You could have all the talent in the world, you could hit the ball a mile and save yourself from trouble spots better than the next guy, but if you can’t read the break, you simply can’t take your game to the next level. Ask any professional golfer what separates great players from legends, and they’ll probably tell you it’s their proficiency in reading greens and executing on what they see.
We believe the ability to read and play the break is crucial for amateurs, but most of them don’t put the necessary time in to improve their green reading skills. So in this lesson, we teach you expert tips for reading greens that you can practice at the range and utilize on the course to shed valuable strokes from your score and make a few of those memorable long distance putts.
How to get better at reading greens
Start with distance control. Whatever else you learn in this video hinges upon your ability to control the speed and distance of your putts. Without proper distance control, it doesn’t matter what the slope of the green tells you because you won’t be able to consistently use that information. So, start there.
Once you have a handle on the pace of your putting, PGA Professional Robert Stocke has a few putting tips and drills he thinks will drastically improve your strength in reading greens. He starts by teaching you to imagine yourself throwing a bucket of water at the hole, and seeing how the water runs off the green. You’ll learn why the flow’s direction impacts your putt and how you should play the break.
Then Robert demonstrates what to look for when reading greens and walking the line you expect your ball to travel on its way to the hole. He also shows you how to find the majority of the break, and what you should do with that information. By following Robert’s guidance for reading greens like a pro and using practice drills to hone your distance control and putt pacing, you’ll start sinking longer first putts and leaving yourself tap-ins, and the strokes will fly off your score!
