Choosing speed on the greens is key to eliminating three putts.
GOLF.com
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One of the key ingredients to good putting is appropriate speed. If you can make the putt with the right speed, the effective hole size will be larger and you will have a better chance of making the putt.
The right pace is not only useful making putts though. When you have speed dial selected, it reduces your three-putt count and helps you avoid big numbers on your card.
When you watch a great putter on the greens, you will notice that its speed is typical Very Good. They don’t have to struggle with the second putt because they leave the first putt in the gimme zone. This should be something all golfers strive for.
For more information on choosing your green speed, we turn to an elite morning golfer Bridges Cup contestant Taylor Wood.
How to set your speed on the greens
Correct speed on the greens is key, but it’s not always easy. Since different courses have different green speeds, you have to adjust every time you play a new place. And if you want your game to travel, you’ll need to set the speed on the greens wherever you play.
Taylor Wood knows this very well. As an elite morning golfer, he competes in tournaments across the country and tries to feel the speed on the greens every time he plays somewhere new.
How does he do it? It all starts with establishing a baseline.
“I keep it simple and think about my home [course] speed,” Wood says.
Each time Wood arrives at a new course, he starts by putting as he would at home. Often the speed of the new green is not equal to the speed of his home course, but with this baseline in mind he can make the necessary adjustments.
One drill he likes to repeat to get a feel for speed is to place an item from his bag – such as a glove – in a random spot on the green. He then makes several putts towards him, with the goal of keeping the balls as close to him as possible.
“I make some putts where I’m not really focused on making them,” he says. “I really take my feel from home and bring it here and hit some putts to understand how to recalibrate.”
If you’re playing a new golf course, it might be wise to take a page from Wood’s book. Before you take off, go to the practice green and throw putts with the sole goal of getting a feel for speed. If you can do this, you will reduce the number of three-putts at the beginning of the round and start faster.
