I've yet to have a decent scoring round absent of some good putting. Sometimes it means being able to comfortably negotiate putts outside of 30 feet to tap-in distance (as in not needing to mark the ball to putt-out), with the occasional par-saving putt from beyond 4 feet.
Yet I try to make them all, regardless of the distance and the situation. I feel that (for me) my approach putt ends up much closer to the hole when trying to make versus when I try to lag a putt to within a few feet of the hole. The level of focus is clearly much more pronounced.
Which is why many times, especially if the practice putting green is crowded prior to the round, I place a tee into the green and putt to it versus putting to a hole where others are putting to. The smaller target increases my focus, and the more likely I am to hit the target. And although I might not hit the tee, obviously a regulation-size cup is much bigger. Narrowing my focus certainly helps.
I tend to spend most of my putting practice these days on pace control from beyond 25-30 feet and working on those putts inside of 5 feet. I might miss the 30-footer, but my practice on those putts from 3 feet and closer tend to be a lot less stressful.
Phil Mickelson's short-game DVD from several years ago revealed that he spent a lot of time working on the shorter putts from 3 feet. His theory was that just about everyone can make a 3-footer with a reasonably reliable putting stroke. When I look back on those rounds over the past few years when my scores have inflated beyond my handicap range, they most always represent either a very bad tee game or poor putting from 3 feet or less, or both.
It's not written in stone, of course... but keeping the ball in play and making short putts tend to lead to good scoring.
