How to learn to read greens

[phillypete]

Weakest part of my game

This seems to be the most under-exploited part of our game when it comes to teaching and gurus.

I need some help when it comes to green reading. When I first started playing I could visualize a path from my ball to the hole. At some point that path disappeared and in it's place is insecurity and confusion.

Most of the time I can pick the right side but often I'll start to see the putt break both ways. To avoid this I try to make a quick read and go.

I've been on a birdie drought since April and I am hitting 33% of my greens. My speed is good, not great, but I just seem to be missing it by a ball or two to either side.

If I can find a way to the bottom of the cup two or three times per round it will make a huge difference!

[iteachgolf]

Aimpoint

[lafayette7]

Try this ...........when your on the practice green, just try hitting the ball straight at the hole, after you see which way the put breaks, then bend down and see what that paticular break looks like...................also, don't be afraid to take a little time and look at your putts from both directions...................

[larrybud]

[quote name='phillypete' date='19 July 2010 - 09:04 PM' timestamp='1279587881' post='2586946']
This seems to be the most under-exploited part of our game when it comes to teaching and gurus.

I need some help when it comes to green reading. When I first started playing I could visualize a path from my ball to the hole. At some point that path disappeared and in it's place is insecurity and confusion.

Most of the time I can pick the right side but often I'll start to see the putt break both ways. To avoid this I try to make a quick read and go.

I've been on a birdie drought since April and I am hitting 33% of my greens. My speed is good, not great, but I just seem to be missing it by a ball or two to either side.

If I can find a way to the bottom of the cup two or three times per round it will make a huge difference!
[/quote]

Buy this guy's book:
http://www.puttingzone.com/

While I don't subscribe to all of his theories (particularly the "gravity" type stroke) his green reading chapter is worth the book alone.

The cliffnotes version of located here:
http://puttingzone.com/ziptips.html#GRE

[djjack04]

Nothing better than Aimpoint, it is about to take the golf world by storm

[canuck7]

what is aimpoint exactly?

[iteachgolf]

http://aimpointgolf.com/

[TourBound3617]

i just had my best "inside 20 feet" putting round yesterday. I started looking at the hole, and seeing where the ball would ideally enter, kinda like the highest part. from there i can figure where to putt so the ball finds this line into the hole

[phillypete]

I will give the cliff notes version of putting zone a whirl. I bought the full text and found it a little heady.

[bfactor]

Aside from AimPoint classes being the likely best option...

If you have Geoff's ebook, the green reading chapter is pretty much a distilled version of H.A. Templeton's "Vector Putting". Otherwise, that would have been another recommendation if you can track one down. It's out of print but I'm fortunate enough to have a copy. Of course, if you think Geoff's stuff is too heady maybe you should steer clear!

[Guest]

One thing that is a quick fix and an immediate help is checking where the lowest spot on the green is. If you are teased on which way it is breaking, this is probably the way to go. Find the low spot and the putt will break that way. Just a quick fix.

[TreyMark]

hmmmm might have to look into aim point

[scotchblade]

That's a good question. I'm not sure how to explain what I do as it's all by feel and observation. After playing this great game for over 30 years, I've developed a sense of how the ball will roll. I'm not sure this is something that can be taught. Just practice, experiment and take note of how the ball reacts. Most golfers do not read enough break.

[sekrah]

I used to have huge trouble reading greens, even earlier this year. But have gotten better in recent weeks.

First, look at slope of green before you get there. I never did this before. Check out green from 50 yards away with out how the general contour is. The table is usually sloped towards water and away from the nearest mountains. That's been my basis for my green reading. Now within the table, there are other various movements. You should be able to see these.

When I didn't look at the green as a whole, I would have trouble reading certain breaks. The usual problem would be where it would look like its breaking one way, but the table of the entire green was tilted enough to the other way where it actually was dead straight putt.

[dwb7272]

I took an Aimpoint clinic last week and was very impressed. I used to see a putt breaking different ways from behind the ball and behind the cup. In my limited practice time, I have been able to determine the break very quickly. You still need some experience to be able to determine how much slope and speed is as that will tell you which chart to use.

But I feel with a little work, this will come. Just being able to tell which way a putt breaks is huge for me.

[happyroman]

[quote name='phillypete' timestamp='1279681648' post='2589461']
I will give the cliff notes version of putting zone a whirl. I bought the full text and found it a little heady.
[/quote]

Geoff Mangum has links to the interviews he has done for various podcasts on his website. I learned a lot just by listening to them.

One of his basic theories is that you need to have good touch in order to be able to read greens. If you don't deliver the ball to the hole at approximately the same speed every time, it will be very difficult to pick a line. However, once you develop touch, there is only one line to worry about for each putt.

One drill he recommends for learning touch and the speed of the greens you are practicing on is called the core putt. Take two balls and putt them to nowhere particular on a level part of the green. Take the putter back just beyond the rear foot and allow it to swing through the ball. Do not apply any hit through the use of motor force on the down stroke. Repeat the same size swing for the second ball. The two balls should roll approximately the same distance. This will provide your brain the feedback to calibrate your stroke for the speed of that green. This is also an excellent drill for getting used to the speed of the greens prior to playing a round.

As far as reading the green is concerned, he says to focus on the last three feet of the putt, where the ball is rolling the slowest and is most affected by gravity. You should be able to mentally draw the line out of the cup, along the curved path necessary for the ball to go in. Then, continue the curved line back toward the ball. At some point, you will see the point where a straight line from the ball touches the curved path and is tangent to it. This is your aim line.