This article was machine-translated from the Korean original. Read the Korean original
It hit perfectly on the previous hole, but on this hole, it goes way past. Or it doesn't even make it halfway.
I hit it with the same intensity, so why is this happening?
The greens vary by hole and time of day. The first person to read this finishes it in two shots.
01Things that determine green speed
| What | how |
|---|---|
| moisture | It's slow when wet. Morning dew is much slower than you think. |
| Grass length | It happens quickly right after shaving. Be careful if you see marks. |
| sunlight | It dries faster in the afternoon. Even the same hole looks different in the morning. |
| Grain (the direction in which the grass lies) | If you follow the grain, you are fast; if you go against it, you are slow. |
| slope | Needless to say, I view the downhill slope as double the effort. |
Among these, moisture and texture are the most prominent. And both are visible to the naked eye.
02Take a look as you walk in.
You don't see it when you arrive at the green. You see everything while walking.
- Check if the shoes are getting wetIt is slow if dew remains. Much louder than usual
- I look at the color of the grassIf it shines brightly, it follows the grain; if it is dark and deep, it goes against it.
- View the entire slope of the green from a distance.You can't see it when you stand on the green. You have to look from the outside to see it.
03How to Read the Grain by the Color of the Grass
The grass lies to one side. That is the grain.
- When it looked brightly sparkling, the grass lay down toward the side moving away from me. It's fast.
- If it looks dark and thick, the grass lies facing me. It is slow.
Even at the same distance, hit the bright side a handspan smaller and the dark side a handspan larger.
If you know just this one thing, your first putt will be much closer.
The grain often lies down toward the direction of the flowing water. Try looking near a pond or a valley.
04I look at it like this by time of day.
- Early morning (dew)It's the slowest. Hit it at 1.3 times your usual speed.
- Mid-morningIt is starting to dry. It is getting a little faster with each hole.
- middayIt's the fastest. Be especially careful on the downhill.
- Immediately after the rainIt's very slow. You can hit it hard. It hardly takes in the grain either.
It is normal for the first and second halves to be different.
If you play the back nine with the feel you established for the front nine, the ball keeps going past. Try adjusting your aim again on the first hole of the back nine.
05Playing partner putting is free information.
This is the most certain method.
Watch the ball of the person hitting before me until the end.
- How much it bends at which point
- How the speed decreases near the hole
- If it was excessive, how much
In particular, you can refer directly to the putting of someone at a similar level to you.
If you aren't watching when they are on your side, you are throwing away valuable information.
This is also a matter of manners. Watching without getting distracted when someone else is hitting.
06If you're not sure, do this
There are many greens that are difficult to read. In those cases, keep it simple.
- I only look at the slope. Forget the grain or moisture, just the uphill and downhill.
- Aim for 1 meter behind the hole. Just as covered in [[LINK:L12]].
- Ask the caddie. "Is it fast here?" One word is all it takes.
Rather than just wasting time trying to read perfectly,
In practice, it is better to just skim through and rely on your sense of distance.
In the next episode, I will cover how to gain confidence in yourself on the green, which presents severe optical illusions.
