Have you ever been faced with the situation where you hit a ball you thought was rolling only to see it swing wide to the right? Most likely you have misunderstood the green if this has happened. Experience, good judgment and skill are required for the correct reading of the greens; That’s how he teaches my golf lessons.
Reading greens is very important for making more putts because there is no cut and dry rule to determine which direction a ball should start, based on the slope of the green and distance to the hole. And any day, sinking more putts results in a lower golf handicap, as my golf tips explain.
Let’s pause and talk about the speed of a ball. In putting, the speed of the ball plays a critical role. Influencing factors are: (1) the water content of the grass, (2) the direction of growth of the grass, (3) the type of grass you are putting. Fast greens tend to drive the ball away from the target and wet greens tend to hinder ball speed.
Considering how these factors influence your putting, correctly judging a putting green helps you determine not only the direction of the putt but also its speed. We recommend nurturing a green reading routine to hone your skill in this technique.
Before we venture into details, let’s take a look at the placement sequence. First of all, all the elements that determine the speed and direction of the ball are absorbed by your subconscious mind. Second, you decide how hard to hit the ball and where to hit it. Now putt. By watching the putt, judge how accurate the reading is. You have read the green correctly if the putt goes in, but you may have made the wrong judgment if it goes wide of the hole.
To read a green correctly, my golf advice emphasizes that experience matters greatly. Despite this, I recommend that when you study a green you take into account the following points:
As you get closer to the green, start thinking about the line of putt. Whether leaning to the right or left, the best view of the slope of the green is about 20 meters away. While you’re standing on the green, you might miss this. If the terrain around the green is to the right, the green may also slope to the right.
The green forms a basin that fills with water if the green slides in the opposite direction. Trust me, no self-esteem landscape architect would do such a thing.
If you look at it from the side of the green you will know if you have a downhill or uphill putt. For the best view and to account for ball speed, the greenside is ideal. In the case of downhill putts, the ideal perspective for judging the slope of the course is provided by the lower side of the green.
To understand the area around the hole, stand behind the hole. This area is very important because the ball loses much of its speed when it hits the hole. We see that the ground can really affect the direction of the ball.
To make a final decision on the speed and direction of your putt, get behind the ball. Your impression of the line and your perspective will surely change if you position yourself above the ball. To make a final point, being behind the ball is the ideal way to stand. Don’t change your decision, but stick to it firmly.
Lastly, don’t run away in despair if you see the ball go through the hole. You can’t check the accuracy of your reading until after you hit the ball because there is negligible feedback before and during a putt. You need to ask yourself some key questions like: Did you have the right online? Did it move at the right speed? Did you take the right direction?
Answering these questions is very important if you want to improve your green reading sense and sink more putts. Succeeding at that will definitely lower your golf handicap. That’s what my golf lessons say.
