Padraig Harrington made his putt at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic last Thursday.
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Padraig Harrington says there's a lot of skill involved, but he's not exaggerating.
Need proof? Just google “most important things to read about greenery”. We will wait.
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[Makes dinner.] [Reads book.] [Comes back tomorrow.]
A lot, right? The number of objects appeared to match the number of blades of grass on the surface of the putter. But, back to Harrington. He has one too. Should you trust him instead of others? Be fair. But he is a three-time Grand Slam champion, so to speak this The pro players who are most receptive to this concept are: Pro players can teach well in games with high participation.
Plus, it only took him 13 seconds to explain “the most important thing about reading the green.” You can watch it in the video below, which was posted by the DP World Tour social media team on Wednesday and we'll review it below.
Padraig Harrington’s Biggest Tip for Green Reading
Notice color
What's the most important thing about Harrington? Pay attention to the colors.
“Anything pale is downhill, anything dark is uphill,” Harrington says in the film. “Obviously you need strong sunlight, so I guess when you're in winter in Ireland or the UK, it's not great. But color comes first.
Note the low side of the hole
He had other ideas.
You should also pay attention to the low side of the hole, he said.
“If you’re out here, in a place like this,” Harrington said at the DP World Tour’s Ras Al Khaimah Championship, “there’s always going to be wear and tear on the low side of the hole, so always aim away from there. .
Focus on line speed
Harrington also said to focus on speed at the line. “Read the green,” he said, “and if you're in good rhythm, you're going to get experience out of every putt. However, if your pace is bad and you're hitting shots 6 feet, 4 feet, 10 feet, then you'll never learn how to read a green.
Increase rest time when putting feels uncomfortable
Harrington says in the film he doesn't think you'll hear this tip anywhere else.
“If you don't feel comfortable standing on the putter, you need to add more leverage,” he said in the video. “You need to add more breakout. When your line is too narrow, you're really going to feel bad. If you add more line, you'll get a better putting stroke by hitting it high than hitting it too tight.
Editor’s note: Let’s continue our green reading conversation. In 2022, the site published an article titled “10 Ways to Perfect Green Reading and Burn More Putts,” written by Kellie Stenzel, a top-100 golf coach. Can be found in Click hereor scroll directly below.
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My students often ask me: How can I improve my green reading skills? They often say they just can't see the line. To this I would say, yes, practice is an art, but it is also a science. Try the following methods to help improve your green reading and make more putts.
1. Know that greens are built for drainage
Course architects have many responsibilities besides creating masterpieces. The greens are well drained so water does not accumulate when it rains. When you understand this, you can begin to better see that greens will always have some degree of slope and side slope. If you look at the way water flows through a green, you can learn a lot about the design and movement of the green.
10 Ways to Perfect Your Green Reading and Make More Putts
go through:
Kellie Stenzel, Top 100 Teacher
2. Start reading before you hit the green
As you approach the green, you can start to read the predominant slope of the green. You might see one side much higher than the other, or spot highs and lows. The green usually slopes towards the fairway and is pitched from back to front. Many of these elements can be more easily detected from the vantage point of the fairway.
3. First priority: distance and speed
Managing distance should be a priority. If you control distance, even if you're a little off course, you can still potentially save shots by limiting your three-putt. First, determine whether your putt is going uphill, downhill, or flat. If you can't see it with the naked eye, get into the habit of walking from the cup to the ball. Your feet allow you to feel whether you are going uphill or downhill.
4. Study the area around the line
Determining the side slope of a putt can be difficult if you only look at the line between the ball and cup. I find it easier to read the putt if I compare the area about 3 feet to the right of the line with the area 3 feet to the left. By looking at both sides, it's easier to see which one is taller. Obviously, you always want to aim for the high end.
5. “Segmented” longer putter
On longer putts, you may have more than one rest period. For example, one section might be from right to left, while another section might be from left to right. Divide the longer putter into two or three sections. If you apply the same line reading procedure we outlined above to each “section” of the putter, you can add them together to get an accurate reading. For example, if I have two parts where the right side is higher and the left side is higher, I know to tilt the target a little bit to the right.
6. Walk in small circles
For shorter putts, it helps to follow a circular path on the line directly behind the ball. This will help you feel if you are going uphill or downhill. This will also help you feel subtle tilts you might not see.
7. Wide stance directly behind the ball
On shorter putts, also try standing directly behind the ball and facing the hole with a wide stance. Then rock gently back and forth. Your feet should tell you which side of the line is higher. Again aim for the high side of the cup.
8. Play more rest balls when putting on downhill slopes
Adjust your rest periods based on whether your putt is going uphill or downhill. Break the ball more often on downhill putts because the ball will spin slower and therefore the effect of gravity will be greater. Conversely, for uphill putts, take less time to rest because the ball spins faster, so gravity has less of an effect.
9. Dial in the inclinometer
When determining the severity of the tilt, keep it simple: Is the higher side a little higher than the hole, a little higher, or a lot higher? The greater the tilt, the more you have to hit. Note that faster greens will break up more because there is less friction between the ball and the grass.
10. Technology
When it comes to green reading, there’s no shame in relying on technology! GolfLogix (also a GOLF.com affiliate) is one of the companies I consulted. The GolfLogix app features tour-quality green data. App users simply place the ball and pin in the appropriate location and the app reads the putt for you, providing direction and distance. You can only use this aid during practice rounds, but over time you may find that the app hones your own green reading skills.
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Nick Piastowski
Golf Network Editor
Nick Piastowski is senior editor for Golf.com and Golf Magazine. He edits, writes and develops stories across the golf spectrum. When he's not writing about how to hit golf balls farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing games, hitting the ball left, right and short, then washing it down with a cold beer Fraction. You can contact him at nick.piastowski@golf.com to learn more about these topics – his stories, his games or his beers.
