Richie3Jack
New
I wouldn't say that I'm a great lag putter. I always try to make every putt I have on the green, I just realize that from some lengths you have to concentrate on the speed because you may have less than a 5% chance of making the putt, so worrying too much on the line can be counterproductive.
I look at it as my responsibility to get the speed of the greens down. No excuses from me about the 'greens being too slow' or the greens being 'too fast' when I'm putting. I should work intently enough on the practice green to get the speed down. If I don't, then obviously I didn't work hard enough. I think one of the big things with amateurs trying to get the speed down is that they only practice putts inside 20 feet. I actually practice those and a lot of 30-50 foot putts before I go out and play. I also like to vary it up a bit, I may putt one ball on the practice green from 40 feet, then putt the very next ball from a different line from 12 feet, then the next on a different line from 20 feet, then another putt from 5 feet. I really am not a big fan of hitting the 3-4 balls from the same spot on the practice greens. It's good if you're trying to work on your stroke, but if you are trying to work on green reading and speed/touch, it can cause problems to hit putts from the same spot.
I just suggest practicing the Rule of 12 a bit as prescribed by Brian. I think you'll find it to work very well (I chipped 4 of them in during practice yesterday) and beneficial for determining the speed of the greens. I've actually made plans to start my practice time before rounds by using the Rule of 12 first to determine the pace of the greens, then move immediately to putting, then to the range, and then finally to the first tee.
3JACK