A great way to get used to reading the green is to add the clock face drill to your regular practice. Pick a hole with a slope to it and place four balls around it at the 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 and 12:00 o’ clock positions, then putt each ball and pay close attention to the different ways the balls act from different points on the slope.
How to read a golf green?
Examine the ball’s path to the green to make any final adjustments to your approach. To visualize the ball’s path, imagine what it will do if you hit it straight at the hole. From analyzing the green from so many angles, you should be able to figure out where the ball would go. Take your time when reading greens.
What are the clock faces on a golf chart?
The chart represents greens as clock faces, with the hole in the center. The straight-uphill 20-footer begins at 6 o'clock, and the straight-downhill 20-footer begins at 12 o'clock.
How do you read the slope of a green?
Viewing a Green’s Slope Gauge the green’s flatness to determine how to putt the ball to the hole. Reading a green is about anticipating how your golf ball will move from your putter to the hole. Stand behind the hole to determine the slope around it. The read you get while behind the hole is often the most important one.
How do you read the break of a green?
Reading the break of a green becomes much easier with practice. You can often see the contour of the green as you’re approaching it from a distance of 100 yards and in. You can notice fairly easily if the back is higher than the front, which is often the case. You’ll notice as you approach the green if the left side appears higher than the right.
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How do you read golf greens?
3:286:24The Easy GOLF PUTTING LESSON to Help You Read Break - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipHere left to right left to right left to right left to right left to right. Straight.MoreHere left to right left to right left to right left to right left to right. Straight.
How do you read a greens speed?
5 Ways to Read The Green For Speed and BreakStep 1 – Find the straight putt. ... Step 2 – Gauge the slope of the green. ... Step 3 – View the green from around the hole. ... Step 4 – View the green from where you are going to hit the ball. ... Step 5 – Visualize the path of the ball.
How do you read greens and line up putts?
0:4314:31RICKIE FOWLER - HOW I READ GREENS | ME AND MY GOLFYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo you have an understanding just idea of where we're at what's going on and then from there I tryMoreSo you have an understanding just idea of where we're at what's going on and then from there I try and the most that I can I'll stay underneath the putt on the low side.
What do green speed numbers mean?
The "stimp" or "stimp rating" of a putting green is a numerical value that represents how fast the golf ball rolls on the putting surface. Golfers call this rating the green speed. That value is based on a measurement taken with a simple instrument called a Stimpmeter (hence the terms stimp and stimp rating).
What is fast on the Stimpmeter?
What is fast on the stimpmeter? Fast or slow is arbitrary but in general, anything over an 11 is considered fast amongst most golfers. Some of the fastest green readings are around 14 or 15 (like Augusta National) and are nearly impossible to putt on for most amateur golfers as the golf ball rolls forever.
How do you read your fingers green?
4:058:40Does AimPoint Work? And How To Read Greens with ... - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThey line it up put their one finger dead center on the cup. And then they add the number of fingersMoreThey line it up put their one finger dead center on the cup. And then they add the number of fingers for the degrees of slope. And that gives them an aiming.
How do you read uphill and downhill putts?
0:071:36How to Hit Uphill and Downhill Putts the Correct Speed - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipMove your target where you're looking either short or past the hole. So in this case for example we'MoreMove your target where you're looking either short or past the hole. So in this case for example we've got a downhill putt. That's going to break left to right.
How do you read your feet green?
0:063:08The Golf Fix: Read Greens with Your Feet | Golf Channel - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWhat you can see is how much higher. This golf ball is then this golf ball so this putt is going toMoreWhat you can see is how much higher. This golf ball is then this golf ball so this putt is going to break from right to left now what I'm going to do is I'm going to take that apart.
How do you read a putt line?
Take one look down your line and all the way to the cup, seeing the ball go in. Take a second look down your line to the apex of the break and then down to the hole. Stroke your putt. This is the simplest routine I know and it's helped me putt at an elite level for a very long time.
How fast is 13 on the Stimpmeter?
lightning-fastA green speed of 7 is generally considered very slow and is slower than a green speed of 9 (a moderate speed). A stimp rating of 13 or 14 is considered lightning-fast.
How do you read a Stimpmeter?
1:445:04Stimpmeter - how to measure green speed. - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipEnd up you measure from that point back to where the stimpmeter is go from two different directionsMoreEnd up you measure from that point back to where the stimpmeter is go from two different directions on the green. So if you're going one downhill one out he'll. Add. The numbers together divide.
What do green ratings mean?
The Green Rating was developed with you in mind. This rating, on a scale of 60–99, provides a comprehensive measure of a school's performance as an environmentally aware and prepared institution.
How far can you see the break of a green?
