In today’s edition of Play Smart, Top 100 GOLF Teacher Andrew Rice shares a clever trick for reading 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.
Becoming a great shooter requires you to master two essential skills. One is, of course, the putting stroke itself. The other is reading green.
Without proper reading, you will never make many kisses. You can have as smooth a shot as Ben Crenshaw, but if you’re not reading the break properly, you have little chance of sinking anything.
Everyone has their own method of reading the greens. Some people rely on their eyes while others use their feet. Some people read putts only from behind the ball, while others bounce all the way through the hole. There is no one FAIR method – all that matters is that you find one that works you.
That said, there are a few tricks you can use to incorporate them into your routine. Check out one below from GOLF Top 100 Teachers Andrew Rice.
A trick for easy green reading
One of the most important things to consider when reading greens is which way the grain is growing. Simply put, this is the direction the individual blades of grass point when laid out. Bermuda greens are known for grainy surfaces, but nearly every grass type is affected by grain.
When you’re reading shot putter, it’s important to note which way the grain is growing. There are a few tricks you can use to determine this (which we’ve covered before), and Rice has another one you can add to the list.
“Wheat grows downhill,” Rice says. “Bermuda grass, bent grass, it all has grain and it all grows in a certain direction. The grain grows downhill.”
You can often determine the direction of the grain based on the appearance of the grass. Grains growing away from you will be shiny, while grains growing towards you will be darker.
“When you get into a green, I want you to start looking for color,” Rice says. “The color will indicate the direction of the slope.”
Once you start noticing different colors for slope and descent, it will be much easier for you to read the greens. Be aware of the color on different parts of the green the next time you step onto the putting surface. If you do, you’ll likely find yourself digging a lot more shots.
