Bryson DeChambeau always looks for the putt when he reads the greens.
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Welcome to Play Smarta regular GOLF.com game improvement column that will help you become a smarter and better golfer.
If you want to hit more putts, you should not only count the stroke, but also your green reading. Having a solid swing and knowing how to read the greens are complementary skills, each useless without the help of the other.
We’ve written a lot on this site about improving your swing, but today we’re covering the next essential element of putting: green reading. In the video below, defending US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau shares a trick he uses when reading the greens—and one you can use the next time you play, too.
Bryson’s trick for reading green
There are many different methods of reading the greens, but according to DeChambeau, the most important factor is learning where the fairways are.
“In classical times, there were things called the ‘zero break line,'” says DeChambeau. “They defined the direct shots.”
For a visual, imagine that there is a pitched roof with a hole cut in its center. If you stand directly above or below the hole, the nail will be perfectly straight. This is the zero break line.
“This is called a planar slope,” says DeChambeau. “You look at a roof, that’s the slope. You see a green one, same thing.”
Another way to identify where a perfectly fair putt is coming from is by looking at how the grain grows around the hole. As DeChambeau explains, grain likes to grow downhill, so if you look at the hole and see one end more worn than the other, it’s likely on the downhill side of the cup.
“The most important thing is to identify the top of the hole and the bottom of the hole,” he says. “They will determine where the fair shots are.”
Once you’ve determined where the fairways are coming from, it becomes much easier to read the greens. The next time you step on the putting surface, find the zero break line and then work from there. You’ll be surprised how much easier reading green becomes.
