The definitive guide to green reading

[tongzilla]

vj,

I am convinced that my poor putting is due mostly to poor green reading skills. There seems to be so many puts that break the opposite way of the slope. Or putts that break when the green looks flat, or doesn't break when there's clearly a slope. Please give us a definitive system for reading greens! I have tried practicing by putting around a 6 feet circumference from the hole, so I learn how the putt breaks from every angle. But I only get good at that particular green -- it doesn't really work when I face something new. Lets hear what the Guru has to say.

[bts]

For me, it's more of imaging the roll of the ball on the surface and creating it with a stroke of "straight-putt".

[Augusta Golf]

vj,

I am convinced that my poor putting is due mostly to poor green reading skills. There seems to be so many puts that break the opposite way of the slope. Or putts that break when the green looks flat, or doesn't break when there's clearly a slope. Please give us a definitive system for reading greens! I have tried practicing by putting around a 6 feet circumference from the hole, so I learn how the putt breaks from every angle. But I only get good at that particular green -- it doesn't really work when I face something new. Lets hear what the Guru has to say.

It's good to see I'm not the only one with this problem. A few days this year I have seen the line on almost every putt, but the rest were like searching blindfolded. The worst part is that I've played for a long, long time and I study putts from all sides. Give me bent grass and I have a chance

[jamnet]

I have found, when I am putting on unfamiliar greens, I am most successful when I use the Zero Break Line method … I found out about this method from another web site ... so I’m not too sure if I should post the URL here, but I keep coming back to that method and it works for me.

Thanks.

[Augusta Golf]

I'm pretty sure that means hit it so hard it will fly through the air and into the hole Probably this requires verticle hinge action!

[Mike O]

A lot of times pros don't necessarily aim right at the pin but leave some room for margin - given the hazards on a hole. This assumes two things-

1) that you have some control over your ball flight and
2) that you don't have complete control over your ball flight.

That said- another potential factor besides hazards, green slope, etc. that may determine where you aim might be the balls from your foursome that are already on the green. Assuming you end up inside them on a good line- now you get a "real read" from their putts as opposed to an "imagined read" of your putt. I'm not saying that would 100% control where you aim but it might be one of the factors of many that determine how aggressive or where you aim with your approach shot.

If one found that to be significantly beneficial- then it would not only control your approach shot but also your tee shot. In order for you to be the last one hitting into the green i.e. furthest off the tee - assuming shorter holes where you had an opportunity to let club selection determine how far you hit the ball off the tee.

[jamnet]

This is how the web site defines ZBL …. If you’re struggling reading breaks try this, it does work!! Also, using the ZBL aim point is excellent for gauging how hard/soft you have to roll a straight uphill/downhill putt....

Zero Break Line Putting
If the green surface for the putt is basically flat although tilted, you can find one aim spot for any putt of the same length by identifying the fall-line through the hole (the "zero break line" or ZBL) where all putts up or down are perfectly straight, walk around the hole in a semicircle from your ball to a side on putt to the hole of the same length that is perpendicular to the ZBL (and hence has no elevation change up or down from there to the hole), and visualize this putt at regular speed to imagine how far below the hole such a putt would roll low and cross the ZBL; the aim spot for ALL PUTTS OF THE SAME LENGTH is that far above the hole along the ZBL.

The short version of the ZBL method is:

Whenever your putt runs across sloped but basically a flat zone of the green, the aim point for any breaking putt is above the hole on a line through the hole that is straight uphill and downhill. There is one aim spot for all putts of the same length, regardless of the starting position of the ball across the flat slope. The distance of this aim point above the hole is found by imagining the path of a putt of the same length and speed made from pin high directly at the hole to visualize how far downhill the ball will curve. The aim spot is this same distance ABOVE the hole, for any putt of this same length and speed. Sounds tricky, but it's really simple and applies to perhaps over half of all putts.