Reading greens?

[TN94z]

Anyone got any good tips to help me get better at reading greens? I make VERY good rolls and have VERY good speed, but the putts just aren't dropping. I hardly ever roll the ball over 1-2 ft passed. When I miss, it is always right on the edge. I know that my reads are off because many times the ball breaks and I just didn't see the break. What you guys got for me?

[DavidFehertysBike]

Reading a green is such a individualized skill. I couldnt really tell you how i do it. I envison the line in my head as much as I "read" anything. I also like to feel the turf under my feet as i stand over the ball.

It just could be your set up and alignment that is pushing the putts over to the right of the hole, also.

[Dpricenator]

years of Putt putt as a child has made me very aware of what a ball does over a bump or through a windmill.

All kidding aside, I'm just a hacker, but my log putts get pretty close. It just comes to me almost in the form of a line on the ground. I envision the exact path i think the ball should travle and put directly down that line.

[PiKapp23]

The one thing I have always been good at is reading greens. The biggest thing I do that not everyone does is look at the entire green when I'm lining up my putt. I'm looking all directions for breaks and slopes and then follow those lines back to my ball and the hole to see if they will affect putt. If you walk, you can start doing this as you approach the green. Also always be are of design rules, such as greens usually break toward water and break away from greenside bunkers (both for drainage reasons) or break away from a mountain or towards a valley. 1 thing I do when I'm unsure of break is walk toward hole on line just outside my putt and stand about halfway to see if I can 'feel' break in my feet - you'd be surprised how many times you can feel it but can't really see it.

One rule to remember on breaking putts - allow for more break than you think - almost all amateurs have a tendency to miss on low side, whereas really good putters are more likely to miss on high side. What I will do these days on a big breaking putt is pick my line, then adjust it a little further outside. It's allowed me to make more putts and have easier 2nd putts. I heard Dave Pelz say (and I paraphrase) "Putts hit below the hole have no chance to go in".

[denver_nuggs_15]

As PiKapp said, look all around the green. This is the first thing I do. Most greens slope in one general direction. It also makes it easier to see subtle breaks (right of your ball is a few inches higher than left of your ball - could look straight).

I personally only read my putts from behind the ball. I visualize the break of the ball and get an idea of where I should aim. Over time, everyone gets better at this skill because you end up knowing your own speed. If I ever do get confused about a very subtle break, I'll take a step or two to either side of my ball and take a quick look.

Just remember, there is more than one way to make a putt. You have to figure out your speed and how you play putts to figure out read for your game.

Just some things to keep in mind:
1. The faster you putt the ball, the less it will break. Vice-versa for slower.
2. Uphill putts break less than downhill putts because you must hit them harder to get to the hole. Vice-versa for downhill. (Just think of #1 most of the time.)
3. If you have trouble with a very subtle break, think of where rain water would travel. It's usually towards other larger bodies of water (nearby stream, lake, etc.)
4. Pelz says that the best speed for a putt is 17 inches past the hole. Basically, if you don't get the ball to or past the hole, you can't make it.
5. 2 putt at worst.

Good luck.

[David in FL]

If you're almost always burning the edge of the cup, I'd argue that you're probably pretty good at reading greens.....at least a lot better than you give yourself credit for. Your problem could be with your alignment or stroke. Either one could be off just enough to negate the good read and cause you to miss. If you were really bad at reading the greens, it seems to me that you'd likely be missing a lot of putts by a good margin.

For alignment and stroke, I like to practice putting dead straight putts at dimes from 10 feet away. If I know that I can hit a dime consistently, I know that my stroke is repeatable enough for the ball to go in if the read is right. If I can't hit the dime most of the time.....it's simply not.

[TN94z]

The one thing I have always been good at is reading greens. The biggest thing I do that not everyone does is look at the entire green when I'm lining up my putt. I'm looking all directions for breaks and slopes and then follow those lines back to my ball and the hole to see if they will affect putt. If you walk, you can start doing this as you approach the green. Also always be are of design rules, such as greens usually break toward water and break away from greenside bunkers (both for drainage reasons) or break away from a mountain or towards a valley.

Good input!! The bold text I have never thought of. I have seen people go half way down their line and take a practice putt but I never really understood what they were looking at. I only line my putts up from ball to hole. I never even look at the hole to ball option like the pros. The majority of my misses are on the high side as I tend to play more break that is really there..my thought is that the ball can't fall in the hole on the low side. My speed is usually pretty good. I just seem to miss putts...they just do not drop. I don't know if my speed is a little off or what. My alignment will probably end up being the issu but as of now I am just grasping for straws. I have tried the plum bob for reading break but that doesn't work for me at all. For the most part I putt on feel...I just read the putt until I see a line and then I fire. For instance, I never take into consideration the grain of the grass and stuff like that. I don't walk, but I always try to pay attention to the green as we are driving up to it. I don't know. I guess I am just frustrated because I miss so many "good" birdie chances. I really want to focus on that this year.

[Hidalgo]

2. Uphill putts break less than downhill putts because you must hit them harder to get to the hole. Vice-versa for downhill.

Not always. Actually...not very often. An uphill putt is usually going AGAINST the grain, and the grain pushes at the ball more, causing the ball to take the break more dramatically and usually sooner than you thought. A downhill putt is usually going WITH the grain, and "floats" over the grain not allowing the grass to push it to the side as much.

TN94Z, A lot depends on what type of grass you are putting on. I assume you are putting bent grass in your location. Bent grass isn't as "grainy" as Bermuda, and your main concern should be to look at the slopes on the green. Bermuda, on the other hand, can actually grow UPHILL if there is a setting sun or dominant water source in that direction. You've already been given a few good tips, like surveying the area BEFORE you get to the green, walking around the putt and looking from several different directions, and factoring into the break the amount of speed that is required to get the ball to the hole. Some folks can read greens better than others. I'm one of the ones who have trouble at times. Don't batter yourself up about it...just observe and try to learn.

