We all know that improving our putting will lead to lower scores. What we typically don't know, is which putts we need to improve?

Each player has a unique putting profile. Some players hit a lot of long putts and a lot of short putts, but very few medium length putts. Other players hit far fewer long putts and many more medium putts. The distribution of putts depends on how good our approaches, pitches, and chips are.

Knowing which types of putts is important because you can then focus like a laser on improving the relevant putts for your game.

So how do you determine your key distance ranges? During your round, keep track of the length of each putt you hit. When you're done, count the number of putts in each of the following distance ranges:

· Outside 24 feet
· 13 - 24 feet
· 7 - 12 feet
· 4 - 6 feet
· Inside 3 feet

Also, keep track of how many putts you make from each distance.

From outside 24 feet, your goal should be to get the ball within 3 feet - you're not trying to make these, just get them close. For this distance, count how many three putts you have. Your target should be zero!

From 13 - 24 feet, you should look at how many three putts you have and how many you make. A good target is to make 15%, or 1 out of 8 of these putts.

Inside 12 feet, you're always looking to make these. From 7 - 12 feet a good target is to make 33%, or 1 out of 3.

From 4 - 6 feet, a good target is to make 75%, or 3 out of 4.

Inside 3 feet, your target should be 100%.

So for each of these distance ranges, first look at how many putts you hit from each distance range. If you hit a reasonable number from a particular distance, and you're falling below the targets described above, you know where to practice.