The golf course in itself performs a part in how your ball travels to the cup. Putting greens are never a perfect surface and even the best kept courses will have defects that offer a direct influence on how your ball will roll to the cup. To build on how you read golf greens, ensure you take as many into account as possible:
Divots - These are the marks due to ball coming onto the green and making a hollow in the surface. Although golf etiquette declares that players repair their divots, other players have a tendency to forget and even if they did attempt them, may not do so in the correct way. Making an attempt to repair a divot yourself is a good idea if you see one in your path. If you don't see one that your ball bounces over that causes the putt to travel off line you need to just deal with it and go on.
Dead Grass - While there will not be a conspicuous dead patch on the green much of the time, there'll be small spots that are hardly conspicuous. If you're putting over this surface, chances are it'll roll differently than when its gliding across the live stuff.
Length of Grass - Most golfers know that longer grass means putts will roll slower, and also means the putts should have less break. If you do not trust me roll a ball across your desk and see how much it waffles as it starts slowing down. The more grass means the more friction that reduces gravity's effect on your ball.
Moisture - If you are playing after a rain or the presence of dew you will notice a repercussion on speed and roll of the ball. You will see a "rooster tail" of the water flying behind after the ball travels across it. This typically requires a little more speed to be put on your putts.
Grain - This is something you have got to watch for particularly on Bermuda grass greens, the direction of the grain can influence speed and break.
Wind - On most days the wind has an exceedingly minor effect on your putts, but especially breezy days can actually swing your putts off line. Don't worry about playing the wind because it comes in gusts. If you play the wind and hit a great putt but the wind stops blowing, you'll be aggravated that you missed.
By factoring all of these into your green reading, you may be able to make more of your putts. As a newbie, if your problem isn't in knowing where to hit the ball and how hard, then you could have a problem with the mechanics.
Divots - These are the marks due to ball coming onto the green and making a hollow in the surface. Although golf etiquette declares that players repair their divots, other players have a tendency to forget and even if they did attempt them, may not do so in the correct way. Making an attempt to repair a divot yourself is a good idea if you see one in your path. If you don't see one that your ball bounces over that causes the putt to travel off line you need to just deal with it and go on.
Dead Grass - While there will not be a conspicuous dead patch on the green much of the time, there'll be small spots that are hardly conspicuous. If you're putting over this surface, chances are it'll roll differently than when its gliding across the live stuff.
Length of Grass - Most golfers know that longer grass means putts will roll slower, and also means the putts should have less break. If you do not trust me roll a ball across your desk and see how much it waffles as it starts slowing down. The more grass means the more friction that reduces gravity's effect on your ball.
Moisture - If you are playing after a rain or the presence of dew you will notice a repercussion on speed and roll of the ball. You will see a "rooster tail" of the water flying behind after the ball travels across it. This typically requires a little more speed to be put on your putts.
Grain - This is something you have got to watch for particularly on Bermuda grass greens, the direction of the grain can influence speed and break.
Wind - On most days the wind has an exceedingly minor effect on your putts, but especially breezy days can actually swing your putts off line. Don't worry about playing the wind because it comes in gusts. If you play the wind and hit a great putt but the wind stops blowing, you'll be aggravated that you missed.
By factoring all of these into your green reading, you may be able to make more of your putts. As a newbie, if your problem isn't in knowing where to hit the ball and how hard, then you could have a problem with the mechanics.
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