[ks8829]

Reading green tips

1) look from the hole to your ball and see where at the hole the ball will drop then work your way back to your ball and see where the high spot or apex of putting green that you want to aim and start your ball.
2) uphill putts do not break as much
3) down hill putts give more break.

[allin]

The one thing I have always been good at is reading greens. The biggest thing I do that not everyone does is look at the entire green when I'm lining up my putt. I'm looking all directions for breaks and slopes and then follow those lines back to my ball and the hole to see if they will affect putt. If you walk, you can start doing this as you approach the green. Also always be are of design rules, such as greens usually break toward water and break away from greenside bunkers (both for drainage reasons) or break away from a mountain or towards a valley. 1 thing I do when I'm unsure of break is walk toward hole on line just outside my putt and stand about halfway to see if I can 'feel' break in my feet - you'd be surprised how many times you can feel it but can't really see it.

I agree looking at more than just your immediate line to the hole is crucial. I also think most golfers over read the break in the first two thirds of putts and under read the last third, especially on 20+ footers.

[hrossroth]

I am focusing on putting to improve my scores. I realize that I hit many putts without committing to a line, just hoping that it will get started where I want. The technique that I am looking forward to using to read greens is, visualize where the putt will travel if you were to hit it aiming directly at the hole. Picture where the ball rolls. Now commit to a line when compensating for the way the ball behaved on the trial run when aimed directly at the hole.

[JetFan1983]

Fun thread. I skimmed through it just now, and I plan on reading it again sometime soon. Hopefully I'm not repeating what others have said, but lemme try to add to this discussion as best I can. Keep in mind that I'm new to the game.

1. Putts can have a tendency to break towards the sun, as all vegetation naturally leans to where the sun is. This seems to be especially true at the end of the day.

2. The greens are slower at the end of the day and faster in the morning because the grass grows.

3. If someone is chipping or putting before me, and their potential line is similar to mine, I (recently started doing this) am very focused on what their ball does.

4. I take this for granted, and I'm sure a lot of others do as well, but just like your full swing can have bad habits ingrained into it, the same is true of your putting stroke. Make sure you have the proper fundamentals in your stroke.

5. Practice, practice, practice. The only legit way we have of getting better at this game is repeating the correct mechanics over and over until they "become apart of your anatomy."

6. If the green looks dark colored, that means you will be putting into the grain and the putt will be slower. If the green looks shiny, then that means you are putting down grain, and the putt will come out much faster.

Hmmm, that's all I got right now. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong! I really liked that someone said to focus more on the last one-third of the putt, because the break will affect it more! Good stuff, guys!

[lazebone]

Some pretty good tips on here.

Lol, don't try everything at once though!!


I've found that looking at a putt from the opposite site of the hole gives me the most feedback. Especialllllly on those tricky 5-10 footers.

While walking around to the other side of the hole is when I take into account the lay of the land. Yep! Gravity dooooes make a difference, lol. Sometimes a hole may be cut leaning to the left but the hole may be carved into a hill leaning to the right, for example. Even though it looks every bit like the ball has to turn to the left, it ma actually to straight because of the gravity effect.

Reading greens is not always about what you see from behind the ball.

[goblue107501]

As some have said, it is very hard to tell someone how to read a green. It is really something that someone has to show you so you can understand why they are reading as they are. If you know someone who is good at it, just see if they will explain what they look at on the practice green. Once you figure out a good system, it gets pretty easy.

One tip that I got from a playing partner is on putts that have a little distance (10+ feet), go to the halfway point, stand as if you were going to make a stroke on that line, and make an imaginary stroke to see if it feels right. Many times I have read a 20 foot putt as being a foot outside the right (for example). When I walk up and stand at the 10 foot mark, I might see that from that point, that was too much or too little break and I will make an adjustment. I can read a lot of putts just by standing over the ball, so this helps me out quite often.

On other tip is that the last half to two/thirds is the most important part of the break -- especially on longer putts. You might see a double break due to a small slope right in front of the ball. Many times, that first break won't matter since the ball will be moving much faster so it won't affect the ball that much, if at all. The last half of the putt will be when the ball starts slowing down and will take more break.

[mirv]

i have a question maybe someone can help me with - how do you tell if you're going against the grain or with the grain? i've heard people say it's just how the grass is bent, but i'm like... okay, the grass on the green is really, Really short and looks, to me, like it's not bent at all. it doesn't have enough length to be noticably bent. i'm sure i'm just missing something totally obvious here. input? thanks guys.

[TN94z]

i have a question maybe someone can help me with - how do you tell if you're going against the grain or with the grain? i've heard people say it's just how the grass is bent, but i'm like... okay, the grass on the green is really, Really short and looks, to me, like it's not bent at all. it doesn't have enough length to be noticably bent. i'm sure i'm just missing something totally obvious here. input? thanks guys.

Look at the color of the grass like stated above. If it is dark then you are putting into the grain. If it is shiny, then you are putting with the grain.

[Big Padrigo]

I don't know. I guess I am just frustrated because I miss so many "good" birdie chances. I really want to focus on that this year.

This sounds very familiar. I consider myself a good putter, I rarely get my read wrong, but at the same time I feel like I burn the edge (both sides!!) a lot and don't make as many as I deserve. Great putters make putts, that's why I'm not a great putter.

[wedge player]

i plumb bob my put and 9/10 times i get the right break if only i could hit my lines