Ever created a green guide for your home course?

[Airlie_Andy]

Anyone ever created a "greens guide" for your home course? By greens guide I mean a scale drawing of each green with the bumps and slopes showing direction of brakes with accompanying notes like "doesn't break as much as it looks" or something similar? I know it sounds incredibly geeky but I'm considering doing this and just wondered if anyone had done it and had some tips?

 

[brendy]

Not geeky at all, it all comes down to course management and how far you want to take it.
I really should as some of our greens have sneaky breaks when it looks obvious to turn one way, it goes the other and never learn.

 

[Airlie_Andy]

Not geeky at all, it all comes down to course management and how far you want to take it.
I really should as some of our greens have sneaky breaks when it looks obvious to turn one way, it goes the other and never learn.

This is exactly what I'm thinking. I play these greens all the time but still miss read some putts so a few notes might be helpful to remind me. Also maybe breaking the green down into zones and aiming for a particular zone depending on where the pin is for an easier putt? Not that I'll be able to pull the shot off but at least I had a plan.

 

[SGC001]

Anyone ever created a "greens guide" for your home course? By greens guide I mean a scale drawing of each green with the bumps and slopes showing direction of brakes with accompanying notes like "doesn't break as much as it looks" or something similar? I know it sounds incredibly geeky but I'm considering doing this and just wondered if anyone had done it and had some tips?

One idea is to take some photos of the green when / if they flood a little as this'll show the low and high spots.

 

[Ian_S]

I keep telling myself I'm going to make a yardbook for my course, but I've not got round to it. The main holes it's needed for are the doglegs where the on-course yardage markers are a bit weird, plus it would help to know the depth of the greens - a shot from the 150 marker could be anything from a 9i to a 6i depending on wind, elevation and pin position on some holes.

A green guide sounds fun too. I'd love to see what you end up with

 

[Robobum]

Don't you just have one inprinted on your noggin after a period of time?!

I don't bother reading greens in friendly knocks as I know the breaks. I do still read them when it matters, more as a habit and just a reaffirmation - just a wobbly stroke to let me down

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Did my own yardage chart for Wimbledon Common years ago, pacing it all out by foot. I did a couple of holes per day as it was obviously a little time consuming. Probably not that accurate but c1983 there was precious little options and the club hadn't paid for a strokesaver to be done. I never did the greens as I had a really good knowledge and they were pretty small.

I would be tempted to do something with the Ascot greens as there are one or two where the eye says one thing and the ball does another. I think Hawkeye had a putt on the 12th last year. It went one way when he played the comp at a weekend and when we tried to recreate it in a friendly round a day or so later it went the other!

 

[harpo_72]

I was playing with one the club's scratch team, he had mapped all the greens. Amazingly he gave me all the lines, I knocked it round in -1 but could have been -2 or -3 had I got my pace right. This was just the front nine. It was a massive lesson, seriously do it, standing over a putt knowing for sure what it will do makes it a lot easier.

 

[3565]

I should do but I've been on the Aimpoint seminar and use the chart to determine the breaks on single planer greens, off on the advanced course in May which will deal with double breaks and green mapping amongst other things.

 

[chrisd]

Did my own yardage chart for Wimbledon Common years ago, pacing it all out by foot. I did a couple of holes per day as it was obviously a little time consuming. Probably not that accurate but c1983 there was precious little options and the club hadn't paid for a strokesaver to be done. I never did the greens as I had a really good knowledge and they were pretty small.

I would be tempted to do something with the Ascot greens as there are one or two where the eye says one thing and the ball does another. I think Hawkeye had a putt on the 12th last year. It went one way when he played the comp at a weekend and when we tried to recreate it in a friendly round a day or so later it went the other!

Didn't you do the Aimpoint course and say it was really helpful, if so, why the need to do a mapping

I should do but I've been on the Aimpoint seminar and use the chart to determine the breaks on single planer greens, off on the advanced course in May which will deal with double breaks and green mapping amongst other things.

So, is it any good?

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I haven't, but it has crossed my mind to make a note of the breaks from time to time. In fact I was thinking about it after Saturdays round. There are some very subtle breaks at our place which are difficult to read despite the fact I've now played there for 3 years! I doubt I ever will though.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Did my own yardage chart for Wimbledon Common years ago, pacing it all out by foot. I did a couple of holes per day as it was obviously a little time consuming. Probably not that accurate but c1983 there was precious little options and the club hadn't paid for a strokesaver to be done. I never did the greens as I had a really good knowledge and they were pretty small.

I would be tempted to do something with the Ascot greens as there are one or two where the eye says one thing and the ball does another. I think Hawkeye had a putt on the 12th last year. It went one way when he played the comp at a weekend and when we tried to recreate it in a friendly round a day or so later it went the other!

I did indeed, that putt goes left all day long, except that one time when it went right, those are the subtle breaks I'm talking about in my previous post. There is also an oddity on the front of the 15th where it seems to go one way 90% of the time and the other 10%

 

[dotty001]

havnt , but i did think about it , during this winter when playing on my own late afternoon i have rolled a few putts on certain tricky greens to try and get a greater understanding , problem is i will forget all ive learned come the summer

 

[MegaSteve]

Are greens not 'living things'... Change their characteristics depending on time of day when they were last cut etc etc... Suspect many this coming summer will be quite different to last following any settlement after all this wet weather we are 'enjoying'....

 

[3565]

Didn't you do the Aimpoint course and say it was really helpful, if so, why the need to do a mapping




So, is it any good?

it depends on how you are as a golfer. Do you need exact yardage to the pin, or will centre of the green just do? Aimpoint is just that, giving you a precise reading of the amount of break to play. Now, it's down to the individuals assessment of the green, we could have the same putt and your judgement maybe different to mine and you hole and I miss! It may sound and look complicated but like most things new you have to learn and trust it. It has given me a better understanding of green reading and have I holed more putts, well that depends on your aim, stroke, speed, and vagaries of then green after the ball leaves the putter face. But it's a freakish sensation when you work out the break and think never in a month so Sundays is it that much, hit the putt and it starts to break right into the cup! Now there is a new quick 5sec green read by Aimpoint which not as accurate as the chart but gives a rough idea of the break, by holding your arm outstretched and holding the required number of fingers up to the hole. Bizarre.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I should do but I've been on the Aimpoint seminar and use the chart to determine the breaks on single planer greens, off on the advanced course in May which will deal with double breaks and green mapping amongst other things.

Been on the beginner course too and use the chart to plot the break so that's been my excuse for not bothering