gutter credit tk
Illustrations by Chris O’Rileya heads-up approach▶ Start reading as you get closer
to the green. Scan the whole
thing, looking for general slopes.
Even note the terrain around the
green to help figure which part of
it is highest. Imagine which way
water would flow if you poured
some on the green. The ball will
always break in that direction.
On this green, water would move
toward the front on the lower tier
and to the right on the top tier.speed is not uniform▶ Grain in bentgrass and
Bermuda grass (think the
blades) doesn’t follow the sun;
it always grows downhill. Putts
into the grain (dull appearance)
are typically a little slower than
downgrain (shiny). Also realize
a putt might start uphill or
downhill, downgrain or into the
grain, but finish in the opposite
condition. A putt from the front
tier here will start uphill, but
finish downhill, breaking right.listen to your feet▶ Your feet should be collecting
data about the predominant
break. If you’re favoring one
foot over the other as you stand,
you know that foot is a little
downhill. Also pay attention to
the firmness of the surface, but
don’t assume harder greens
are faster. A green that’s wilting
might be slick, but speed is much
more affected by the time of day.
Greens get slower later in the day
as the grass grows.check your six▶ Here’s a trick: Find the lowest
spot around the hole in relation
to your ball. Now think of a
clockface. The lowest spot is
the “6” on the face. Now picture
the rest of the clockface. Balls in
line with numbers 1 to 5 on the
clockface and the cup will break
left. Balls in line with numbers 11
to 7 will break right. If it’s on line
with 12 or 6 and the hole, you’ve
got a straight putt. In this case,
it’s in line with 10, so you know it
will break right.check the cup▶ You might notice that the
grass around the lip of the hole
is often crusty on one side and
fairly pristine on the other. This
often happens on bentgrass
and Bermuda grass surfaces
because of grain. If it’s crusty
on one side, that side is lower
(downgrain), and the putt
will break in that direction.▶ luke donald led the PGA
Tour in the strokes gained/
putting stat for three
consecutive years.