How to Master the Greens
27. Februar 2024
How to Master the Greens is a short golf blog post that looks at the key points to becoming a putting genius.
We all want to improve our scores on the golf course and one of the easiest ways is to improve on the greens.
But how can you improve your score on the greens I hear you ask. Well, the answer is quite simple.
You will need to master as many of the following jigsaw pieces as possible to help create a complete picture.
How to Master the Greens
Reading the Greens
Before you even reach the green, you should be studying it as you walk towards it.
Look for undulations, high points, low points and tilt.
Absorb as much information as possible before you arrive at your ball.
Check your putter is right for you
There are too many golfers out there who are still using the wrong putter.
Whether it’s a Blade, Mid Mallet or a Mallet, make sure it fits your stroke.
Straight back and through stroke suits a Mallet head.
A slight curving stroke suits a Mid Mallet head.
A strong curving stroke suits a Blade head or a Heel & Toe as we used to call them.
Another very important point is to make sure that the length of the shaft suits you as a person.
Depending on your body height and wrist-to-floor measurements will determine the length of the shaft required.
Standard Putter shafts usually come in lengths between 32″ to 36″. Ask your local expert for help.
Aiming the Putter
Learning to aim your putter correctly is also an important part.
After all, how do you expect to hole a putt if you can’t aim the club face properly?
There are lots of training aids on the market to help you with this one.
To practice your aim, first of all, draw a straight line on your golf ball.
Make sure that the line on your ball, points directly at your target, whether that is the hole or the apex of your line.
Eye Position
As a right-handed player, the ball position should be left of center and your left eye should be directly over the ball.
To test this, take your normal putting stance, hold a ball at your left eye and drop it. It should hit the ball in play.
I always teach beginners to have the club head in the middle of the stance. This means that the ball is left of center.
Control the Speed
It is often asked what is more important, the line of putt or the speed of putt.
Let me putt you out of your misery, speed is the most important part of being more successful on the greens.
There are lots of ways to practice this but here are my top 3 tips on learning distance control.
1. Once on the practice putting green, throw down 6 balls randomly and putt them all to the green edge.
Repeat this as often as possible from different distances to help improve your speed.
2. If you are a right-handed player, place your left hand behind your back and putt it with just your right hand.
You have a natural feel in your dominant hand and using this more often during practice will help improve your distance.
3. Practice putting with your eyes closed. This will help improve your feel for the length and speed of your putting stroke.
It will also help you develope a great touch and feel around the greens and it will help boost your confidence.
Lag Putting
Lag putting tends to be on longer putts of over 30 feet.
The idea is not to hole the putt but to finish within a short putt distance.
Every golfer should measure how good they are at lagging by using the 10% rule.
If the putt is from 30 feet then the ball should end up 3 feet or less.
Take 10 balls to the practice green and hit them all towards the hole, 30 feet away, if you get 8 within 3 feet, you’re good.
Putting on Slow/Fast Greens
Every golfer knows what their preference regarding the speed of the green. Some like them fast and some like them slow.
This all depends on the putting action. Whether you hit your putts or stroke your putts.
Remember this, when putting on a slow green, concentrate on the speed and reduce the amount of break.
When putting on fast greens, concentrate more on the line and use a gentle stroke to carry the ball to the hole.
Stop 3 Putting
It sounds so simple because it is. Follow the above steps and reduce your 3 putting NOW!
So if you want to know How to Master the Greens, try out all of the above and see how much you improve.
What are your thoughts on How to Master the Greens?
Have I missed anything?
Please leave a comment by filling out a Contact Form.
To read more of my Golf blog posts, click here.