Reading Greens - Golf Tips and Videos

Learn how to read the contour of the green, the grain and the terrain around the green

A good putting stroke can work wonders for your game, but it's useless if you can't read greens. Score savvy golfers...

For most golfers, reading greens involves a lot of guessing, but when you have to knock a small ball into a 4.25-inch...

Always read your putts from the low side of the slope and the low side of the break

Imagine pouring a bucket of water on the green and where it would flow is the break

There are two major factors affecting the break of a putt: the green's slope and the pace at which you hit the...

To be a great putter, you have to have sound fundamentals. This requires a steady putting stroke that regularly...

Imagine what hour the ball would have to go into the hole if there was a clock covering it, and then draw an arcing...

The best way to read greens is through experience, I like to take eight balls and roll them to a hole at different...

Knowing where to land your chips is just as important as knowing where the hole is. And like putting, reading...

Triangulation is the best way to read greens, read the putt from behind the ball, from the low side and then from...

Speed is critical on long putts, how much your ball breaks depends on the speed that you plan to hit the ball

There are hundreds of exceptional resorts and championship golf courses in the Orlando and Tampa areas of Florida....

Read greens by selecting the high point of the putt between the spot and the hole, and let the contour of the...

In this special feature, Golf Tips Magazine Editor David DeNunzio shares two of the tips that have had the biggest...

Breaking putts can only enter the hole in a limited area; by imagining the hole with a piece cut out you can envision...

Anyone who has ever played golf has felt it--the sensation of standing over a tricky, sidehill six-footer, knowing...

Look up and down at least twice to burn an impression of the line to the target in your mind

The Mountain West, which incorporates the rugged terrain of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to the Sierra Nevada...

Traversing the course in as few strokes as possible requires knowledge of golf's intangibles--the little things...

Did you shoot a good score today? How did that happen? Did you shoot a lousy score? How did that happen? We all...

When attempting a makeable putt set your target past the hole so that you do not commit the cardinal sin of putting,...

Making a proper putting stroke is the easiest part of putting, using the Putting Arc will teach you how to groove...

On long putts take an initial look at the slope, set your target line then spend the rest of the swing concentrating...

Take a lofted club, play the ball towards the center of your stance and open the clubface slightly

Learning how to judge the speed of a putt is a developed skill which can be improved with a simple drill like this one

The most important ingredient in putting is choosing the right line and being able to stroke the ball so that...

Get a feel for how hard to hit the ball, concentrate on the hole and make a loose stroke

Putting is for scoring. You won't need to drive the ball on every hole, and you don't need an accurately placed...

A good lag putter will never hurt himself or herself on the green. Inaccurate approach shots are nothing to the...

The ability to control putter-head speed translates into the ability to control the speed of the ball and, ultimately,...

Preparing for every shot is one of the most common differences between Tour Players and amateurs, not thinking...

No doubt a tough shot, the downhill chip requires a good read of the green. When facing a downhill greenside chip,...

Most golfers only practice short and long putts, but the mid range putt might be the most important and this drill...

Creating a pre-shot routine for putting the same way you create one for your full swing

To make putts, sometimes you have to be aggressive. But it's just as important to remember that it's better to...

Practice rolling a ball to the hole to get a feel for the speed of the putt and how far you will need to take the putter back

Use this simple tool to help you square your putter face to the hole so that you can hit putts in the direction you aim

This simple drill helps you get your eyes in the correct putting position, teaches you how to putt down your target...

Practice this simple drill to getter a better sense of the speed of your putts

Use this drill to practice hitting your line perfectly

Whoever said the only way to make a putt is to "take dead aim at the hole" must have been putting on some really...

To play golf well, you must be able to hit shots from a variety of uneven lies. A downhill lie is one of the toughest...

While plumb-bobbing can be very helpful in determining some of the information needed to read greens and align...

For most golfers, finding time to practice putting is difficult. In fact, it's no easy task to find time to improve...

