Top 100 teacher Brian Manzella shared a helpful graphic about green reading on Platform X.
X: @brianmanzella
For beginner golfers – and even seasoned players – green reading this is one of the hardest parts of the game. There they are there are many ways to approach itlike imagining which way a bucket of water would go if it was poured on your putt, or noticing the direction the grass was growing. But when it comes time to verbalize your intentions (or take cues from your playing partner or caddy), things can quickly get complicated.
Common directional terminology such as “left edge”, “right center” and “one cup out” may seem simple in theory, but what does it really mean have in mind? If you read the putt as a one-cup raise to the right, do you expect to raise it? middle this imaginary cup, or on its outer edge?
Securing agreement on this matter is key if you plan to discuss putting break with someone in your group or take advice from your caddy. Many players have different ideas about what it means to direct one cup or one ball left or right – a fascinating debate discussed in detail by my colleague Alan Bastable Here.
For those who are not sure where they stand and need guidance on this matter, Brian Manzella’s 100 Best Golf Teachers recently shared his take on this issue on X, with a helpful illustration.
Manzella’s graphic shows what “edge splitting” and aiming “left center” and “inside right edge” look like. It also shows a comparison of the width of the balls with the width of the holes. One hole is approximately two and a half balls.
One point that distinguishes Manzella’s approach from other commonly used green reading approximations is his use of the center of the cup at the point of aim, rather than the outer edge. However, according to Manzella, since we are trying to make putts in the center of the cup, it makes more sense to use the center of an imaginary cup as the aiming point.
“If the reading was, ‘One cup left, left edge,’ or ‘One cup left edge left,’ that would be one thing,” Manzella told Bastable last year. “But ‘one cup left’ is something else.”
While the definitions of how to aim one cup or one ball left or right may vary in meaning from player to player, one thing is certain: it is wise to agree on the same with your playing partner before giving – or taking – anything. green reading tips.
