Reading the Greens when Putting

[Blades4me]

Any suggestions on how to do this accurately/better/more efficiently? Sometimes its easy for me to see breaks, but a lot of times I miss them and only see them after I've putt. I bend down towards the green to see the slope, but that's all that I know how to do, LOL!! And most of the time, its just pure luck that it goes in the cup. I'm not bad on my putting, its just hard to tell where the break will be, stuff like that. TIA

Work on distance 1st and accuracy will come. The idea is to keep it to 2 putts or less. Also try looking at the line of you ball from the opposite side of the cup; when walking back to your ball walk along side the line you think it will roll on. Looking back and forth at the ball, then the cup. Once you get behind the ball look for some kind of marker on the line you want that is about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way to the cup and use that as your aiming mark. Read Dave Pelz short game bible on putting.

I know if I spend too much time over the ball everything will start to go south. So once I have my line I take 2 pracitce strokes, address the ball & line up the putt. Get in my putting stance and go. Try to do a short back swing which will help in NOT decelerating the club head and has a tendency to make one push the ball towards the desired line of the putt. And of course, practice.

[joepro23]

Reading greens is all about trusting your eyes. Here are my suggested steps for reading putts on the green:

1. First determine if your putt is uphill or downhill. You can do this by observing the natural slopes in the green while walking up to mark your ball and looking at your putt from the side angle.
2. Take a brief read of the putt from directly behind your marker
3. If your putt is downhill, walk to the opposite side of the hole and read the putt from the uphill perspective because it should be easier to see the break.
4. If your putt is uphill, you could take a quick look from a side angle to see if there is something hidden
5. When actually reading the putt look at the cup itself from a distance and lower eye level. Is the cup slanted at all, and if so which way?
6. Determine how much break to play and pick an aiming spot (keeping in mind that you should try to hit the putt 1-2 feet by the cup)
7. When in doubt, aim right at it

Extra tips:
- Watch your playing partners putting on a similar line and add that in with any prior knowledge you have of the green.
- If it is bermuda turf, read the grain in the grass. It always grows toward the sun and if you look at the lip of the cup you can see which way it is going
- Greens always break toward water

I guess that is a lot to think about, but I hope it helps. If you do most of the reading while other people in the group are putting you should be ready to go when it's your turn.

[Vance87]

Reading greens is all about trusting your eyes. Here are my suggested steps for reading putts on the green:

The irony is when you do all that and then you make a bad stroke and miss by two feet.

Seriously though, good tips.

[Scott_K]

[QUOTE=Blades4me;394913]Work on distance 1st and accuracy will come. The idea is to keep it to 2 putts or less. Also try looking at the line of you ball from the opposite side of the cup; when walking back to your ball walk along side the line you think it will roll on. Looking back and forth at the ball, then the cup. Once you get behind the ball look for some kind of marker on the line you want that is about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way to the cup and use that as your aiming mark. Read Dave Pelz short game bible on putting.........
QUOTE]

This is a really good tip of finding an intermediate target that's 1/4 or 1/3 the distance to the hole. Just like aiming with regular shots, it's easier to find a divot in front of you to aim your shot. The arrows in bowling are about 1/3 the distance to the pins, same concept.

As far as putting Tees into the green while practicing, that will depend on where you practice. I like the method of putting 2 tees in the ground to putt through. The first tee is by the toe and the second is by the heel of the putter head with about a 1/4 inch gap so the club can swing through. This will help develop a consistent putting stroke.

To find distance, try taking a few paces from the cup. Each pace is approximately 3 feet (depending on your stride). So 2 paces is a 6 footer, 3 paces is a 9 footer, etc. Use your rear foot as a gauge on how far to bring the clubhead back for each distance. For example, the clubhead goes back to the inside of your rear foot for a 6 foot putt. Maybe it goes to the outside of your rear foot for a 9 or 10 foot putt. You'll get this feeling in time.

[flopdarock]

use the alignment mark on your ball... if it doesnt have one... draw one on there with a sharpie... tiger has a line on his ball

[WUTiger]

General question: sometimes I practice my distance while putting, is it ok to put tees in the green (just a little bit, and not all the way?)

