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Tournament speed greens

• Partsman41953 341 Posts

  Fri, Aug 13 2010 4:02 AM

  I am having a difficult time trying to judge both the distance and getting the right line putting tournament greens. I am trying to move up to Master's tier but until my putting improves I am not going to improve. How do you go about figuring out the correct distance to putt along with how much break to play on tournament speed greens? 

   

  I would appreciate any help that anyone can offer. 

   

  Thanks. 

• AvatarLee 1,644 Posts

  Fri, Aug 13 2010 6:07 AM

  A good starting point for distance is the 40%  rule.  For example a straight 20 foot putt with 3 inches downhill I would figure it out about like this:  (20 - 3) x 0.4 = 6.8 and then take the 6.8 away from 17 (20 - 3).  That leaves me with 10.2 feet of power, I usually try to round that up a bit when I pull the meter back to make sure it rolls true. 

  This is not a hard and fast rule!  Uphill putts will need a bit more, downhill will need a bit less, but it's a good starting point.  Play with it, and develop a feel.

  As for break....... well that's a little different.  It's all about memory, feel and visualization for me.  Some days I can't read anything, other days I can't read anything wrong...  In this respect there is no substitution for experience.

  Hope this helps!

  Enjoy

• borntobesting 9,626 Posts

  Fri, Aug 13 2010 6:23 AM

  Also it depends on the course. St. Andrews Tournament green speeds are slightly slower than the other 3. I do pretty well distance well there. using 25% uphill, 30 % flat and 35 % downhill. It's reading the greens where I seem to have the most trouble. That and not being able to hit the ding nearly as often as I should. 64 year old eyes and reflexes are to blame there.

• DuffyWaldorf 286 Posts

  Sat, Jan 22 2011 7:32 AM

  remember reading this a while back and I'll have to agree. Andy's Tournament greens are slower than they were AND slower than the others. I just came up a foot and a half short on a 6 ft downhill putt that i gave all of 8 ft to make it. Oh well...must have been against the grain.

  Happy Golfing

  Joe

• Boomerboy44 1,514 Posts

  Sat, Jan 22 2011 2:46 PM

  You know what I just finished ST.A back 9 and  I was hitting all my putts  long. Missed a lot of short putts. They would break with no break showing and not break with a break showing. I was hitting the ding most times, in fact one time I missed the ding badly and the ball went in . Also had a 245yd drive with a 13 mph tail wind. I hit a hump the ball shot straight up in the air came down hit the same hump and rolled backwards. A weird round. I guess I was caught in the dreaded VEM

• Todibus 105 Posts

  Sat, Jan 22 2011 4:58 PM

  I find that you have to put less power into the longer putts (say over 30 ft) than AvatarLee's formula calls for (for those of you like me who don't put it close every time!).

  And I agree that alot of putting is feel and experience, knowing which greens and pin placements take more or less from where you find your ball.  As well as dealing with those days where you just can't get it right....

  Tod

• Richard4168 4,309 Posts

  Sat, Jan 22 2011 5:29 PM

  Lee, do you use a piece of tape on the meter bar? I ask because how can we use that equation if there isn't any lines on the meter bar to make a determination of how much to draw back the meter for the putt?

• mantis0014 8,946 Posts

  Sat, Jan 22 2011 7:02 PM

  I read the 'Putting Distance Control' in this section awhile back and since then after a quite a few rounds, I'm not bad on the greens...getting there is the problem...lol  The more you play them the easier it would get, as long as you remember what distances you putting, if it's good or bad. Maybe start writing them down..eg; had a 15ft putt, hit it 10ft, which would be about spot on....but went 14 ft...all depends on slopes and all that jazz.

  Hope this helps, The nxt speed up, Championship Greens, they are deadly. Worse than Tourny Greens...lol

  Cheers

     Roger

• AvatarLee 1,644 Posts

  Mon, Jan 24 2011 8:31 AM

  Richard4168:

  Lee, do you use a piece of tape on the meter bar? I ask because how can we use that equation if there isn't any lines on the meter bar to make a determination of how much to draw back the meter for the putt?

  I used to a long time ago.... don't need to any more.  Maybe for a round or so when I switch to a putter with a new scale.  But estimating between avatar movements is what usually works for me.

   

  *edit* then again... I've been putting like crap lately so maybe I need to go back to the tape LOL.

• luckysump 638 Posts

  Mon, Jan 24 2011 9:09 AM

  If your Putting up hill whack it a bit Harder. if your on the flat just Whack it, Downhill don't whack it so hard.

  Hope this helps.....LOL