Putting

I hope you enjoyed the tips on chipping.

Next we are going to look at the all important putting.

Part 1: Driving The Ball
Part 2: Fairway Shots
Part 3: Chipping
Part 4: Putting

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Part 4: Putting

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Many golfers have trouble with putting. There many experienced golfers who can consistently drive the ball 250 to 300 yards only to get on the green and go over par due to their putting. Putting is an essential part of your golf game and dare I say possibly THE most vital part.

Stroking the ball is only one piece of the putting puzzle. To putt effeciently and consistently, you must first know how to read the green. That means seeing path your ball will travel before hitting it and make up for any dips, hills, or anything else that could cause your ball to roll in a certain way way.  

Good green reading comes with practice. After hitting enough putts over a variation of terrains, you develop a sense of path the ball will take as it rolls. As you walk onto a green, whether you realize it or not, you absorb all sorts of subtle pieces of information.

If the green appears light, you know you're putting against the grain; if the green is dark you are going down the grain. If the green is set on a high area of the golf course and you sense a breeze as you walk onto it, you will feel that the putt will be fast. Even if you don't observe closely your surrounding area, you are aware of any major slope in it.

Without even realizing it consciously, you know which is the low side of the green and which the high side. If the putting surface is tough and crusty under your feet, you receive one message; if it's softer or spongier you get another message. Experience allows you to run this data through your head before you even mark your ball. Pretty cool I think.

The most problematic aspect of green reading has to do with the grain. Grain refers to the way in which the blades of grass grow. The dark or light appearance is one way to read it. Another way is to take your putter blade and run it across a patch of fringe. If the blades of grass brush up, you're going against the grain. If they mat down, you're going with the grain. By the way, be sure to do this blade running (scraping) on the fringe. On the greens, it's against the rules.

A third method is to look at the cup. Many times the blades of grass will grow over the edge of the cup in the direction in which the grain moves. Note that the grain usually grows toward water, like the ocean, and in the East it's disposed to lean toward the mountains. If you're not near any such geography, bank on the grain growing in the direction of the setting sun.


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