When I volunteered at the U.S. Women's Amateur this summer, several of the women put tees in the putting green as part of a drill. Some also put a tee in the ground, put out string, and staked it in at the other end.

Since you appear to be really interested in golf, you might consider taking a "short game" lesson. A few pointers on putting and chipping by someone who can see you in action could pay off - especially for a beginner. A pro could also suggest meaningful tee drill on green. I may take one in early spring; it's a lesson for maybe once every ten years.

[EightBlue]

The irony is when you do all that and then you make a bad stroke and miss by two feet.

Generally, i'll take three looks at most putts.

In order 1) standing over the ball and really trying to feel the break with my feet 2) from the lowest point on the green, since all putts will break there eventually, plus you are going to be looking up at the putt which gives you good perspective. 3) behind the hole; focus on just visualization the ball path. agree with lots of the tips above, but i'll add one more. when in doubt, go with your first read and hit it confidently

[JUDGE SMAILS]

ALWAYS look at the putt from both sides of the ball, it's amazing the difference you will see in the line. I do it while others are putting so i'm ready when it's my turn.

[sean_miller]

use the alignment mark on your ball... if it doesnt have one... draw one on there with a sharpie...

Follow the line back to the source - I bet Elin is holding a Tazer.

Anyway - I agree with alignment line, but it can be a crutch. Sometimes you gotta just walk up and hit the ball.

[Parker0065]

Lot of good tips already on determining line and slope.

I usually survey the green as I aproach it to help determine the overall general slope as well as look for lower areas where water may drain as some have stated before.

I will quickly survey the putt from behind the ball then walk to the cup and take a quick look to verify it from the other side.

For me the next step is the most important. While I'm still at the hole I have determined the break and now I am making a determination of where the ball will enter the hole. For example, if I had a dead straight putt then the "Doorway" to the hole is dead in the middle of the cup. If I have a putt that breaks left to right, then the real "Doorway" to the cup has shifted to the left side of the hole. How much it shifts to the left will depend on how severe the break is.

Once I have determined where the ball will enter the hole I will read the putt backwards along the slope while walking back to my ball and chose a breaking point that I want to aim at.

Now I'm back at my ball and I have complete confidence in my read and now it's just a matter of taking a couple practice strokes to feel the speed and then GO!


Understanding how the ball will enter the hole and reading the putt backwards from the cup to the ball can really improve your green reading, just remember you still have to get the speed right and you have to imagine the speed of the ball as you are reading the putt!

Good Luck!

[Parker0065]

A picture's worth more than words!



Reading the putt backwards from the hole to the ball makes it easier for me to find the right line once I've determined at what angle the ball will enter the center of the hole.

Good Luck!

[danieldrieberg]

A picture's worth more than words!

This is a great technique that has improved my putting. I like mentally call my shot (as in playing pool) by determining what time on a clock I shall be entering the cup from. the example has me entering at an 8 0' clock position. Visual the line then control the speed for the putt.

Also not mentioned (I think) in past posts while walking from the ball to the cup is to "feel the break" with your feet. Then get 1/2 way between the cup and ball on the low side and get another general feeling. Bermuda grass is another deal. The graininess of Bermuda control the break. I swear some putts break uphill because of the grain. Finally I like to quote Lee Trevino--Miss em quick!!!!!

[topspin4hand]

use the alignment mark on your ball... if it doesnt have one... draw one on there with a sharpie... tiger has a line on his ball

I started using the ball's alignment mark late this past summer. I was definitely closer to the hole on my putts and my distance control was ALOT better since I didn't have to worry about finding a hard to see mark on the green for my targer. However my putting prep time was up since it is not easy (for me) to look at the target line and then line the ball up. I have to stand back up and lining the ball and usually adjust once or twice...

[zenchili]

This past summer I started using the EEZ-Reader from Momentus. I would take it on the practice green. Look at a putt and try to determine the break with my senses (eyes, and feel through my feet), then I would put the EEZ-Reader on the line and see what it said. Then I would actually putt and see how the putt broke. Practicing this way allowed me to begin to train my putting senses. My reads got better with this kind of practice because first I try to determine the break, then I check it, then if I got it wrong I try to figure out what I missed about the putt, then I putt. It really focused putting practice for me.

