Tips for Reading Golf Greens
Ever looked ahead and tried to figure out what to do on the next green? You're not alone.
There's always lots of discussion on the links about whether the most important aspect of putting is having a consistent stroke, or being able to read the green.
While your stroke is important, the perfect stroke in the wrong direction is never going to sink a putt.
Reading greens is as much art as science, but whether you have a feel for it or not, mastering the basics will give you the right line the vast majority of the time.
The two major components that will affect any putt are slope and grain.
Slope is the slant or tilt of the ground, and grain is the direction in which the grass on the green tends to grow. To state the obvious -- putts will tend to go downhill and with the grain.
- Greens tend to slope generally back to front, to better receive approach shots.
- If there is water nearby (stream or pond), the grass will often grow towards the water.
- Other factors being equal, the grain will tend towards the setting sun (the west), especially up north where the day is shorter
Usually you can see the slope, but it's often helpful to walk from your ball to the hole generally along the line of the putt.
Your feet will tell you of more subtle slopes than your eyes can see. On longer putts especially, pay careful attention to any slopes near the hole.
If the green slopes away from your ball near the hole, you will want to be careful to avoid hitting the putt too hard. This is even more critical if the area around the hole has been extensively trampled by earlier players.
Squat along your putting line and look across the grass towards the hole. If the grass appears shiny, the grain is with you; if it appears dark or dull, the grain is against you.
A final trick to determine the grain near the hole is to look at the grass immediately around the perimeter of the cup.
Most of the time you can see a spot which appears browner and rougher than the rest of the perimeter (which will have a cleaner cut). The read here is that the grain is growing in the direction of the brown/rough area.
Once you think you have a good idea of the grain, and a feel for the slopes that might affect your putt, you still need to figure out how to compensate in your putt.
- As the ball slows, it will be more affected by the slope of the green. This means that you'll need to compensate for undulations near the hole more than you will for the same slope near the ball, especially on longer putts.
- Mid and high handicappers overwhelmingly tend to miss the putt on the low side. If you're reading some slope into your putt, aim to compensate for the slope - and then aim even a little bit further uphill.
- When you're eyeing your putt, look in the direction of the line you want to take rather than directly at the hole. This might help keep you from under-reading the break.
Still need help reading greens? You can find many more tips and tactics in the new ebook, "How To Break 80...And Shoot Like the Pros!"
[golf tip],[golf], [putting], [reading golf greens]
There's always lots of discussion on the links about whether the most important aspect of putting is having a consistent stroke, or being able to read the green.
While your stroke is important, the perfect stroke in the wrong direction is never going to sink a putt.
Reading greens is as much art as science, but whether you have a feel for it or not, mastering the basics will give you the right line the vast majority of the time.
The two major components that will affect any putt are slope and grain.
Slope is the slant or tilt of the ground, and grain is the direction in which the grass on the green tends to grow. To state the obvious -- putts will tend to go downhill and with the grain.
- Greens tend to slope generally back to front, to better receive approach shots.
- If there is water nearby (stream or pond), the grass will often grow towards the water.
- Other factors being equal, the grain will tend towards the setting sun (the west), especially up north where the day is shorter
Usually you can see the slope, but it's often helpful to walk from your ball to the hole generally along the line of the putt.
Your feet will tell you of more subtle slopes than your eyes can see. On longer putts especially, pay careful attention to any slopes near the hole.
If the green slopes away from your ball near the hole, you will want to be careful to avoid hitting the putt too hard. This is even more critical if the area around the hole has been extensively trampled by earlier players.
Squat along your putting line and look across the grass towards the hole. If the grass appears shiny, the grain is with you; if it appears dark or dull, the grain is against you.
A final trick to determine the grain near the hole is to look at the grass immediately around the perimeter of the cup.
Most of the time you can see a spot which appears browner and rougher than the rest of the perimeter (which will have a cleaner cut). The read here is that the grain is growing in the direction of the brown/rough area.
Once you think you have a good idea of the grain, and a feel for the slopes that might affect your putt, you still need to figure out how to compensate in your putt.
- As the ball slows, it will be more affected by the slope of the green. This means that you'll need to compensate for undulations near the hole more than you will for the same slope near the ball, especially on longer putts.
- Mid and high handicappers overwhelmingly tend to miss the putt on the low side. If you're reading some slope into your putt, aim to compensate for the slope - and then aim even a little bit further uphill.
- When you're eyeing your putt, look in the direction of the line you want to take rather than directly at the hole. This might help keep you from under-reading the break.
Still need help reading greens? You can find many more tips and tactics in the new ebook, "How To Break 80...And Shoot Like the Pros!"
[golf tip],[golf], [putting], [reading golf greens]
posted by Chris Stirling @ 8:46 PM
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