Three-putts ruin scorecards. Big drives and crisp irons mean little if you leave yourself long second putts. Lag putting, the skill of rolling the ball close enough to finish with a tap-in, saves strokes faster than most changes to your swing. Scott Fawcett, the mind behind the DECADE system, teaches drills that sharpen touch and improve speed control. You can practice them at home, on a mat, or at the range’s practice greens.
Who is Scott Fawcett?
Fawcett is known for his strategy system used by tour players. His drills for putting follow the same style. They are simple to set up, easy to repeat, and focused on what matters most: distance control. Instead of chasing perfect form, you learn how to manage outcomes and build trust in your stroke. Rick Shiels has a couple of videos (video 1, video 2) where they played a round together. Highly recommend watching those to understand the mindset.
Drill One: Speed Control
Mark three distances: 5, 10, and 20 feet. Putt balls so they finish inside a three-foot circle around the hole. The goal is not to make the putt but to leave yourself stress-free tap-ins. On slower mats, shrink the circle to two feet for more challenge. The more you repeat this, the more natural your sense of pace becomes. For me, this is easy to set up on the practice green at my home course.
Drill Two: The Gate
Place two tees just wider than your putter head, aimed at the hole. Roll putts through without hitting them. If you clip a tee, the stroke path or face angle is off. This drill builds confidence inside eight feet, where you clean up after long putts. At home, use an alignment aid or mirror instead of tees.
Drill Three: Four Coins
Line four coins toward the hole, spaced three feet apart. Start from the first coin and try to stop the ball by the second. Then move forward one coin at a time. Each roll trains your touch for different distances. On fast simulator greens, increase spacing to five feet for a better match.
How to Practice at Home
Putting mats shorten rollouts, so aim at smaller targets. Simulators let you adjust green speeds, preparing you for both slow public greens and slick tournament surfaces. Use feedback tools: record your stroke, mark rollout distances, or track ball speed with a launch monitor. Ten focused minutes a day build sharper instincts than one long session done rarely.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating drills as contests to make every putt instead of controlling distance.
- Practicing without feedback, leaving no record of progress.
- Ignoring short putts, which must pair with lag drills for real scoring gains.
Sample Routine
- Ten strokes through the gate drill.
- Fifteen minutes of speed control at three distances.
- Ten putts using the four-coin drill.
Do this three or four times a week to build consistency.
Final Thought
These drills work for me by stripping it down to its core skill: speed control, less guessing, fewer three-putts, and more confidence. Whether on a simulator or a practice green, you learn to roll the ball where it should stop, not just where you hope it will go.
