help me read my putts more accurately. I make silly bad reads

[NLfool]

My striking is decent and the my pitching is pretty good but I lose so many strokes to bad reads it's comically bad. It's to the point that I had to get a caddy the last round I played just to read putts for me. I'll read something as breaking right and it'll break left. That is how bad I am. Any tips however trivial would be much appreciated.

[By-Tor]

play links ls

(really)

[JTrout]

What type of greens do you play?

Random tips:
Watch your playing partners' putts.
Pay attention to grain.
Give any grain you see more respect than you think.
Find the highest/lowest spot on the green. Putts tend to break away/toward this spot.
Look at the landscape around the green. If the right side is a valley and the left is a hill, the putt will break toward the valley more than you see.
Putts break more when they are rolling slow. Pay most attention to the area around the hole.
Imagine pouring water out of a cup. Which way would it run?
If you play the same course often, take notes on breaks.

[dizong]

What's helped me a bit is looking at the putt from behind the hole (along with behind the ball). This way I can see the break closer to cup when the ball is slowing down and is more affected by the break. Other than that, I still suck but less so now.

[black knight]

Read Pelz' putting bible...nuf said.

[thisnamedoesntfi]

When you're unsure which way a putt will break try to find a straight uphill putt, that will tell you a lot.

When looking at how much break to play on breaking putts, look wide of the hole, at way more break than you need. Gradually move your eyes closer until you think the ball would have a chance of dropping in the high side. That's your line.

[Wally S]

One thing to look for is proximity to bunkers. Most greens are designed to drain water away from bunkers. If you are near a bunker this will effect break more than you might see.

Wally

[TripleH68]

Much of becoming a better putter is analyzing each putt after the stroke. This is obviously better done on the practice green. What I don't understand is if you are striking the ball well, isn't there some learning here from trial and error? You should be improving with every round you play. Of course there is also some natural instinct/spatial ability involved.

I might also say that 'feeling' the slope of the green through your feet may be something that is overlooked.

[Butcho22]

[ QUOTE ]
I'll read something as breaking right and it'll break left.

[/ QUOTE ]

wow

[black knight]

Everyone does this...even pros, sometimes.