Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.
Becoming a great putter requires you to master two crucial skills. One is, of course, the putting stroke itself. The other is reading the green.
Without the proper read, you’ll never make many putts. You could have a stroke as smooth as Ben Crenshaw, but if you aren’t reading the correct break, you have little chance of sinking anything.
Everyone has their own method for reading greens. Some people rely on their eyes while others use their feet. Some people read putts only from behind the ball, while others stalk all the way around the hole. There’s no one right method — all that matters is that you find one that works for you.
That said, there are certain tricks you can employ to incorporate into your own routine. Check out one below from GOLF Top 100 Teacher Andrew Rice.
The absolute BEST way to determine which way a putt breaks! pic.twitter.com/GYfsSOZe9b
— Andrew Rice (@AndrewRiceGolf) December 5, 2024
A trick for easy green reading
One of the most important things to keep in mind when reading greens is which way the grain is growing. Simply put, this is the direction the individual blades of grass are pointing when they lay down. Bermuda greens are well-known for having grainy surfaces, but just about every grass type is affected by grain.
When you’re reading putts, it’s important you note which way the grain is growing. There are certain tricks you can use to determine this (which we’ve covered before), and Rice has another one you can add to the list.
“Grain grows downhill,” Rice says. “Bermuda grass, bent grass, it all has grain and it all grows in a certain direction. Grain grows downhill.”
You can often determine the direction of the grain based on how the grass looks. Grain growing away from you will be shiny while grain growing toward you will be darker.
“When you step onto a putting green I want you to start looking for color,” Rice says. “The color is going to indicate the direction of the incline.”
Once you start noticing different colors for upslopes and downslopes, it will become much easier for you to read greens. Take note of the color in different parts of the green next time you step on the putting surface. If you do, you’ll likely find yourself holing many more putts.
