Terrible green tips?

[michaeldays]

I recently joined my high school golf team and am on the squad. The greens are terrible, they are slow, don't roll, and don't break like they look. This has really affected my score because i have had to change my short game and my putting a lot. Putting is terribly difficult because its the opposite of what I'm used to. Any tips for greens like this? also short game tips would be appreciated. Every time i try to bump and run the ball just stops and it is insanely hard to save par.

[jclark]

Maybe try to be a little bit more agressive if the greens are so slow and you can stop the ball?

[LuciusWooding]

I always play when the greens are really soft after rain or when they get aerated, and it never really affects my scores much. You just need to adapt and hit more greens if you want a lower score, since birdies and scrambling pars are pretty tough on greens like this. A bump and run obviously isn't the right shot for these situations no matter how much you work on your touch. Stop your short game shots with height instead of spin or release and roll the putts right over the rough spots.

Other than that, just deal with the conditions; it affects everyone the same and isn't any different from bad weather. Good players view it as an advantage because if they don't let it affect their performance, they know other players will get frustrated; it's the same way in the rain and wind for players who don't like to practice in them. You can tell who's able to overcome it and those who get put off their games.

Oh, and don't forget to repair your pitch marks every time you find them, or every green you play will become like this.

[saevel25]

I recently joined my high school golf team and am on the squad. The greens are terrible, they are slow, don't roll, and don't break like they look. This has really affected my score because i have had to change my short game and my putting a lot. Putting is terribly difficult because its the opposite of what I'm used to. Any tips for greens like this? also short game tips would be appreciated. Every time i try to bump and run the ball just stops and it is insanely hard to save par.

Learn the greens? Play more pitch shots so the ball flies to the hole instead of trying to run them. It also could be because its February and most golf courses are in the off season. Could be a lot of precip. I've played on a course that changed as much as 3 on the stimp before in one week because of going from heavy rain to hot and dry.

Honestly I have no clue really. How good of a putter were you before these greens? If you are misreading them, then learn the read for the next time.

[RayG]

Are you stroking the putt on the level or hitting slightly down on it(similar to the iron stroke)? You need to get the ball UP and rolling on TOP of the grass. Either find a putter with more loft, or develop a stroke to get the ball up and rolling quicker. similar to the idea of the "Topspin" or "Overspin" putter they advertise on late night TV. Other than complaining about the conditions to the management, you need to adapt to conditions as quickly as possible.

[festivus]

I understand your frustration - grew up in New England and played important tournaments in bad conditions.  The following things helped me:

First, all your competitors are playing the same course.  Let them worry about how bad the greens are.  Meanwhile you can worry about how to beat them.  It may sound cheesy but get your mind right that you'll get some bad breaks...the only thing you can control is how you react to them.

I like the idea of flying the ball closer to the hole.

With greens typically bumpy it often helps to place the ball a fraction forward so the arc is slightly more ascending on the ball.  Our greens are really rough right now with bumps and the poa clumping while the bent settles.  Important to get the ball up and riding on the surface ASAP.

[Kieran123]

When someone tells you that the green always slopes to the water ( be it a pond, lake or the ocean ) promptly slap them in the face and say NO!....it can slope any way it wants, regardless of where the water is

[michaeldays]

My school golf team plays at a shitty course with terrible greens. The greens themselves aren't the worst part (they are bumpy and don't break like they should) its the fact that i am used to good greens. Also chipping is insanely difficult for me because i am used to having pretty good lies and now its usually dead grass or dirt or something difficult if i miss a green. This is causing me to shoot 46, 47, even 48 as opposed to 40, 41, etc. do you have any suggestion as to how i should attack these chips and putts? ( i am the fourth man on the team and i want to play like it, also i am a freshmen so this is my first year playing this course)

[saevel25]

Hey @michaeldays , please don't post the same topic under a different title.

http://thesandtrap.com/t/72455/terrible-green-tips#post_949869

It probably wont get you anywhere.

Anyone who reads this, go to the link and post there, thanks!!

[LuciusWooding]

Agree, and FWIW, if you aren't patient enough to wait more than a day for the response you want, or aren't willing to take the advice given by others when you ask for it, golf may not be for you.