Reading The Greens Like a Pro

Have you ever had to face the situation where you hit a ball youthought was rolling in only to see it move widely to the right?Chances are that you misunderstood the green if this hashappened. Experience, sound judgment and skill are required forproper reading of the greens; so teaches my golf lessons.

Reading greens is very significant to dive more putts becausethere is no cut and dry rule for the determination of thedirection a ball should start on, based on the slope of thegreen and the distance to the hole. And any day sinking moreputts results in a lower golf handicap as my golf tips explain.

Lets pause a while and talk about the speed of a ball. Inputting, ball speed plays a critical role. The factors thatinfluence it are: (1) water content of the grass, (2) thedirection of the growth of the grass, (3) the kind of grass youare putting on. Fast greens have the tendency to carry the ballaway from the target and damp greens have the tendency to hamperthe speed of the ball.

Considering how these factors influence your putt, judging agreen rightly aids you to determine not only the direction ofthe putt but also its speed. We recommend nurturing a routine ofreading green to polish your skill at this technique.

Before venturing into specifics, let’s take a look at thesequence of putting. Firstly, all the elements determining ballspeed and direction are lapped up by your subconscious mind.Secondly, you make up your mind how hard to hit the ball andwhere to hit it. Now, you putt. By observing the putt you judgehow accurate you read is. You have read the green correctly ifthe putt goes in but you may have made a wrong judgment if itdrifts by the hole.

To read a green correctly my golf tip emphasizes that experiencematters to a great extent. In spite of this, I recommend thatwhen you study a green you keep the following points in mind:

As you approach the green, start thinking about the line of theputt. Whether it slopes to the right or the left, the nicestview of the slope of the green is around 20 yards away from it.While you stand on the green, you may miss this. If the groundaround the green to the right, then the green possibly slopes tothe right too.

The green makes a basin that is filled up with water, if thegreen slides to the opposite direction. Trust me, no landscapearchitect who has any self-esteem will do such a thing.

If you check it from the side of the green you will know whetheryou have a downhill or an uphill putt. For the best view andaccounting the ball’s speed, the side of the green is ideal. Incase of putts that are downhill, the ideal perspective forjudging the slope of the terrain is provided by the low side ofthe green.

To understand the area surrounding the hole, stand behind thehole. This area is very important for the reason that the ballloses much of its speed by the time it reaches the hole. We seethat the ground can really affect the direction of the ball.

To make a last decision on the speed and direction of the puttplace yourself behind the ball. Your impression of the line andyour perspective are surely to change if you position yourselfabove the ball. To take a final observation, being behind theball is the ideal way to stand. Don’t convert your decision, butstick to it firmly.

Lastly, do not turn away in desperation if you see the balldrift by the hole. You cannot check the accuracy of your readinguntil after you hit the ball because there is negligiblefeedback before and during a putt. You need to ask yourself afew key questions like: Did it have the right on line? Did itmove at the right speed? Did it take the right direction?

It is very important to answer these questions if you want tobetter your sense of reading greens and sinking more putts.Succeeding at that will definitely bring down your golfhandicap. So says my golf lessons.

About the author:
Reggie Dunn is a long time golfer and lover of the game. Get more information about golf at his blog, which can be found at golf lesson

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