[misty_mountainhop]

Because it makes no sense at all. Plumb bobbing doesn't do anything but confirm what your mind wants it to confirm.

You're fooling yourself. Plumb bobbing does nothing. Nada. Zip. It relies on you being able to "play a trick" on yourself basically.

Plum bob? Plum crazy.

Sorry, I disagree. It doesn't tell you much , but it will give you a read on if the hole is tilted from the horizontal and which way.

[iacas]

Sorry, I disagree. It doesn't tell you

Prove it.

You won't be able to because you're wrong. Geometrically, it makes no sense. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. This is not an opinion.

Source: Geoff Mangum If you don't believe this, then the next time you plumb bob a putt with obvious slope and get your standard hole-to-the-side alignment, glide your head laterally a bit behind the shaft until the ball and hole are perfectly aligned. Where'd the break go? The shaft is vertical, your head and eye position relative to the shaft are the same, but the plumb bobbing's "apparent" slope has disappeared. The only difference is the direction of your gaze. In other words, if your body-head-eye axis is vertical to gravity, sighting along a shaft that is also vertical to gravity ALWAYS aligns the ball and hole UNLESS YOUR DIRECTION OF GAZE IS OFF TO START WITH. If you drew a chalk line between the ball and hole, this "no break" look perfectly aligns the shaft with the chalk line all the way to the hole. This means the usual plumb bobbing technique DEPENDS on sighting along some line other than a straight line from the ball to the hole in order to see any so-called "break" at all.

And http://www.drputt.com/deardrputt/plumbob.htm And http://blogs.golf.com/top100/2009/01...e-top-1-1.html And Dave Pelz says it doesn't work at all in his book(s) too. There are plenty of other sources too. Here's the simplest definition. If you're standing directly behind the hole/ball line, a straight vertical line will always connect them. Always. Thus every putt, if plumb bobbed correctly, is a straight putt. And you can make the "direction" a putt supposedly breaks change by moving your head or the shaft very slightly. It's voodoo that does nothing but push your subconscious mind out so you can see it. Your time and energies are better spent actively reading the greens and not hoping that your subconscious mind can put your head and/or shaft correctly off-kilter.

[uttexas]

After reading the Dave Stockton article in this months GD, I've been trying his method of painting an imaginary 2 inch wide line from the hole back to the ball. I read the putt first from behind the hole and lowest point on the green near the hole. Then I read the putt from behind the ball maintaining the 2 inch wide path technique. I place the putter blade in front of the ball along the path aiming the face perpendicular to the path (ala Nick Price) Eyes focus on the putter spot in front of the ball. Start rolling the ball over this spot inches in front of the ball.

So far it's been working well and has boosted my confidence while putting.

[zeg]

Prove it.

Agreed. It "works" in the same way that using a divining rod "helps" you find water. It doesn't. However, if it makes you feel more confident, I say go for it, it probably doesn't hurt anything. The worst that happens is Johnny Miller makes fun of you the way he does Kenny Perry.

And to be on topic, I say the most important thing is to go with your gut. Practice to train your gut, but I am not a fan of overanalyzing putts (which is funny because I'm overly analytical of everything else). Inevitably you end up talking yourself out of the right line. Your subconscious visual system is better at reading a moderately complex line than your conscious mind ever will be. Train it by practicing nontrivial putts on the practice green. Then get a feel for how to look at the line to prepare, but I say as soon as you get that feel in your gut that you know the line, line it up and let it fly. If it's a profoundly complicated putt, maybe think it through more carefully, but odds are you're going to be happy just to be close on a putt like that. Also, when practicing, I usually practice for a lag instead of to hole out. The reason is that this is more likely to be successful, which will give you a positive feedback. If you feel a pang of failure every time you leave a 30 foot practice putt a few feet from the hole, you're setting yourself up for failure. Be realistic with your expectations and use positive feedback to train your subconscious.