Reading greens: break and speed

Setup

1. Choose a hole on a clear slope and a start spot 3 to 4 m away, across the slope, so the putt breaks noticeably.
2. Each player has two balls and a spare tee to mark their aim point.
3. Players read one at a time; the others wait to the side, off everyone's line.

How it runs

1. Read in three looks: from behind the ball, from the low side halfway along, and from behind the hole.
2. Feel the slope through the feet as you walk; your eyes can be fooled, your balance rarely is.
3. Push a tee in at the high point of the curve you expect: the spot to aim the start line at.
4. Putt the first ball at a pace that would just topple in. Watch where it actually breaks.
5. Putt the second ball on the same line but firmer, finishing about a metre past. It breaks less.
6. Move the tee if you need to, then repeat from a new start spot on the other side of the hole.

Coaching points

• Most of the break happens in the last third of the putt, when the ball slows down.
• Decide the pace before the line: a firmer putt needs less break, a softer one more.
• Commit to the start line at the tee, then let the slope do the curving.
• Look for clues around the green: where the water drains and how the land falls away.
• Repair your ball marks and step around other players' lines as you read.

Common mistakes

• Reading only from behind the ball and missing the slope near the hole.
• Under-reading the break, so the ball rolls below the hole on the low side.
• Picking a big break, then hitting it firm so it never turns.
• Taking so long to read that the group falls behind; read while others putt.