Putting - Read the Green, not the Putt

An article by: Bobby Eldridge on 12-18-2007
This article has been read 1299 times.

Putting Greens - Read the Green, not the Putt

I am going to give you a lesson on reading greens that will change the way you putt FOREVER and I mean that in a good way.

Greens are Built Low in Front and High in Back

Ninety nine percent of all the greens in the world are built low in the front and high in the back. There are two reasons why they are built this way. First of all, they have to have a run off for the drainage. Secondly, the nature of our game is for the putting surface to take an approach shot. The green has to have some angle facing the fairway so the golf ball will have chance to stop on the green.

With that being said, let's start with the surface. Golf professionals read greens and amateurs read putts. When a golf professional begins the walk towards the green after their approach shot they have all of their antennas up.

Some of their antennas are on auto pilot. They are feeling the steepness of the slope leading up to the green with their feet. That information is relayed to their vision as they begin to look to see if there is a steep fall off near there ball or hole. As they approach the green they begin to looking around to see if the green has a lot of grass or if the green is sitting in a shaded area with little sun light for the grass to grow. And guess what, they have not even reached their golf ball.

Now down to the nitty gritty. After they mark their golf ball, the game is on. Personally I like to cut the green into four pieces. Down the middle, from front to back, and side to side. Every green I have ever walked on is really four greens in one. I do not even think about it anymore.

Reading Greens - Speed Comes First

The most important two thoughts come next, AM I GOING UPHILL, DOWNHILL or FLAT and IS THE PUTT GOING TO BE FAST, SLOW or NORMAL and thought number two IS MY PUTT GOING TO BREAK LEFT, RIGHT or STRAIGHT.

Come on and give me some help here after 50 odd years of putting the golf ball rather well if a putt can do anything else you have to clue me in. See, with most greens built low to high if I am looking to the back of the green I know it is going to be a slow putt and if I am on the right side of the green there is a good chance it is going to break left and if I am on the left side of the green there is a good chance it is going to break right.

Rocket science, not hardly. Does my theory have a couple of holes in it? Absolutely. But just a couple. I know there are double breakers and two tiered greens. I am well aware of this. Once you break the green into four putting greens and apply the same theory, the holes go away.

This is my final thought. In the past 32 years of teaching professionally I have seen more amateurs MISREAD their putts than I have seen amateurs MISHIT their putts.

I can not tell you how many times I have seen amateurs have a 25 foot putt from the back of the green towards the front of the green, roll it 20 feet past the hole and when I say "did you hit it too hard or did you not realize you were going straight downhill", the reply is the same "I never even realized I was going downhill".

You do not have to SEE the slope to know whether it is uphill or downhill. IT IS THERE, believe me.