Dear Eddie,
Below is a synthesis of several different sets of pro putting stats, based upon pro putting studies at Birkdale, Sandwich, the US Open, PGA data, and the book Search for the Perfect Swing (1968) by Cochran and Stobbs.
Feet %
0-2.....99%
0-3.....98%
3.........90%
2-4......86%
3-6......67%
6..........48%
4-7......59%
6-9......42%
7-12....35%
9-12....38%
10........22.5%
12-18..23%
12-30..14%
15........16%
18-24..12%
20........10%
24-30..11%
25..........7.5%
30..........6%
30-36....4%
36-42....4%
42-48....4%
45..........4%
There really is not one definitive set of make percentages for pro putting. The stats that Dave Pelz reports are not based on any independent research by him, but are derived from studies like the above done by others. He just reports the stats as if there is only one set of data. In fact, the stats vary considerably depending upon the course, the green condition, the weather, and the field of players. Plus, the stats change a little over the span of years, and pros have improved since the mid-1980s by about 0.5 putts per round, on average. This is mostly due to improvements in the quality of the green surfaces.
And don't forget, some pros are a lot better than others, and the individual make percentages vary pretty widely from one pro to another. And even among pros, some pros are better at short putts and other pros are better at long putts than "the average."
So, "roughly speaking," in terms of 10-foot increments, here are the make percentages expressed as "1 out of X putts."
10 feet:.....30 to 40 out of 100.....or 1 out of 3
20 feet:.....10 to 15 out of 100.....or 1 out of 9
30 feet:.......5 to 6 out of 100........or 1 out of 18
40 feet:........4 out of 100...............or 1 out of 25
50 feet:........3 or 4 out of 100.......or 1 out of 30
You can see that after about 30 feet, all putts really start to look alike in terms of make percentages. I suppose it's no coincidence that most greens seldom get larger than about 100 feet across, so putts are not too frequently over 50 feet if you're on the green at all. Green sizes have evolved to take account of the fact that real skill is only able to show itself inside about 35 feet.
Here's a nice article about pro putting stats: The truth about putting stats , Southern Golf, Vol. 8, No. 2, February, 2002 By Tom Stickney, The Learning Center, Sandestin Resort, Destin, Fla.,
http://www.southerngolf.com/0202-feb/stik0202.htm.
Cheers!
Geoff Mangum
The PuttingZone
http://puttingzone.com
World's most advanced putting instruction.