Three or four putt greens still hurt when you are travelling
We know the feeling. You are playing the course you have been looking forward to for all the golf trip. You unfortunately have a shocker on the greens. Three and four putt greens just stream out of you. Your golf friends don’t know what to say. You find the greens confounding. Golf course designers specialise in this dark art. Here are some tips in reading greens for the first time.
1)Survey the green as you approach it
As you approach the green and see where your ball is positioned on it, look at the general slope of the green. Imagine how water would run off the green. This will give you a general indication of how your putt will run. It is easier to see there, then when you are standing on the green .
Most of us don’t do this when we are on our home course because we know how they slope. You have to get in the practice of doing this when you are first time on a course.
2)Park your buggy or cart level with the flag
If you have a long putt don’t immediately walk to your ball. Walk to the flag and have a look at the slopes around the hole. As the putt slows down, this is where it really will start to bend. You may not be able to see it back at the ball.
If you have a downhill putt , have a look at the putt from behind the flag and imagine the roll of the putt. You will see much easier the slope of a green looking up into it, then looking down onto it. Then as you walk to your ball, confirm what you see by walking back on the low side of the hole and seeing if it slopes towards the hole.
All this can be done quickly when everyone is walking to the green or lining up their putts . You will not hold up play.
3)Look at the texture of the green
Whilst you are walking back to your putt , notice if the grass is shiny or dull on your line. This is especially appropriate on grainy grass like Bermuda. Grain is an expression used for how the grass lies down.
If it is shiny then the grain is with you and the putt will be a little faster than usual. If it is dull then the grain is against you and you can afford to hit the putt firmer.
Grain will also accentuate the slope of a putt. You can pick it by looking at the edge of the cup for a short putt by seeing what side of the hole is the barest (ie doesn’t have grass over the edge). That is the direction the grain is going. I remember having trouble with this in Queensland seeing putts break that I thought were flat!
4) Imagine your putt rolling in on the topside of the hole
This is what Tiger Woods does when is he working out the break of a putt. He believes that there is so much more opportunity for the ball to take the hole and go in especially for putts that break more than one hole in width. Also committing to a high line means it reduces the chance of being too skinny with the break and watching the ball really run away on the underside of the hole.
I find by looking at a putt and imagining where the putt would end up if I hit it straight at the hole to be helpful. Then just change that distance to where it finishes as the borrow you need to take to finish in the top side of the hole.
5)Take the practice putting green for what it is- for practice
Practice greens are notoriously different from the greens that you will putt on out on the course. Often they are faster as they have had thousands of steps on them, squeezing the moisture out of them. Sometimes they can be slower.
Use them to get the path of your stroke going. Do some downhill and uphill lag putts but do not be surprised if the greens in the round are different and will differ between each other. Greens can be affected differently by sun, wind and rain. Observe the green as you walk on it to see if it might be different.
6)Watch your partner's putts and your putts roll out.
Watching your partner’s putts on a similar line to you can be a mixed blessing. Some golfers can put some funny spins on the ball with some strange putting strokes. However as the ball slows down and gravity takes over any spin, there can be value in watching how putts are breaking or slowing down.
Jack Nicklaus used to watch how his ball performed after it went it past the hole. This he said helped him in working out the break for the return putt.
Talking to the teaching professionals at Gold Creek Golf Academy to avoid those dreaded three and four putt greens on tour, informed me that we need to be more present as we are approaching and walking on the green. Renowned tour putter Brad Faxon said he liked to get his putter early from his caddy whilst he was walking to the green. From that moment on he said he was beginning to evaluate the putt he had.
Thanks to the teacher professionals at Gold Creek Golf Academy for their help with this blog post.
