F-O-R-E Minute Friday - Why "Never Up, Never In" is Costing You Strokes

"Never up, never in." It’s the most overused cliché in golf, usually chirped by a playing partner right after you leave a 20-footer just inches short. But what if we told you that cliché is actually hurting your game?

In this edition of FORE Minute Friday, we dig into the surprising stats behind putting speed. We debunk the aggressive "charge the cup" mentality and introduce the 20% Rule—the statistical reality that if you aren't leaving at least a few putts short, you are likely three-putting way too often.

Tune in to learn why dying the ball into the hole is the superior strategy and how to calibrate your speed for stress-free pars.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why hitting it past the hole effectively makes the cup smaller.
• The danger of the "aggressive" mindset.
• How to create a tighter dispersion circle for easier tap-ins.
• The "Safety Zone" concept for speed control.

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The "Safety Zone" Drill

To get comfortable with the idea that "short is okay," we need to train your brain to stop fearing the front of the cup. This drill focuses on speed dispersion rather than just "making" the putt.

The Setup

1. Find a relatively flat 20-foot putt on the practice green.
2. Place a string or a line of tees 18 inches behind the hole.
3. Grab 10 balls.

The Goal: The 8-2 Split

Your mission is to lag all 10 balls into the "Safety Zone"—the area between the front edge of the cup and the string behind it. However, we are going to embrace the 20% rule:

• The Target: Try to get 8 balls to finish inside the hole or in that 18-inch zone behind it.
• The "Success" Shorties: Intentionally allow yourself to leave 2 balls just a few inches short.

Why This Works

If you try to make all 10 go past the hole, you’ll subconsciously start hitting them harder and harder, eventually blowing them past your 18-inch safety string. By "allowing" yourself to be short on two of them, you take the tension out of your stroke.

The result? Your "aggressive" putts will actually stay closer to the hole because you aren't over-compensating to avoid the "never up, never in" shame.

Practice Tip

Keep track of your "Long Misses" vs. "Short Misses." If you miss 5 putts long (past the 18-inch mark) and 0 short, your speed is too aggressive for your own good. Aim for that 80/20 balance.