This tip from Jack Nicklaus gets to the heart of the matter. You three-putt most often because your distance control is off. You leave your approach putt way short or way long. Here is his solution, and it WORKS.

Pick a spot on your line that's three feet in front of the hole and putt aggressively for that spot. Because it's an aggressive putt, the putt will end up past that spot, near the hole. Even if you blow it five feet by your spot, you're just two feet beyond the hole.

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Whenever you have a putt going up or down a slope, always read the putt looking up the slope. The amount of the slope, and any sideways break, are seen much more clearly from this direction than from looking downhill.

If you are putting uphill, then, read the putt from behind the ball. If you are putting downhill, read the putt from behind the hole.

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I know this has happened to you before. You're standing on the green, watching someone putt, and you're on the low side of that putt. You look at the way he's lined up and you just know he's going to miss on the low side. He's not playing enough break. And sure enough, that's just what happens.

Have you ever thought that it might be a good idea to read the break from the low side of you own putts? Perhaps you take a look from the low side to see if there is any slope, but you might be surprised at how well you can see the break from there, too.

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