One of the most important parts of your warm-up before a round is getting a feel for the speed of the greens. It’s one of the quickest ways to build up your confidence and avoid unnecessary and frustrating three-putts.
However, most golfers don’t know how to calibrate their stroke for new, or changing green conditions. I always tell my students that if you catch yourself saying, “The greens are really fast,” or “The greens are really slow,” during the round, you probably didn’t prepare properly.
The good news is you only need about 10 minutes on the practice green to get a feel for green speeds. Follow along with my step-by-step guide below to learn how.
1. Check the practice green vs. course greens
Start by finding out whether the practice green matches the speed of the greens on the course. They are similar most of the time, but not always. If they’re different, don’t skip this step — just keep that difference in mind as you adjust your stroke and reads during your warm-up.
Begin with a simple, flat putt of about 15 feet. Use two or three balls and roll them without worrying too much about break or exact aim. The goal here is just to get an initial feel for speed. If the greens are slow, make your backstroke longer than usual. If they’re fast, shorten the backstroke and consider gripping the putter lower to improve control. Once you can roll a few putts in a row close to the cup, you’ll have a solid starting read on the speed.
3. Uphill and downhill putts (3 minutes)
Move to a longer putt — around 25 to 30 feet — that allows you to go back and forth between uphill and downhill. If the greens are slow, start with the uphill putt. If they’re fast, start with downhill. As you go back and forth, focus on adjusting your stroke size to manage distance. Stay here until you begin to make these changes naturally. For example, uphill into the grain may require more force than you think, while downhill putts will likely need a softer, more delicate stroke.
4. Sidehill putts (3 minutes)
Now find a sidehill putt of similar length. Roll a few across the slope and pay attention to how much the ball breaks. Ask yourself whether the break is more or less than you expected. This will be key information once you’re out on the course and dealing with real putts that break across slopes.
5. Random putts (3 minutes)
Finish by moving around the green, hitting putts of varying distances and slopes. Mix in uphill, downhill, sidehill and flat putts. Pay attention to any tendencies — like leaving putts short on fast greens or over-reading breaks. Make small internal adjustments based on what you notice. You’ll know you’re ready when a variety of putts start consistently finishing near the cup.