball between the cup and the tee. In other words, you’re looking to give the ball enough pace to reach the hole without allowing it to travel too far beyond.

Rather than worrying about how many putts you make, pay attention to how consistently you control the distance. You’ll start to develop a better feel for the speed required on different putts, while also becoming more comfortable with the idea that a successful putt doesn’t always have to finish in the hole.

As your distance control improves, you’ll likely find that your comeback putts become shorter, your confidence on the greens increases and you begin to eliminate some of those unnecessary three-putts.

The Takeaway

“Never up, never in” isn’t necessarily bad advice. A putt that stops short certainly can’t go in, but that doesn’t mean hitting every putt firmly past the hole is the answer.

The best putters understand that speed is just as important as line, and that controlling the pace of a putt can make a significant difference to both your ability to hole it and your chances of avoiding a three-putt.

So, the next time you stand over a putt, forget about the pressure of making sure it gets past the hole. Instead, focus on delivering it with a pace that gives it a chance to drop and, if it doesn’t, leaves you with a straightforward second attempt.

Because great putting isn’t about making every putt. It’s about giving yourself the best possible chance of making the next one.