Is reading greens learnt over time?

[3 jabber]

I use the plumb bob method because I can’t read greens. Personally can’t explain the plumb bob method, but it works for me. If I hit the putt correctly it’s there or thereabouts, the read is usually good.

Remember asking friends and playing partners in the past how to read a green, they’ve tried to explain and show me, I couldn’t see what they were seeing. Of course I can see which way it breaks if it’s obvious, just not how much and where to aim.

Played in a golfer/non golfer thing at my club a couple of years ago, my wife being the non golfer and so she had to take all the putts, she’d never played golf apart from crazy golf. I asked her if she wanted me to show her where to aim, she said no, she could see it herself, and lo and behold, she was there or thereabouts most of the time, her read was spot on. The only thing she couldn’t quite grasp was how fast the greens were when downhill! Zooooommm!!!

A guy in our rollup plumb bobs every putt regardless of distance. He misses every putt regardless of distance

We usually end up giving it to him once he gets inside 6 inches otherwise we'd be there all day

 

[pendodave]

The most obvious thing that people often don't do is watch what happens to balls on the green - approach shots, pitches, chips, all the putts before yours (including the one you just hit 4ft past...).
It's better than all the other methods, but I constantly play with people who don't pay attention.

 

[Orikoru]

The most obvious thing that people often don't do is watch what happens to balls on the green - approach shots, pitches, chips, all the putts before yours (including the one you just hit 4ft past...).
It's better than all the other methods, but I constantly play with people who don't pay attention.

So true that. How many times do we knife a chip past the hole and turn away in disgust, despite the fact it's showing you the line back to the hole perfectly as it rolls by.

 

[Jigger]

I was missing so many putts for months slightly and I honestly thought I was just bad putting.

Anyway got a putter lesson and a few drills and I can hit in 10 putts in a row from the same spot about 2.5 mtrs out.

I then move to another hole in the practice green and same distance out and I miss the first 2-4 putts and then start sinking them.

But I have worked out I actually just cant read greens.

I picture water flowing down them and what they are doing and I still miss. Both above and below the cup but below more often.

Is there a good tip for reading greens?

How far do you miss by and from what distance?

In terms of line I try to visualise a line that the out will take. My weakness is sloping downhill puts personally. I try to read these from multiple directions and the low point as a minimum.

 

[Petercool]

I’m always under 5cm to the edge of a cup. Distance is good usually.

Ironically yesterday in stroke comp I only had 22 putts.
Last Sunday I had 34.

So annoying.

 

[ExRabbit]

I was missing so many putts for months slightly and I honestly thought I was just bad putting.

Anyway got a putter lesson and a few drills and I can hit in 10 putts in a row from the same spot about 2.5 mtrs out.

I then move to another hole in the practice green and same distance out and I miss the first 2-4 putts and then start sinking them.

But I have worked out I actually just cant read greens.

I picture water flowing down them and what they are doing and I still miss. Both above and below the cup but below more often.

Is there a good tip for reading greens?

As a good putter I am finding it hard to find a tip for you.

I played in a scramble today, and on the first green we had a a 10-footer to make par after a nightmare start.

A guy I had never played with in a scramble before knocked it well past the hole and the second guy left it short - and then the first guy started to give me advice about where I should hit mine.

I had to tell him there and then that his advice was only applicable to how hard he hit his putt and that he shouldn't advise me if he couldn't know how hard I was going to hit mine and if he had the right line anyway.

I managed to make that putt, and he didn't say anything again, and at the end of the round he pretty much knew that what I had said was right.

But, to get back to the point - just try to get into the flow of how you putt.

Go onto a good practice green and spend some time there seeing how the ball breaks and so on.

I was lucky that when I first joined a club they had a great practice green with loads of different breaks, and that has helped me greatly since.

I still have the same putter from 1998 when I joined that course.

So, tip no. 2 is - try to keep with a putter that you like, and don't blame missed putts on the putter and keep changing it.

 

[Depreston]

So true that. How many times do we knife a chip past the hole and turn away in disgust, despite the fact it's showing you the line back to the hole perfectly as it rolls by.

Not sure I’m hitting a putt as fast as a knifed chip mind

 

[CountLippe]

The most obvious thing that people often don't do is watch what happens to balls on the green - approach shots, pitches, chips, all the putts before yours (including the one you just hit 4ft past...).
It's better than all the other methods, but I constantly play with people who don't pay attention.

Whilst I 100% agree on paying attention, I'd err on the side of caution when gathering said information. A miss-hit putt or chip will have sidespin on it, so i'd take with a pinch of salt what it does by the hole.