The 4 foot putt
From 4 feet the tour average is 1.147 putts, which means about 85% of 4 footers drop for the tour player. Holing it is worth +0.15 against the tour average, a two putt is worth -0.85, and a three putt costs 1.85 strokes. From 150 yards in the fairway an approach that leaves 4 feet is worth +0.80.
The tour average
Expected putts from 4 feet on the published tour table is 1.147. Because a putt from here is either holed or left for a second, the average carries the one putt rate inside it: about 85% holed, the rest two putted, with the three putts that appear from longer range priced in as well. This is the range where make rates fall fastest: each foot from 3 to 10 costs a real share of the one putt.
What each result is worth from 4 feet
| Result | Strokes gained |
|---|---|
| One putt | +0.15 |
| Two putts | -0.85 |
| Three putts | -1.85 |
By benchmark
The benchmark model adds a fixed share of a handicap’s gap to every putt, labeled Modeled: a 20 handicap needs about 1.252 putts from 4 feet on the model against the tour’s 1.147. Switching the lens changes what a putt is measured against, never what was recorded.
Expected putts from 4 feet, by benchmark
| Benchmark | Expected putts |
|---|---|
| Tour | 1.147 |
| Scratch | 1.152 |
| 10 handicap | 1.202 |
| 20 handicap | 1.252 |
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 4 feet
| Distance | Expected putts | One putt rate | Three putt cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 feet | 1.009 | 99% | 1.99 |
| 4 feet (this page) | 1.147 | 85% | 1.85 |
| 6 feet | 1.357 | 64% | 1.64 |
| 8 feet | 1.515 | 49% | 1.49 |
What holing it is worth
A 4 footer holed is +0.15 against the tour average; a miss that leaves 2 feet is -0.86 for the first putt and then +0.01 for the tap in, -0.85 in all. Over a round, the short misses are the putts that show up in Score Killers: each one costs most of a stroke on its own.
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 4 feet from the hole is worth +0.80 against the tour average; from 25 yards in the rough a chip to 4 feet is worth +0.49. A leave this close is a gain from almost anywhere, which is what proximity by band and club measures.
In PinFlag
On the green you place every leave in feet, so each putt in PinFlag is priced from its own distance: a 4 footer holed reads +0.15 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 4 foot putts do pros make?
How many putts should you take from 4 feet?
What does a three putt from 4 feet cost?
Is 4 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 4 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.