Do you struggle on slow greens?
As a golfer of 20 plus years, I can say one of the most frustrating things about golf is leaving putt short. There is nothing worse than a putt looking great the entire time, only to end up short of the cup. You get frustrated, your buddies like to call you “Alice” and you don’t score as well as you can.
That being said, it’s easy to leave putts short on slow greens. But with a few adjustments, you can putt much better on slow greens.
Here’s how…
Slow Greens in Golf – How to Putt Better Than Ever
Greens that aren’t as fast as we want are part of the game. Whether it’s a course that doesn’t cut them as low, early morning rounds, or overseed season, it’s part of golf.
The biggest thing to remember is that you need the right attitude to putt well on slow greens. If you have a bad attitude and say things like “I can’t putt on slow greens” you won’t.
Remind yourself that at the end of the day, nothing changes… it’s all about getting the ball into the hole. Once you have the right mindset, here are some tips to roll it well on slower greens.
1. Hit the Putting Green
To give yourself the best odds to play well on any course, you need to warm up properly. If you show up 10 minutes before your tee time, run into the clubhouse, and rush to the first tee, good luck playing well. Make sure you arrive at least 30 minutes before your tee, preferably 45-60 minutes, especially if you are at a new course.
While every golfer gets to the driving range, I don’t think enough spend quality time on the practice green. After a few putts, it’s pretty easy to tell if they’re fast or slow and necessary to make adjustments quickly.
On a slow putting green, you want to focus on getting the ball to the hole more than anything else.
Remember, a putt left short has a 100% chance of not going in! There is not much worse than leaving putts short all day and hearing about it from your playing partners too.
So when you’re warming up, make sure to focus your eyes on the back of the cup.
This will make it easier to get the ball at least to the hole. The more comfortable you are with the speed of the greens on the practice area, the better you will putt on the course.
2. Play Less Break
The second tip to mastering slow greens is to adjust how much break you play.
With slower greens, you want to double-check your starting line, especially if you come from a course that has quicker greens. Gravity does not impact the ball as much on slow greens, so reduce your total amount of break.
With slower greens, you want to play less break than fast greens. Since it will take a longer stroke to get the ball to the hole, less break is required.
For example, when I play a local municipal course with slow, flat greens, I hardly play any break. While I read the green like normal, I try to always play the break relatively straight. My aim is usually a ball outside the hole (at most), and more often I aim toward the edges.
For short putts, you normally don’t have to ever play outside the hole. Instead, aim for the left or right center and focus on making a solid stroke. If you like to pick a spot where you want the ball to go in, try to find one at the back of the cup so you’re more likely to make an aggressive stroke.
3. Adjust Your Setup
Aside from playing less break, I also think a few setup changes can help you roll it better on slower greens.
First, make sure you have a slightly wider base than normal. Since you need to hit putts with some more zest than normal, you want to have a wide, athletic stance over the ball. While it shouldn’t be as wide as a driver, a little bit can help free up your shoulders and take a longer stroke.
Second, I suggest adjusting your ball position slightly forward in your stance and then adding a forward press. A forward press with your putter will reduce the loft at impact and help the ball roll smoother. Plus, I’ve found that a forward press can help you make a more aggressive stroke, which is needed on slower greens.
4. Skip the Claw Grip
The claw grip is great for fast greens so naturally, it’s not ideal for slower putting surfaces. Instead, I would recommend a traditional grip or left-hand low (if you’re a right-handed golfer).
For example, Phil Mickelson opts for the claw grip on faster greens instead of his normal grip. As quoted in Golf Digest, “He said then that the claw helped take his lower hand out of the stroke on short ones and produce a “softer hit. I start every ball on line, and I feel like on short putts, it’s more effective.”
5. Stay Patient and Aggressive
Finally, make sure to stay patient on slower greens. It’s sometimes frustrating to hit great drives and approach shots, only to struggle on the putting surface. That’s why it’s vitally important to stay patient, even if putts aren’t going in.
Keep reminding yourself that you’re playing well and that soon enough, good putts will go in. When you maintain an optimistic attitude, it will make the round more enjoyable and usually translates into a better round too.
Don’t forget to stay aggressive, either.
Since the greens are slower, if you do miss long it likely won’t be 4 or 5 feet like fast greens. Give your ball a chance of the ball finding the bottom of the cup by staying aggressive and not being afraid of an easy comeback putt.
Bonus: Repair Ball Marks
Sadly, slow greens usually come with bumpy greens too. While not always the case, I do see it more often than not at courses that get a ton of public play. Unfortunately, not everyone repairs their divots (which is a good way to anger the Golf Gods) and screw up your line.
Before you roll your putt, make sure to do a little greenkeeping work and repair ball marks or spike marks. With slower greens, you need to hit them harder to get the ball to the hole. But that extra speed, paired with a divot, is like a ramp to a skateboarder.
These divots can get your ball airborne and offline quickly. So make sure that you give yourself the best chance to make the putt by repairing everything in your line.
FAQs
Do you have more questions about playing well on slower greens? If so, we got you covered in the frequently asked questions and answers below.
What is considered slow greens?
You might be thinking, what does it mean when the greens are slow?
Green speed is measured using a stimpmeter. They range from about a 7 – 14 (or sometimes even 15 on the fastest greens on the PGA Tour).
Average speed for most golf courses in the United States is around a ten on the stimp. Professional golfers usually play on greens north of 11, with the biggest events having the fastest greens. But tournaments in Europe, like the British Open, are usually much slower as they play links golf which don’t have nearly as fast of greens.
Did you know different types of golf grass are inherently faster or slower? Go here to learn this advanced trick the pro’s know.
Do slow greens break more or less?
Slow greens break less than fast greens. With slower greens, you want to hit a more aggressive putt, which will reduce the amount of break overall.
If you don’t play slow greens often, it’s important to remind yourself this throughout the round. Play less break and hit putts more aggressively so that you give yourself a better chance of making putts.
Is a heavy putter better for slow greens?
A common theory in the golf world is that a lighter putter is good for fast greens and the opposite for slower greens. While it kind of makes sense, there aren’t any conclusive studies either.
Plus, most golfers don’t have a light and heavy putter in their garage to switch out depending on which course. Not to mention, switching putters isn’t easy, especially if they’re weighted very differently.
I suggest finding one putter that you love and sticking with it. Don’t change just because of the speed of the greens.
However, if you do have a putter with adjustable weights, you can try out heavier weights to see if it helps. But make sure to do it during a practice session to test the theory instead of taking it straight to the course.
Final Thoughts
Slower greens are part of golf.
The sooner you can adopt the right mindset that you can putt well on them, the better you will score. To give yourself the best chance to succeed, make sure to:
- Arrive 30-60 minutes early to give yourself adequate time on the putting green.
- Play less break than normal, since slower greens don’t yield as much break.
- Skip the claw grip, save it for fast greens instead.
- Adjust your ball position and use a forward press to hit the ball more aggressively.
- Stay patient and aggressive. Remember, no putts left short ever went in!
Next up, read our post on how to putt fast greens.
