Putting on bentgrass greens has become second nature to me. In fact, I am hitting more and more birdie putts between six and 12 feet every single round. Two putting is common and a three putt is very rare. One of the ways in which I have improved my putting skills on bentgrass greens is to feel the putt with my feet. Rather than looking at the line to the hole, the first thing I do is stand over the putt and determine if the putt is above my feet or below my feet. Here is the putter I use which has helped me win my club championship and many tournaments. This is very important and here’s why.
Bentgrass greens take every single break as opposed to bermudagrass greens in which the grain is more important. If the ball is below your feet on a bentgrass green you can be rest assured the putt is initially going to break to the right for a right handed putter. It has to. Trust me. The ball may break back to the left at the hole but it will originally go right off the putter face.
The same is true if the ball is above your feet. If you hit a putt with the ball above your feet it is initially going to break left. The severity of the break is determined by how much the ball is above or below your feet. For this reason, standing over the putt is more important to me than seeing the line. After I stand over the putt I will look at the hole to determine the line. If the putt looks like it will break right and the ball is below my feet I will play it several cups left depending on the speed of the putt.
Staying on the high side is extremely important on bentgrass greens. This is not nearly as important on bermudagrass greens. If you start your putt even remotely below the hole on bentgrass greens it is going to break a ton.
If you have had trouble putting bentgrass greens in North Carolina, South Carolina or Virginia I strongly suggest using your feet to determine the break of the putt. If you are playing courses with bermudagrass greens click the link. I am still learning how to putt on bermudagrass but have quickly figured out the grain is the most important thing when putting on bermudagrass.
