Welcome to Play Smart , a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

Holing putts is a product of two key factors: line and speed. If one or the other is off by just a touch, your ball won’t drop in the cup. To make things even trickier, you’ve got to match your line with the speed. It’s no wonder the shortest shots can give even the pros fits.

There are lots of different philosophies on how hard you should hit your putts. Some think that every putt should be hit so they end up a foot past the hole, while others like to minimize their front-to-back dispersion to eliminate three-putts. Wherever you fall on that spectrum, one thing is certain: speed is a crucial factor when it comes to putting.

One thing to consider when choosing yo

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