Most recreational golfers don't spend as much time on the practice putting green as they should, and when they...

If you're planning a golf vacation this winter, be prepared to face a course element common to most tracks in...

In honor of the 100th installment of the U. S. Open at famed Pebble Beach, we thought we'd pick apart the course's...

Good putters perform almost every piece of their routine the same way every time. There are certain essentials...

When the putt you're looking at presents an extreme challenge, you need to know how to strike the ball so it will...

User your own compass to create a green reading mechanism where one axis is the line a ball will fall in straight...

Every golfer is built differently and, if these differences aren't taken into account when you address a putt,...

Balance the grip in your fingers which will allow for the proper wrist hinge throughout the swing and more power

Question: What part of your round are you thinking about? Are you focused on the long putts you sank, your chip-in...

Every part of the club has an effect on your game and provides benefits to your game so it is important for you...

The angle your clubs lie on the ground will have a tremendous effect on your swing if it is incorrect, a one degree...

Getting the right direction when putting requires that you have your head, your club, your eyes, your stroke and...

While the unfamiliarity of a new course may be your primary concern on your next golf vacation, you should consider...

Club trajectory is severely affected on downhill shots. Take a more lofted club, adjust your weight and chase...

Grain is a very difficult concept and there is no way to perfectly categorize its effects on your putts, experience...

The grain of a green usually grows towards large bodies of water or the setting sun, use this little trick of...

The average PGA Tour player misses the green roughly 35 percent of the time. Yet using the median birdie average,...

To create consistent aim with every shot in golf start with a constant positioning of your left foot one clubhead...

Do you find your thoughts drifting to score or mechanics as you prepare to set up to a putt? Do you think about...

Short game distance control is a matter of feel and intuition. You need touch to score, and this is an area that's...

Adam Scott had a perfect lag putt that helped him win the Byron Nelson Classic in 2007, he focused on the length...

Make a line on the practice green so that you can start your putts on the correct line that allows for the break...

This drill is great for learning to keep your putter low to the ground during the stroke, all you have to do is...

Method teaching is a one swing fits all philosophy that teaches all players identical swings based on the assumption...

Play more break than you think necessary, playing too little break makes for longer second putts because every...

From 1987 to 1992, Nick Faldo bagged five majors. He held the top spot in the World Golf Ranking for 81 consecutive...

There are two types of players, those that putt on a path versus those that putt on a line, the path putter work...

Preparing yourself prior to your round should be much like a pitcher or quarterback preparing for a game

Taking a lesson is more than just showing up, you have to learn to communicate in golf terminology with your instructor...

Control the direction of your putt before you hit it and control distance by using this simple drill

Speed control is best learned on the putting green where you can practice different types of putts always with...

Although putting is mostly feel you must begin with a proper set up to allow for the correct body movements

Although many players believe that you can either putt on an arc or straight back and through, the putter shaft...

Many amateurs tend to give a lot of attention to their swing mechanics on the practice tee. There will always...

There are now more than 100 golf courses in and around Palm Springs. Many are considered private, but as of late,...

Start reading a green as you approach it walking or riding up, read the slope from the low point of the green...

Find the right speed for your putt by making rehearsal swings

The short game is the elastic waistband of golf. It expands or contracts based on how fit you are. To whip your...

If you recount your last poor round of golf, you probably recall errant drives and sloppy iron shots, combined...

Part of becoming a great golfer is learning to control what you can and release any frustration over what you...

When in the rough first analyze your lie and the grass so that you select the appropriate club, when the ball...

You can hit downhill putts off the sweet spot or the toe of the putter but be aware the former will get the ball...

It's important to approach your golf shot with confidence, and there's no better way than a good practice swing....

Pay careful attention to yardage markers and take special notice of the distance to each particular part of the...

Practice putting with your wedge forces you to hit the blade of the wedge directly on the equator of the ball,...