Todd Sones 3-to-1 Stroke Ratio & Follow-Through Stop Drill / Impact Acceleration

Before you start

• Position yourself for a long putt (25 to 30 feet away from the hole).
• Visualize the target distance and focus purely on speed control rather than forcing the ball into the cup.

Movement sequence

1. Take a significantly larger backswing to generate the necessary energy naturally.
2. Allow the weight of the putter to swing in and fall into the golf ball ('hit it soft').
3. Maintain a 3-to-1 tempo ratio where the backswing is three times the length of the follow-through.
4. Practice stopping the putter head past impact (or keeping the follow-through shorter than the backswing, e.g., using a coach's shaft as a swing restriction barrier).

Key points

• Backswing length is visibly three times longer than the follow-through.
• The putter face stays square and stable through impact instead of twisting from forced muscle application.
• The ball comes out with a consistent exit speed without firing out too fast.

Common mistakes

Taking a backswing that is too short on long putts. Feeling the need to 'hit' or force the ball with muscular effort to make it travel farther, causing inconsistent speed and face rotation.

Practice notes

Stats show 12-handicappers three-putt 15-footers more often than they make them; focusing on lag speed lowers scores. Every lag putt should feel soft, driven by the pendulum weight of the putter rather than a jerky strike.