The U.S. Putting Tour has said that it will include putts as short as three feet in its first tour championship, scheduled for September 2011 at The Crossings at Carlsbad in Carlsbad, California.
The reason, according to USPT founder, Jim Hartley, is that three-foot putts cause more anxiety for golfers than do longer putts.
"A golfer knows that he's expected to make every three-foot putt," said Hartley. "And in a tournament, the difference in winning or losing could come down to who makes all the three-footers and who misses one."
Hartley went on to explain the psychology of a three-foot putt and why it's going to be such an integral element to the USPT putting championship. First, most golfers who leave themselves a three-foot putt have to mark their ball and wait while the rest of the group putts. While they wait, they do the one thing they shouldn't do, which is think.
First, the golfer berates himself for leaving his first putt three feet short. Second, he thinks about how idiotic it would be to 3-putt from 25 feet. Third, as he watches one of the other putts, he thinks there might be more break in his putt than what he first thought. Fourth, he thinks that he should just putt it very firmly to take out any break.
Fifth, he thinks that if he does hammer his putt and misses, he could face an even longer putt coming back and the possibility of a 4-putt. Sixth, he thinks that he should wipe out the first five thoughts he had and just knock the ball in the hole. But he can’t – not think about the first five things, that is.
This mind game, which goes through most golfers’ brains, is precisely why the U.S. Putting Tour will feature some 3-foot and 4-foot putts in its putting events.
The USPT's putting tournaments that lead up to the 2011 tour championship begin on December 26th at Encinitas Ranch in coastal north San Diego County. Golfers can show up and sign up between 9:00
and 3:00 to compete in this official qualifying event for the USPT National
Championship. The putting competition will take approximately 90 minutes.
