How to Read a Green

The most important part of making a putt is reading the putt correctly. In order to get the right line, you must know how to read the green so you know what the line is. Many people get down on their knees and look at the hole from behind the ball or in a spider pose like Camillo. But whatever you do, make sure you do these five things. While this is a good start, it is by no means the only thing you should do when reading a putt. Like any addictive process, it too has a 5 step process.

Step #1

Mark your ball. Use your lucky penny or a Ritz cracker like Happy Gilmore, but this is important. What this does and it mentally prepares you for the upcoming putt. Once you mark your ball, you are in putting mode. You have to detach yourself from the previous shot you hit, good or bad. It is time to putt and this is your cue to focus on that. Go to your happy zone if you need too, just don't punch Bob Barker.

Step #2

Step back lean down and check the line. Get an opening feel of the line. But, at this point your main focus should be whether the putt is uphill or downhill and looking for any big ridges. So, the uphill/downhill factor may be obvious, but sometimes it is not. You just want to get a feel for what the speed will be like. Also, look for any big ridges that will heavily influence your putt. If there are, you need to separate the putt out into two putts, having a line your each side of the ridge. We will go over this later. But, after looking behind the ball, you should have an idea of speed and also what big ridges are if your way, if there are any.

Step #3

After this, you should walk to the other side of the hole. But, you should walk on the bottom on the line. By that, I mean if you think the putt will move to the right, walk down the right hand side. This allows you to visually look at the slope, up the slope. So, while you are walking you can check out the slope. You should always be looking. Then, look at the line from the other side. This gives you a better idea of the line. You get a different perspective and this allows you to further pick your line.

Step #4a

If there are any big ridges, this step is a must. What you must do is look at the putt as two putts. Focus on a line for each side of the putt and line up the two putts as you would if they were by themselves. Also, stand where the ridge is to look at the line from there.

Step #4b

Now, after all that background research, you make a final read of the green from behind the ball like you did in step #2. This is where you finalize your line and speed. With the help of the other looks, your read should be more clear.

Step #5

Replace your ball. Now, you are ready. You should pick a line and a speed and be ready to roll (pun intended). You need to stay confident on your read and hit the putt.

So, that is the five step process. This may seem really long, but it is doable. You can start it when other people are putting and you don't need to look behind the hole for an hour like Ben Crane (he is slow, sorry, but the truth hurts). Just be respectful of place of play, but this is the key to getting a good line. Happy Putting!

~Hogie