Padraig Harrington lines up a putt last Thursday at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
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Padraig Harrington says he has plenty of advice and he’s not being hyperbolic.
Need proof? Just Google “The most important thing in reading the greens.” We will wait.
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(Makes dinner.) (Reads the book.) (Comes back tomorrow.)
A lot, right? The number of things seemingly matches the blades of grass on a putting surface. Back to Harringtonhowever. He also has one. Should you trust him over others? Fair point. But he is a three-time major winner, and maybe THE the pros who best embraced the idea that in a heavily attended game, playing pros might do well to teach.
Plus, his “most important thing about reading the greens” took only 13 seconds to explain. You can watch it in the following videoreleased on Wednesday by the DP World Tour social media team, and we’ll review below.
Padraig Harrington’s Biggest Green Reading Tip
Pay attention the colors
The most important thing about Harrington? Pay attention to the colors.
“Everything pale is down, and everything dark is up,” Harrington said in the video. “Obviously you need the strong sunlight, so it’s not good when you’re in winter in Ireland or Britain, I guess. But colors, number one.”
Pay attention to the low side of the hole
He had other thoughts as well.
You also have to pay attention to the low side of the hole, he said.
“If you’re out here, somewhere like here,” said Harrington from the DP World Tour’s Ras Al Khaimah Championship, “the low side of the hole always breaks and breaks, so you always aim away from it.”
Focus on the pace above the line
Harrington also said to focus on pace over the line. “Reading the greens,” he said, “if you have good swing, you’re going to be able to gain experience on every putt from what happened. Whereas if you have bad swing and you’re hitting it 6 feet, 4 feet, 10 feet, you’ll never learn how to read the greens.”
Increase the rest when a putt feels uncomfortable
In the video, Harrington said he thought you wouldn’t hear that advice anywhere else.
“If you’re standing on a putt and you don’t feel comfortable, you need to add more leverage,” he said in the video “You need to increase the rest. You really feel bad when you’re going too tight on a line. If you add more , you’ll have a much better shot going with high breaks than going too tight.”
Editor’s Note: Let’s continue the green reading conversation. In 2022, this website published an article titled “10 Ways to Perfect Your Green Read – and Drain More Shots” and that article, written by GOLF Top 100 teacher Kellie Stenzel, can be found. by clicking hereor by moving immediately below.
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My students regularly ask me: How can I get better at green reading? They often say they just can’t see the lines. To which I say, yes, there is an art to the practice, but it is also a science. Try the following methods to help improve your green reading and make more kisses.
1. Know that greens are built for drainage
Course architects have many responsibilities beyond creating masterpieces. The greens are built to drain well so that when it rains water does not collect. When you understand this, you can begin to better understand that greens always have some slope and side slope. You can learn a lot about the design and movement of a green by watching the water flow over it.
Kellie Stenzel, Top 100 Teachers
2. Start reading before you get to the green
You can start to read the dominant slant of green as you approach it. You may see that one side is much higher than the other, or distinguish between high and low points. Greens often slope toward the fairway, rising from back to front. Discovering many of these elements can be easier from a vantage point on the freeway.
3. Priority no. 1: distance and speed
Controlling your distance should be the top priority. If you control your distance well, even if you’re slightly off line, you’ll likely save shots by limiting the three shots. First, determine if your putt is uphill, downhill or flat. If you can’t see it with your eyes, make it a habit to walk across the cup to your ball. Your feet can give you a sense if you are on a steep slope or downhill.
4. Study the area around your line
Determining the lateral slope of a putt can be challenging if you only look at the line between the ball and the cup. I find it easier to read putts if I compare the area about 3 feet to the right of the lane with the area 3 feet to the left. By looking at both sides, it becomes easier to see which is higher. Of course you’ll always want to aim for the high side.
5. ‘Sectionalize’ longer shots
On longer shots, you may have more than one break. For example, one part may be right-to-left and the other left-to-right. Break up longer shots into two or three parts. If you apply the same line reading procedure we described above to each “section” of the shot, you can add these together for an accurate reading. If I had, say, two sections in which the right side was higher and one in which the left side was higher, I would know to aim just slightly right.
6. Walk in small circles
On shorter shots, it can be helpful to walk a circular path on the line directly behind your ball. This will help you feel if you are going up or down. This will also help you feel a subtle slope that you might not see.
