The Breaking Putt
A measured downhill line that accounts for grain against slope. Carvallo's signature stroke.
DIAGRAM — The Breaking Putt
The Lee Carvallo Story
Two decades on the short grass.
Champion of the West Coast amateur circuit. Consultant to course architects. Author. Lecturer. Putting Pro Productions' founding spokesperson.
Career highlights
- 1976
Wins the Pacific Junior Amateur at age seventeen.
- 1981
Named West Coast Putter of the Year by Fairway Quarterly.
- 1986
Publishes The Patient Stroke, a four-volume putting instructional series.
- 1991
Begins consulting on green design for the Cascadia Course in southern Oregon.
- 1994
Founds the Carvallo Pro Shop instructional clinic in suburban Sacramento.
- 1996
Lends his name and likeness to Putting Pro Productions' debut CD-ROM release.
Signature shots
Three of the lines Lee Carvallo is best known for, demonstrated below. Each features in the included tutorial mode.
The Lag
Distance management from beyond thirty feet, demonstrated on the practice green at Cascadia.
DIAGRAM — The Lag
The Tap-In
Disciplined finish from inside the leather. Carvallo's most cited technique in clinic.
DIAGRAM — The Tap-In
From the archives
Selected photographs from the Putting Pro Productions promotional archive.
Career statistics
| Season | Tournaments | Top Three Finishes | Average Strokes Per Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 Amateur | 12 | 9 | 70.4 |
| 1981 Open | 18 | 11 | 69.8 |
| 1986 Open | 16 | 8 | 70.1 |
| 1991 Senior Invitational | 9 | 6 | 70.9 |
| 1994 Exhibition Tour | 14 | 10 | 70.2 |
On putting
“There is no such thing as a small putt. The eighteen-inch tap-in deserves the same concentration as the forty-foot lag.”
“The green will tell you what to do. Your only job is to listen carefully and then to do it.”
“Every putt counts. Choose wisely.”