Putting equals about 40 percent of your total score. Improve your putting and you will immediately improve your scores. Here’s how to do it.

Speed control in putting is everything. If you allow the ball to fall in the hole (like a waterfall), the size of your hole will be 4 inches in diameter. If you hit the putt with medium speed, your hole is about 3 inches in diameter. If you hit your putts firm, your hole is about 2 inches in diameter.

Would you rather putt into a 4-inch hole or 2-inch hole?

Lip-ins and lip-outs are more a function of speed than line. With better speed control, you will see some of those putt lip-outs go in.

I often hear, “I need to work on my 3-4-footers because I keep three-putting.” My response is how many 6-inch putts do you miss?

Work on your lag putting and speed control. Most three-putts happen because of speed control rather than not reading a green properly.

More than 95 percent of three-putts are because the first putt leaves the player with a difficult second putt.

If you told me you had 30 minutes to work on your putting, here is the best way to divide the time:

1) Spend five minutes on your mechanics to confirm you are hitting the sweet spot and that your clubface is square to your intended line.

2) Spend 15 minutes working on lag putting (30-foot or longer putts).

3) Spend 10 minutes on 3-foot putts. If you can lag putt well and have confidence from 3 feet, you will become a good putter.

— Paul Holby is a PGA instructor at Tom Barber Golf Center in Moorpark. He can be reached at holtby61@paulholtbygolf.com.