When it comes to putting, there are few better than 2022 Open Championship winner Cam Smith.
The Aussie’s tempo and stroke are revered by his fellow professionals, and Bryson DeChambeau says Smith is the best putter in the game at present.
Smith’s simple technique appears effortless and gets the ball started on line more often than not. Smith was the number one putter on LIV in 2024, and his work on the greens frequently underpins any success he has.
Now, in a recent lesson video shared by Evan Thompson, Smith revealed the key to his putting success lies primarily in the backswing.
Cam Smith’s putting lesson
“I say this a lot, but I like to hit the putt with my backswing,” Smith explained.
“It almost feels how hard I am going to hit the putt in my backswing. I am just kind of letting the club fall into the ball. It’s just kind of keeping the momentum of the putt. Then what you’ll find it your body works better.
“When you’re taking it back a little bit quick and further, you tend to use your body more and stay in balance. Then you hit the ball more out of the middle. It starts more on line and you hole more putts.”
Amateur golfer three-putt statistics
Whether amateur golfers like it or not, putting is a crucial part of the game which often defines a round. By averaging two putts a hole, golfers give themselves an excellent chance of improving.
Three putts can often be round-killers and leave any level of golfer furious. There aren’t many worse feelings than hitting two great shots only to take three strokes on the putting surface.
Unsurprisingly, higher-handicap golfers lose strokes on the greens—a 20-handicap player, for example, three putts, on average, three times during 18 holes. A five-handicap player will three-putt twice per round and a scratch golfer just once. It’s marginal stuff, but improvement could make all the difference.
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