Reading Greens

[Nick_Toye]

Nick, I see you take golf pretty seriously as you play off 27 and take putting stats.

I don't think there are any short cuts to becoming a good putter. It is basically something that is difficult to teach and you cannot really buy.

Hard work on the practice green to understand line and pace is the answer. Preferably a fast running one with lots of breaks.

Putting stats can be so misleading.
18 holes where you miss 18 x 6 foot putts gives you a 2.0 putting average = poor putting
18 holes where you two putt from 60 foot gives you a 2.0 putting average = very good putting.

Yeah I agree with that. My best putting performance was 34 putts, 6 of which were one putts. I only had 2 GIR though and neither of them resulted in me putting once to finish the hole.

My Putts per GIR is 2.5.

 

[Nick_Toye]

I think I am dyslexic when it comes to reading greens, I think the ball will go one way and then it goes the other. Yesterday I played in a team open so was getting advice from my playing partners, "an inch to the right" "just inside the left lip" my main thought was "How do you know that?"

Exactly my problem.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Yeah I agree with that. My best putting performance was 34 putts, 6 of which were one putts. I only had 2 GIR though and neither of them resulted in me putting once to finish the hole.

My Putts per GIR is 2.5.

I generally find that golfers use putting stats as a bandage to cover other areas of their game which are not so good.

As a probably tiresome teenager I remember moaning about a round scattered with 3 putts to a seasoned caddy.

Ken the secret to stop 3 putting son....he said.
Get yer 'flipping' shots closer to the pin.

Sound advice.

 

[Nick_Toye]

I generally find that golfers use putting stats as a bandage to cover other areas of their game which are not so good.

As a probably tiresome teenager I remember moaning about a round scattered with 3 putts to a seasoned caddy.

Ken the secret to stop 3 putting son....he said.
Get yer 'flipping' shots closer to the pin.

Sound advice.

I'm not bandaging over anything.

 

[North Mimms]

you might be managing reasonable putting stats despite being poor at reads if your weight of putt is good.

I've always been quite good at visualising the break of a putt (I tend to use the "water running downhill image) but was still a poor putter because i had very poor feel for weight: no good knowing that it breaks 6" before hole if you leave putt 12" short.

 

[Nick_Toye]

you might be managing reasonable putting stats despite being poor at reads if your weight of putt is good.

I've always been quite good at visualising the break of a putt (I tend to use the "water running downhill image) but was still a poor putter because i had very poor feel for weight: no good knowing that it breaks 6" before hole if you leave putt 12" short.

I guess its how we perceive things.