How To Read a Green | Straight Putt in Golf | Improve
I know you grind to improve the fundamentals of your full swing, but do you give that same attention to learning how to read a green?
If you want to learn how to putt like a tour pro then you need to improve your green reading!
If you're like most, right about now you're probably scratching your head saying:
Wait, did he just say I can improve my green reading?
Absolutely! And in this new Premium Video, I'm gonna show you how.
Is Learning How to Read a Green an Important Part of Being a Better Putter?
Learning how to read a green is very important, but has never been a sexy topic in golf instruction. My guess is that's due to lack of understanding.
To me, it seems like all golf instruction on putting revolves around putting technique or eliminating 3 putts.
Those are important concepts, but if you want to learn how to putt better, you also need to learn how to read greens!
There's nothing better than standing on the 18th green, watching a 20 footer with a couple feet of break turn on its intended line and fall in the bottom of the cup to beat my buddies.
Don't get me wrong, bombing my driver down the middle of the 18th fairway was nice, but it wasn't the shot that made my buddies' heads drop in defeat as they handed me my winnings and mumbled "good putt you a#% h@!*" under their breath.
Starting line and good speed were both big parts of making that putt, but how consistent can I expect to be if I'm just guessing about that starting line?
How to Find the Straight Putt to Improve Your Green Reading
So what do I mean when I say "find the straight putt?" Well, it's a lot simpler than you think.
Almost all surfaces of a green are going to have some sort of general slope. This may be one or two degrees most places, some places will go up to six or seven.
There will be some flat spots on greens, but overall they're few and far between.
For this example what I want you to imagine is that our green slopes from back to front directly towards you. With that being the case there's going to be two straight putts, one directly below the hole and one directly above the hole.
As you can see in the diagram above, I have identified the two straight putts: One from above the hole and one from below the hole.
Now that I've done that, I will be able to more accurately judge the amount and direction of the break I will need to play as I move around the hole.
One thing to note: To speed this process up when you're on the course, choose the straight putt that's closest to your ball. So if you're below the hole, focus on finding that straight putt, not the one above the hole.
The better we are at finding these straight putts, the better our green reading is going to get.
It takes practice to get good at this, so be sure you spend some time on the practice green getting the hang of it before you take it to the course.
Watch This New Premium Video To Learn How To Putt Better Than You Ever Have Before
In the rest of the new Premium video, we'll discuss how to read a green using feedback and the important role it plays in finding the straight putt.
Related Premium Content: (Learn About Membership)
- How a Better Setup Will Help You Make More Putts
- The Perfect Putting Grip - A Secret to Consistency
- Releasing the Putter Face