You can often see the contour of the green as you’re approaching it from a distance of 100 yards and in.
Is pace important on the PGA Tour?
Getting your pace right is very important and also can prove to be a bit difficult. Watching the pros on the PGA Tour. It’s amazing when you think that from week to week they’re playing on entirely different golf courses. The speeds of the greens can and will be very subtly different from course to course. The PGA Tour Stars seem to adjust to this with relative ease.
What should you identify when you're out on the green?
When you’re out on the green, you should identify the dark green patches, as well as the light green patches. Both of these will help you to determine the grain direction.
How to tell if a green is grain?
One more way in which you can determine a green’s grain is by simply looking inside of the golf hole. Yes, the actual golf hole – the one you’re trying to get your ball into!
How to practice putting pace?
First, put a golf tee into the ground, at a spot where you’ll hit putts from. This will be your starting point. Pick a putt that is level – neither downhill nor uphill. Then, place more of these golf tees into the surface of the green. Do it at the following walking paces: 5, 10, then finally, 15. Basically, you should be putting 1 golf tee at 5 walking paces away from your starting point. Another tee will be 10 paces away from the starting point. The last will be 15 paces away from your original starting tee. Easy!
Do fast greens break faster than slow greens?
An important thing to know is that a fast green will break quite a bit more than a slow green would. And so, fast putts downhill will break quite much more in comparison to slow putts uphill.
How To Read A Green At A Glance
If you are in a hurry, here are the top green reading tips. We will explain each of these in greater detail so you can see how they will impact your game and what you should do to incorporate them into your next round of golf. Here’s how to read greens:
Green Reading Tips & Techniques
These green reading tips are great, but if you really want to get better at reading greens, you need to learn green reading techniques and develop a putting routine that includes them. Let’s look at how to read golf greens so that your next round includes a few fewer putts.
Ways To Practice Reading Greens
Now that you have a better idea of how to read greens, you may be wondering how to practice these techniques. Here are a few of our favorite drills and ideas.
FAQs
Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about how to read greens and the best green reading techniques out there. Understanding this information can really help you become a better golfer.
Final Thoughts
Knowing how to read greens can save you a few strokes each round, and it’s worth practicing these drills. To review our green reading methods:
Step 8: Line up the line on your ball to match the picture
There are people that want to putt to a specific spot and those that are better putting to the picture. I prefer putting to the picture as it keeps me from trying to be too perfect and frees up the tension in my hands and arm to make a slower, smooth stroke that gets the ball rolling in the right direction at the right speed.
BONUS TIP: Practice short putts and lag putts
The number one tip I can give you is to practice those 3-8 footers and your 30 foot putts. The 3-8 footers will help you save par and the 30 foot lag putts will help you two putt when you hit a green in regulation. 3 putt avoidance is huge and making those 3-8 footers is key to keeping the momentum going in your round.
How to Read the Break on a Green
Wow, I never saw that break. Well, that is the response we get a lot of time with these breaking putts. How do I read greens? How do I ever figure out that that putt was going to break that much. Let me give you a clue about how you can work towards figuring it out and you can start to make a lot more of these side hill breaking putts.
Use a Putting Clock as a Frame of Reference
I have this little putting clock that you can use as a visual frame of reference and you want to imagine that is towards you is six o'clock, to the right of that is five four and three, and to the left is seven eight and nine. What your job is to imagine at what time that ball needs to go into the hole from.
The Putting Clock Makes Breaks Easier to Read
Let's take a look at how I do. I am taking my set up and now I am looking at four o'clock and I am picturing a track from there back to here.
Success on Side Hill Putts
Let's take a look with a putt. I hit that one a little bit firm, let's try it again, that one has a chance. Well they did not go in but you can see that I had the ball playing with the right amount of break to give myself the best opportunity and the best chance. Give this a try.
How to Read A Green at A Glance
- Gauge the green’s flatness to determine how to putt the ball to the hole. Reading a green is about anticipating how your golf ball will move from your putter to the hole. No green is perfectly flat, so you always need to take a close look at the slope to do this. Any hills or divots will also change the speed of your ball and, sometimes, its trajectory. You can’t always putt al…
- Stand behind the hole to determine the slope around it. The read you get while behind the hol…
Green Reading Tips & Techniques
Ways to Practice Reading Greens
FAQs
- These green reading tips are great, but if you really want to get better at reading greens, you need to learn green reading techniques and develop a putting routine that includes them. Let’s look at how to read golf greens so that your next round includes a few fewer putts.
Final Thoughts
- Now that you have a better idea of how to read greens, you may be wondering how to practice these techniques. Here are a few of our favorite drills and ideas.