Putting is a combination of the mind, reading and execution. I have maintained my 12 handicap over the last twenty years simply by increasing my prowess on the green, while age has negatively impacted most of the other parts of my game. This article deals with the second aspect of the putting triad, reading greens.
A golf green is like a book, not a sentence. If you are on a strange course and didnt take a couple minutes on the practice green, it is like you are opening up a mystery novel at chapter 14 instead of the first page. Thats fine if you want to learn the “plot” during the next few chapters/greens, but your score and countenance will reflect your early confusion.
Let us assume that you took a little time on the practice green before assaulting the course. Do not try to fix flaws in your putting technique during your few minutes practicing. Instead, determine two things:
1) The speed of the green (stimp)
2) How much the ball breaks at that green speed.
So instead of concentrating on draining putts, get a solid feel for the speed. Try various distances along with uphill, downhill and side hill. Remember how much your ball...