Reading the greens!  This is the most difficult part of putting and why I left it until last.  Reading the greens sets up your entire stroke.  If someone cannot read the greens it is like playing darts with your eyes closed – you generally know which direction to through the dart, but that is about it.  So here are my tips on how to read a green.

First, I pace off the distance of my putt.  I know how to putt the ball from 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 feet with relative accuracy.  This skill is honed by going to the putting green and placing a tee at each distance and practicing.  Once I have determined the distance of the ball from the hole, I look at the slope of the green.

The slope of the green will determine if it the putt will break left or right.  Additionally, it will determine home much.  My general rule is 1 inch to one foot.  For every inch the ball is below or above hole, I adjust my putting distance accordingly.   So if the hole is two inches above my ball on a 12 foot putt, I will adjust my distance to 14 feet.  It is something that I have used over the years with good success.  This rule is affected by the cut and grain of the green.

If the green is playing fast (cut low), I increase my ration from 1:1 to 1:1.5 or 1:2 (inches of elevation to distance).  Additionally, the grain is important, especially in the evening.  The grass follows the sun, so this will determine if you are putting into the grain or with the grain of the green.  Again, I adjust my putting distance accordingly.  This leaves determining your line.

Determining your line is not as difficult as one may think.  Once you have applied the above, it comes down to speed.  Picking a line has much to do about confidence.  Once you have decided that the ball breaks a specific amount, be confident and go for it.  Something to keep in mind, the softer you hit the ball, the more break you must play!  If you play the ball 2 inches outside the right edge, but you are putting down hill with the grain and you barely have to hit the ball to get it to the hole.  You will need to play about 3-4 inches of break.  The softer you hit the ball, the more break you must play.

Lastly, except in rare instances, if the ball is within 3 feet of the hole, forget the break and hit the ball into the hole.  Most amateurs, myself included, over-think short putts.  I have found that if I just hit the ball into the hole, I will make 9 out of 10.  So on short putts, think less and bang the ball into the hole.

Well that is it for me on reading the greens.  I will say that I am going to try and plumb-bob this year because it might come in handy on the difficult greens.  Ian Hardie at golfhabits.com explains this skill very well.

I hope you are having a fantastic holiday season!  I wish you all the best.  I am a grateful golfer!