The 18 foot putt
From 18 feet the tour average is 1.840 putts, which means about 16% of 18 footers drop for the tour player. Holing it is worth +0.84 against the tour average, a two putt is worth -0.16, and a three putt costs 1.16 strokes. The first putt decides it: a lag to 3 feet leaves 1.053 expected putts.
The tour average
Expected putts from 18 feet on the published tour table is 1.840. Because a putt from here is either holed or left for a second, the average carries the one putt rate inside it: about 16% holed, the rest two putted, with the three putts that appear from longer range priced in as well. From here the average is nearer two putts than one, so the job of the first putt is the leave.
What each result is worth from 18 feet
| Result | Strokes gained |
|---|---|
| One putt | +0.84 |
| Two putts | -0.16 |
| Three putts | -1.16 |
By benchmark
The benchmark model adds a fixed share of a handicap’s gap to every putt, labeled Modeled: a 20 handicap needs about 1.945 putts from 18 feet on the model against the tour’s 1.840. Switching the lens changes what a putt is measured against, never what was recorded.
Expected putts from 18 feet, by benchmark
| Benchmark | Expected putts |
|---|---|
| Tour | 1.840 |
| Scratch | 1.845 |
| 10 handicap | 1.895 |
| 20 handicap | 1.945 |
Nearby distances
The same table two and four feet either side, with the one putt rate and the cost of a three putt at each.
The putting table around 18 feet
| Distance | Expected putts | One putt rate | Three putt cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 feet | 1.752 | 25% | 1.25 |
| 16 feet | 1.803 | 20% | 1.20 |
| 18 feet (this page) | 1.840 | 16% | 1.16 |
| 20 feet | 1.878 | 12% | 1.12 |
| 22 feet | 1.899 | 10% | 1.10 |
The lag decides it
A three putt from 18 feet is usually a poor first putt. The table prices the first putt by what it leaves: a lag to 3 feet is worth -0.21 before the second putt is struck, a lag to 8 feet -0.67. Judge a lag by the leave in feet, not by whether it dropped.
The first putt from 18 feet, by its leave
| Leave | Expected putts | One putt rate | Lag worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 feet | 1.009 | 99% | -0.17 |
| 3 feet | 1.053 | 95% | -0.21 |
| 5 feet | 1.256 | 74% | -0.42 |
| 8 feet | 1.515 | 49% | -0.67 |
The shot that left it
A putt is only as good as the shot before it. From 150 yards in the fairway an approach that finishes 18 feet from the hole is worth +0.10 against the tour average; from 25 yards in the rough a chip to 18 feet is worth -0.20. A leave this length is a fair result from a mid iron and a poor one from a chip.
In PinFlag
On the green you place every leave in feet, so each putt in PinFlag is priced from its own distance: a 18 footer holed reads +0.84 on the Tour lens and its own value on a Scratch or handicap lens. Insights shows make rate by distance from your recorded makes, three-putt frequency by first putt distance, strokes gained putting per round and season, and a heat map of where your leaves finish around the hole.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of 18 foot putts do pros make?
How many putts should you take from 18 feet?
What does a three putt from 18 feet cost?
Is 18 feet a good leave from 150 yards?
Which golf app does this on the course?
Related
Sources
- PGA TOUR statistics
- Mark Broadie, Columbia Business School (Wikidata entity)
- How PinFlag calculates strokes gained
Every figure on this page is computed from the published baselines, the same ones PinFlag prices your shots with. The scope of the figures: Every figure is the published tour expected putts table at 18 feet, with the benchmark rows from the site’s model; make rates are the one putt share the table implies.
Get PinFlag for iPhone
PinFlag shows you this number on the course, for the shot in front of you, before you swing: any target priced with your own dispersion and the lie read from the course map, your real shots drawn on the hole, and two taps to log. Golfer is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with a 14-day trial on the annual plan through the App Store.