The Masters tournament is done for another year and a deserving champion donned the green jacket. Rory’s win was a testament to great ball striking but more importantly it show-cased his great short game and putting. For all those that have played Augusta National during the Masters tournament, putting on the sloping greens can be a bit like putting on a downhill ice rink on one hole and then like putting on the side of a mountain on the next hole.
Putting on undulating, fast, sloping greens will really put your ability to choose the correct line and speed for your putt to the test. Of course this is the case with all putting but when the slopes are severe there are some extra things to consider. I thought I would give you 3 tips to help you successfully navigate undulating greens.
1. Aim higher than you think – When putting on sloping greens the steeper the slope the more gravity will have an effect on your ball. As the ball breaks it will gather speed as it starts going down the hill. Most of you will understand this and will pick your high point to aim at. In reality once the ball starts rolling off your putter it will start breaking, so by the time it reaches where you picked your high point to be, the ball is likely to already be below the point you chose. And it will be gathering speed and not only missing the hole low but also running past the hole. So you need to start your putt higher than your high point so that your ball hits that point on the way down to the hole.
Of course the opposite is true for uphill putts. The ball needs to be hit harder so gravity has less affect on it: so aim a little closer to the hole that you might initially think.
2. Start reading your putt before you get to the green – I know a few of you use carts so you might find this a little trickier to do but walking up to the green has the advantage of being able to see the green from a different angle which can help you gain a more complete picture of the breaks. This is a tip I picked up from Tom Watson……… and if it’s good enough for him it’s good enough for me! For example, greens often tilt from back to front or from one side to another and the extent of this slope is often not as obvious when you are standing on the green. Detecting many of these elements can be easier from a vantage point in the fairway. So start thinking about your putt as you approach the green.
3. Trust your instincts – There are a lot of things that you see, or feel, or visualise on a green that are instinctive. A lot of times I have a pretty good idea of what line I am going to start the ball on before I even begin to read my putt in the traditional sense. I do this by walking around the green viewing my putt from multiple angles, which helps me observe and assess the slope and break from different perspectives. You can do this while your mates are playing their shots. I find looking at putts from the low side is best for this. By walking around this also allows me to use my feet to assess break. If you have more weight on one foot than the other then the ball will break in that direction. You can also visualise what direction the water flows off the green; this not only helps you read a slope it can also tell you what way the grass is growing. If the grass is darker in colour than normal it means you are looking into the growing pattern of the grass (grain) and so the putt will be slower. Likewise, if the grass is lighter in colour it means you are putting in the direction that the grass is growing and so the putt will be quicker. After gathering a bit of information, trust your gut, and approach the putt with confidence.
By combining observation, visualisation, and instinct with a bit of practice, I’m sure your confidence in reading sloping greens will improve and you can shoot better scores. To book a lesson visit michaellonggolf.com.
