Reading greens

[eedsmx691]

I have rheumatoid arthritis in my knees and I am unable to squat down to read the greens anymore. Does anyone have any tips that could help me? Right now, I look at the putt from both sides of the hole, then go to the middle of the line and make a few practice putts to feel the break with my feet and see it from there. If the green is elevated I will walk off the green and look if I can. Any other tips you can give me?

[SandSpanker]

You could try plumb bobbin. I have never done this but see some do really well with it. I look from behid my ball and then behind the hole, with what I see I stand over the ball and look from the ball to the hole and see the line. Kind of like Tiger woods video game. Been doing really well as of lately too. Use to 3 putt about 60 % of the holes. Now I only have 1-2 per 18

[saevel25]

I kinda like standing over the ball, like Sandspanker said, i get a good idea of the putt from there. Like you said i like to go off the green and use its elevation to read the greens with out squating down.

[sean_miller]

  eedsmx691 said:

I have rheumatoid arthritis in my knees and I am unable to squat down to read the greens anymore. Does anyone have any tips that could help me? Right now, I look at the putt from both sides of the hole, then go to the middle of the line and make a few practice putts to feel the break with my feet and see it from there. If the green is elevated I will walk off the green and look if I can. Any other tips you can give me?

Approach the putt from ~ 1/2 way between the ball and the hole. Find the low point along the putt line. You can both see this with your eyes and feel it as you're walking. The putt will drift to the low point regardless of the surrounding topography or bodies of water. If you stand at the low point for a moment it can be easier to visualize the path of the ball. Try it once or twice - you'll know right away if that method has any merit for you.

[saevel25]

Well putts will tend to break more in the direction the water flows. Also bunkers tend to build up the greens were the sand lands, so they will be a mound there. Watch out for the low points as well, you can get trapped into taking to agressive of a line and if you miss your left with 5 footers or more.

I would say just put as much as possible with just reading while standing up. If possible, bend at your waiste only a bit forward to get a slitghly better look. Then trust your lines, try to develop a guy instinct when you stand over the putt. It takes a bit of practice but you can start to tell if you have a good shot at making it or not. You be surprised how little reading of greens you need to do to get a good line.

[sean_miller]

  saevel25 said:

Well putts will tend to break more in the direction the water flows. Also bunkers tend to build up the greens were the sand lands, so they will be a mound there. Watch out for the low points as well, you can get trapped into taking to agressive of a line and if you miss your left with 5 footers or more.

Like a golf ball, water follows the slope (i.e. flows downhill - no exceptions). The trick is, not every green is sloped toward adjacent bodies of water or water hazards. The hump near greenside bunkers is a very good thing to note. Coincidentally a bunker between the pin and a pond is one reason why the "breaks toward the water" isn't a guarantee.

[Shooter McGreenkeeper]

finish the ball 2 feet past the hole, if you miss, miss to the "professional side"

[boogielicious]

Sean_miller,

I like your method tip. Do you try to approach from the low point at the edge of the green and walk to your line 1/2 way point ? What about stepping over other peoples lines?

[allin]

Start reading your first / only? putt from farther away. As my eyesight and depth perception have waned I have found it more important than ever to get the big picture from off the green. You don't get tricked by optical cues as often either, a cup cut a lttle uneven or small bit of off color grass giving the impression of more slope than their is.

[ohiolefty]

Sean's advice is really good....


I'd say, rather obviously (and as others have) to read the overall contour of the green, to try to imagine where water flows, to feel with your feet.

The other thing I'd say is try to get multiple viewpoints (reverse and side) and try to look from a distance. I always read a tricky putt from the side (as well as a conventional read) and try to be at LEAST on the side edge of the green. If it won't take too much time, I try to get a few feet off. It just helps me to see the overall green a little better.


I feel like I read putts pretty well, but my stroke is inconsistent and subject to frequent fluctuations due to whim, superstition, bad advice and false intuition.

[jamo]

Walk around, get a full lay of the land and feel the slope with your feet. If you have some discerning eyes look for changes in color and shadow that would indicate slope.But what really helps me is to look and feel the slope while I am standing over the ball. Also, you might want to look at the line from both sides, leaning over rather than squatting, or course.

[RC]

Ditto the feet as well as the eyes. Reading putts is an acquired ability.

[The Recreational Golfer]

Read the putt from behind the hole looking back toward the ball. You can see the overall slope of the green better, as well as the critical breaks right near the hole, and you can see it all from a standing position, or at most leaning over just a bit. You can see all you need to see without doing the deep-knee bend thing. Also check things from the low side like Sean said.

[Saig55]

Kinda what Allin said. When I am walking up to the green I start looking at my ball and the green. Most of the time you can really see the slope and breaks before you walk on the green. This has helped me the most here of late.

[eedsmx691]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I didn't have the best putting round this weekend, so I will take all the advice to the course on Wednesday and see if it helps.