For my money, there’s nothing better than getting hot with your putter. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of blasting a driver down the center stripe or a well-struck mid iron, but that feeling when you’re in the zone and every putt feels make-able is my favorite. Your ability to read golf greens is a major factor in successful putting. Understanding how the green slopes in any particular direction will help you eliminate the dreaded 3-putt and help you make more birdies.

Some argue that the putter is the most important club in the bag. In Harvey Penick's classic book, Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf, he quoted Ben Hogan saying the three most important clubs, in order, are putter, driver, and wedge. One thing we can all agree on is you’ll most likely use it on every hole (38% of shots are played on the green), so you might as well get good at it!

In my opinion, green reading is as important to making putts as having a great putting stroke. There is an endless variety of putting stroke styles out there, but none of them work if the read is wrong.

Line and Speed

There are two major keys to making putts: Line and Speed.

From inside 20 feet, the line is more important because you have a reasonable chance to make the putt in one stroke.

From outside 20 feet, speed is more important because you want to make sure you get the ball within distance to have an easy two-putt (even if you miss the line slightly).

In this article, we’re going to talk about how to get those two things right. Plumb bobbing, aimpoint, and green-reading books are all helpful techniques but we’re going to stay old school and talk about how to read the green using only your eyes and feel.

Observe Your Surroundings

Let's assume you hit the green with your approach shot, nice job! Don’t just put your head down and walk straight to the ball. Rather, assess the entire putting surface as you approach. Take into account features like water, bunkers, tiers, and drainage areas. And please, fix your pitch mark!

Grass Grain

Pay attention to the grain of the grass (i.e. the direction the grass is growing). Grain generally follows either the slope of the green or the direction of the greenskeeper's mowing pattern. If your putt is against the grain, it will be slower and alternatively, if your putt is with the grain, it will be faster.

The tricky part is when you’re not putting with or against the grain - and this is where break comes in.

Break

As I mark my ball, I like to immediately take a look at the hole and stand over the mark as if I were ready to putt. This forms my initial hypothesis for the read.

Use your feet! As you stand over your marker in a putting stance, focus on the balance of pressure in your feet and where you’re leaning. This feeling tells you a lot about how the ball will react as it rolls on the ground. Walk about 10 or 15 feet behind the ball and crouch down in line with your ball and the hole to study the contour of the green between them.

If your ball is on the edge of an elevated green, take advantage of the situation and try to get as close to eye level with the green surface as you can.

As you formulate your initial read for the direction, use a simple system for determining the amount of break. Mine is as follows, in order of zero break to the most break.

• Center cup
• Middle right or Middle left
• Right edge or Left edge
• 1 - 2 golf balls outside the Right or Left edge
• 1 - 2 cups outside the Right or Left edge

If the putt has more break than a couple cups, then I usually try to pick a target on the green, like a blade of grass, that I can aim at. I also try to get a read from the downhill side of the putt (if it's an uphill putt, that’s behind the ball and if it's a downhill putt, that's behind the hole). I find it easier to read the break from the downhill side.

Speed

Now that you have a good idea about the line, it's time to get your read for speed. Putts can be uphill, downhill, or a combination of both! If the putt is long enough, you may need to get multiple reads from different points in the putt as it rises and falls. I also like to use a simple system for determining the speed:

• Less than 100%: Downhill putt. Pick a spot before the hole and imagine you want to hit it there. The slope will pull your ball further to the hole.
• 100%: Flat putt. Hit it at the normal pace that will get the ball to the hole.
• More than 100%: Uphill putt. Pick a spot beyond the hole and imagine you want to hit the ball there. The slope will prevent your ball from rolling to the spot, but hopefully, it will stop in the hole!

Finalizing the Read

You now have your read. Try to validate your read with a 360 walk around the putt and the hole, if you can. I’m a huge fan of speeding up golf, so this may not always be practical, but if you have the ability to view the putt from all angles, you will benefit greatly. Circle around 90 degrees so you are in-between the ball and the hole (roughly perpendicular to the putt line). As you crouch down, you may notice more uphill or downhill nuances.

Look at the area around the hole. The three feet surrounding it are obviously a very important part of the putt. Does the putt run out after the hole? Does the line straighten out before the hole? Is there a big pitch mark on your line? These subtle changes will help you finalize the read.

Final Tips

As you prepare to hit your putt, here are a couple of last-minute thoughts you should keep in mind.

• Wind: Anyone who’s played links golf in Scotland or Ireland will tell you that wind can be a big factor on the green. Wind acts as a force on the ball to push it one way or another. Strong winds can eliminate or enhance the break depending on wind direction.
• Allow for more break on downhill putts: With less momentum on the strike for downhill putts, gravity will act on the ball sooner.
• Miss on the high side: The high side is the side of the cup that’s higher in elevation, the side opposite of the break. Some call the high side the “pro side.” Aside from an opportunity to get a dig on your buddies when they miss on the low side, or “amateur side” of the hole, there is some truth to this tip. Compared to a putt hit at the same speed on the low side, the high side putt will likely come to rest closer to the hole, thus giving you an easier 2-putt.

Now you’re ready to roll the rock! You’ve done all the work—be confident in your read and commit to it.

If it turns out the read was wrong, you can learn from it. The last thing you want to do is hit a putt while you’re still questioning the read. Instead, have a go-to routine. All great putters have a routine, and they can vary wildly, but it helps to have a consistent practice that you can rely on to get your alignment and rhythm dialed in. Take a couple of practice strokes—but please, not 10! As you practice the stroke, try to match the length of your backstroke with the proper pace of the putt. Address the ball and send it off!

Green reading may not seem like the most exciting thing to practice, but I encourage it. It’s a skill like anything else, so you can improve if you give it some time. Next time you hit the practice green, or before your next round, take the time to practice getting a read from a few spots on the green. It’ll only take a couple of minutes but walking through the process will build your confidence in green reading and can help tune your golf senses, which is a great feeling to take to the first tee. And as always, reach out to Curated experts to help! We love nerding out over golf and love to hear the tips you use as well. See you out there!