Improve Your Putting with the Three Bears Drill

The Three Bears Drill is a simple but effective way to sharpen two skills that determine whether your putts drop: green reading and speed control. Instead of trying to roll every putt on one “perfect” line, you intentionally hit three versions of the same putt from short range: one with too much break, one with not enough break, and one that feels just right. That contrast helps you train your eyes and your instincts. When you can clearly recognize what is too high, too low, and ideal, it becomes much easier to choose the correct starting line on the course.

How the Drill Works

Set up on a putt in the 3- to 6-foot range. This is the ideal distance because the putt is short enough to make regularly, but long enough that line and pace still matter. Choose a putt with at least a little break so you can clearly see the difference between the three options.

You are going to hit three putts from the same spot:

A putt with too much break, played on a higher line with softer speed so the ball wants to fall into the hole.
A putt with not enough break, played on a lower, straighter line with firmer speed.
A putt that feels just right, combining a realistic start line with ideal pace.

The beauty of the drill is that it teaches you through comparison. Your brain learns quickly when it sees clear differences. If you only try to hit the perfect putt over and over, it can be harder to calibrate what “perfect” actually looks like. But when you deliberately exaggerate both sides of the spectrum, the correct answer becomes easier to identify.

This is also a speed drill, not just a line drill. Each version should have a different pace profile:

The high-break putt should feel like it dies into the hole.
The low-break putt should be hit more firmly, on a line that takes out some break.
The just-right putt should roll with enough pace to finish roughly a foot past the hole if it misses.

Step-by-Step

Pick a breaking putt from 3 to 6 feet. Choose a putt where you can reasonably play different amounts of break.
Read the green first. Take a moment to decide what you think the true make line is before you start experimenting.
Hit the “too much break” putt. Start the ball a little higher than normal and use softer speed, trying to make it fall in gently.
Hit the “not enough break” putt. Start the ball on a lower, straighter line and use firmer pace to hold that line.
Hit the “just right” putt. Now split the difference. Choose the line and speed you believe are most realistic for the putt to go in, ideally with enough pace to finish about a foot past.
Evaluate all three. Ask yourself which one looked closest to the true answer. Did the high line over-read the break? Did the low line rely too much on speed? Did the middle option match the putt you would want on the course?
Repeat from different angles. Move around the hole and test left-to-right and right-to-left putts so you learn to see both shapes.

What You Should Feel

This drill should help you feel more intentional over the ball. Instead of making a vague stroke and hoping the putt tracks correctly, you begin to connect a specific line with a specific pace.

On the high-break putt

You should feel like the ball has time to respond to the slope. The pace is softer, and the putt wants to lose energy as it reaches the hole. If you hit this version too hard, it no longer serves its purpose because firm speed reduces break.

On the low-break putt

You should feel a more assertive roll. The line is straighter, and the speed is firm enough that the ball does not have as much time to curve. This helps you understand how much pace can “hold” a line.

On the just-right putt

You should feel balanced between the two extremes. The line should not look overly cautious or overly aggressive. The speed should feel like a putt you would trust under pressure: enough to give the ball a chance, but not so much that the hole effectively shrinks.

Key checkpoints

Your start line should clearly change between the three versions.
Your pace should also clearly change, not just the aim.
You should begin to see how line and speed work together, rather than treating them as separate skills.
The “just right” putt should start to feel easier to identify after a few rounds of practice.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using the same speed for all three putts. The drill only works if the pace changes along with the line.
Choosing a putt with no break. You need some slope to learn from the contrasts.
Making the differences too small. If the three putts all look similar, your brain does not get clear feedback.
Overdoing the exaggeration. You want meaningful differences, not absurd ones that have no relationship to a real putt.
Focusing only on whether the ball went in. Pay attention to how the putt rolled, where it entered, and what speed it had at the hole.
Rushing through reps. Read each putt with purpose and commit to the intention behind it.

How This Fits Your Swing

Even though this is a putting drill, it reflects a larger principle that applies throughout your game: you learn faster when you understand the boundaries. In the full swing, players improve by recognizing the difference between too steep and too shallow, too open and too closed. On the greens, the same idea applies to too much break, too little break, and just right.

The Three Bears Drill also helps you become more athletic and less mechanical as a putter. Rather than obsessing over stroke positions, you train your ability to see a picture, match it with the right pace, and react. That is much closer to how good putting happens on the course.

As you build this into your practice, you should notice more confidence in your reads from short range. You will stand over putts with a better sense of what the ball needs to do, because you have already explored the options. That makes your decision-making clearer, your speed more reliable, and your stroke more committed when it matters.