This time of the year in Southern California we are fortunate enough to see some of the fastest and purest putting surfaces which creates fun and exciting playing conditions. These speeds require some changes in the way you navigate yourself around the golf course in order to; make sure to stay below the hole, judge the release of your chip shots, and perhaps the most important of all… adjusting your putting lines to match the speed of the greens.
It is important to note a few things while making these changes; acknowledging that although the greens are extremely quick the ball will actually be taking more time to get to the hole, therefore allowing the putt to break more. Equally important is remembering that a putt will break the most at it slows down which is why you’ll see the majority of the break during the last third of the distance. So make sure to allow for more time and therefore more break to give yourself the best chance at holing putts on fast greens.
When reading downhill or side hill putts, be sure to look for what we call “the fall line”. This line is the true downward direction of the slope, the point at which the putt rolls absolutely straight downhill. When you can determine this, as shown in the video, you can work backwards from the fall line to your ball and use it to funnel your ball into the hole.
As the weather gets colder and the greens continue to speed up, use this knowledge to give yourself an advantage on the greens and make more putts!
It is important to note a few things while making these changes; acknowledging that although the greens are extremely quick the ball will actually be taking more time to get to the hole, therefore allowing the putt to break more. Equally important is remembering that a putt will break the most at it slows down which is why you’ll see the majority of the break during the last third of the distance. So make sure to allow for more time and therefore more break to give yourself the best chance at holing putts on fast greens.
When reading downhill or side hill putts, be sure to look for what we call “the fall line”. This line is the true downward direction of the slope, the point at which the putt rolls absolutely straight downhill. When you can determine this, as shown in the video, you can work backwards from the fall line to your ball and use it to funnel your ball into the hole.
As the weather gets colder and the greens continue to speed up, use this knowledge to give yourself an advantage on the greens and make more putts!