The uphill putt -- direct approach
This is regularly considered to be the easiest putt for the golfer to have. Uphill putts are usually direct to the middle of the hole without much of a break. You can strike this putt with the idea of hitting it hard enough to get to the hole. If you can do that and your aim is relatively true, you can make this putt.
The lag putt
When you are 30 feet or more away from the hole, most golfers don't have a realistic shot at making that putt. The idea that most good golfers take is to hit that putt within five feet of the hole. This is called a lag putt. In order to do this, you need to draw an imaginary circle around the hole that is five feet in diameter and try to get your ball to finish within that circle.
The sidehill putt -- reading the break
This may be the most difficult putt a golfer has. In addition to try to figure where the ball will break to or away from the hole, the golfer has to calculate speed and distance. In order to have a chance at this putt, the golfer should walk the length of the putt to look for breaks and dips in the green. The key to this putt is judging speed and knowing where the break is.
About The Author
Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman authored The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who's Better, Who's Best in Football -- The Top 60 Players of All-Time, among others, and placed in the Pro Football Writers of America awards three times. Silverman holds a Master of Science in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.
