The great Jack Nicklaus is known to have once said, “I never miss a putt in my mind.” He would read the greens and then visualize the path his ball would take before it dove into the hole. So, in essence, he would make the putt mentally before even physically drawing back his putter.
Could you imagine if you were a better green reader—how much better of a putter you’d be? If in your mind’s eye, you could make every putt? Join me on this journey toward thinking—before sinking.
According to professional putting coach David Orr, there are four main things you should consider when you’re on the green. Before I get into that, however, it’s worth mentioning that he also says that “putting is like a forced marriage—you have to learn to love it.” Anyway, “D-Orr’s” four facets of putting that you should take into account are: read, speed, line, and aim—in that order. The first one is the most important. Which way will the ball break (if at all) after it is struck?
GET ON THE DANCE FLOOR ASAP
Do you remember high school dances when you stood (or sat) around on the sidelines and didn’t dance? The longer you stayed in the corner—or off the floor, the less likely you were to participate in the action. You probably justified it by telling yourself you don’t like to dance—or that you really liked the band.
Well, get in the game! I believe it’s a good idea to physically get on the putting surface and look at the terrain from different angles. I usually go right up to the hole itself and see how the grass is growing around it. It’s truly amazing how much you can tell from that mental snapshot. It reveals where the low point of the hole is.
WELL, THE PROS MAKE IT LOOK EASY
Why is it that pros can make 15-30 footers like they’re tap-ins? That’s what we as recreational golfers tell ourselves, anyway. Well, the feed that you’re watching isn’t going to show you clip after clip of golfers missing putt after putt. They’re going to show you the exciting ones! Otherwise, fewer spectators would watch golf.
Do you know what the average make percentage is for pros from eight feet? Take a guess. Would you believe it’s only 50%? That’s according to Mark Broadie, author of Every Shot Counts. I sometimes tell guys that stat after they’ve missed a 10-footer. They “can’t believe” they’ve missed it. My intent in saying that is so they won’t beat themselves up.
DRAIN IT
One question to ask yourself is, if water were hosed onto the green, how would it drain? In some instances, this might be obvious. In others, not so much. See if you can determine the apex of the putt, which isn’t the halfway point, but rather the point where the breaking putt starts breaking. Many good putters feel that finding the apex is the essence of putting well.
I’ve heard it said that most amateurs miss on the low side of the hole. They don’t play enough break. If your putts aren’t dropping, I suggest you take note of which side of the hole you’re missing on—the high side or the low side. If you’re missing long or short, that’s more of a speed issue than a read issue.
CRÈME DE LA CRÈME
Jordan Spieth was once described by Tiger Woods as “the greatest long putter ever.” Jordan always seems to be in the top 10 in Strokes Gained Putting. In this video, he talks about seeing the artistry of the putt. He calls it “fun,” which enables him to practice it more and more.
A suggestion is to find out if you are right or left eye dominant. I know I have a pull tendency. So I’ll often aim right of the hole early in a round to gauge how I’m stroking it. When it goes in, my understanding of the putting stroke I have that day (and it could change from day to day)—has been confirmed. If it somehow doesn’t go in, I make the necessary adjustments. One of the things this helps me with is my mental game (by not allowing me to get upset early in the round).
If you play too much break and miss on the high side, at least the ball won’t roll as far away from the hole than if you were to miss it on the low side. It also won’t roll as fast if you putt into the break.
CONSIDER THE SURFACE
Are the greens you’re playing on Bermuda grass? Bent? Paspalum? Zoysia? Poa Annua? Tiff-Eagle? As you can see, there are quite a few varieties of grass on golf courses. And just because the fairways are one type of grass, that doesn’t necessarily translate to the same type of grass on the greens. The texture of the greens should be considered.
After you get a good read, think about the other three factors Orr addresses—speed, line and aim. They have more to do with the physical aspect of stroking the ball. Green reading is more cerebral.
GET FAMILIAR WITH PUTTING LINGO
Unless you majored in physics, I won’t get into AimPoint, a putting method. For a deeper dive, click here.
Finally, if the person in the pro shop where you’re playing is at all knowledgeable—and wanting to be helpful to serious golfers—he (or she) should have a rough idea of the speed of the greens. They have no doubt heard of a stimpmeter (for a serious video of this contraption, and how it calculates a reading, check this out. For a humorous one, go here).
If you’re playing a course for the first time, don’t hesitate to ask those who work there what a stimpmeter might read if it were employed on their greens that day. Trust me, it’s a MUCH better question to ask than “Where’s the first tee and what’s the course record?”
ABOUT: Frank Felsburg plays golf in the Carolinas, where there are many different putting surfaces.
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