Why are downhill putts harder?
The reason is that the force vectors on a downhill putt tend to get the ball breaking toward the hole.
Uphill putts are much easier than downhill putts because they have less break due to the momentum of the strike required to hit the ball up the hill. Remember: more speed equals less break.
A putt that goes up and then down is the most difficult putt there is. The key is good speed.
On average PGA Tour pros make 99% of 2-foot putts, 96% of 3-foot putts, 88% of 4-foot putts and 77% of 5-foot putts according to strokes gained pioneer, Mark Broadie. From 10 feet their one putt percentage is 40%, 23% from 15 feet, 15% from 20 feet, 7% from 30 feet, 4% from 40 feet, 3% from 50 feet and 2% from 60 feet.
Consider a heavier putter on faster greens. Several putters on the market now have adjustable weight technology that allows you to add or take weight away from the putter head. A heavier putter head will help you slow down your stroke, which will be needed on fast greens.
Pros Who Putt With an Open Stance
The open putting stance is a perfectly legal and acceptable way to put, and therefore it has been used on tour by many players. The most notable of these players is Jack Nicklaus.
When you walk downhill, very little energy is needed because the weight of your body carries you down the slope. Of course, this is the pull of gravity that is helping you down, in the same way that you have to overcome the force of gravity when you walk up a steep hill.
The secret sauce of the putting stroke for PGA Tour players, as Toulon explains, is a bit of forward shaft lean, too. That means the putter is leaning slightly more toward the target, rather than away from it. The combination of hitting up on the ball and having some degree shaft lean leads to a top-spin shot.
If your putt is down-grain (the grass laying in the same direction as which your putt is running) the putting surface will typically have a sheen to it and the color will be a lighter shade of green. Conversely, if the putt is into the grain, the surface will look darker and the grass will have a coarser look to it.
First of all, have you even heard of a condor? We're not talking about the bird (a vulture), but the absolute rarest shot in golf. It's a "1" on a par 5, which believe it or not, has actually happened a handful of times. As of late, there have been 5 recorded condors in history.
Can you refuse a conceded putt?
In match play only, you may decide to concede a stroke to your opponent. The ball is considered holed and your opponent may pick it up. You may also concede a hole, or the entire match. A concession cannot be declined or withdrawn.
Two Putt Maximum: Each team is allotted only two putt attempts. If the ball is not holed after two putts, the ball will be picked up and a stroke added to the hole score. This is to ensure pace of play. The two putt max rule only applies to the green. Scramble Rules.
20+ Handicap golfers should aim for fewer than 36 putts. 10+ Handicap golfers should aim for fewer than 33 putts. 1-10 Handicap golfers should aim for fewer than 30 putts.
Fast greens break more than slow greens
“There's more than one way to get it close to the hole, and remember that putting it close—while giving your putt a chance to go in—is your main priority.”
Those better players (handicaps 1-5) will average 32 putts per round, compared to 33 for handicaps 6-10, 34 for handicaps 11-15, 35 for handicaps 16-20, and 36 for handicaps 21-28.
Speed is the biggest factor in putting. Good speed with a bad line almost always puts you closer to the hole than bad speed with a good line.
The golfer should then be able to place his hands on the handle of the putter with the head of the putter resting flat on the ground. This position gives the golfer the ability to create an efficient stroke.
Find the right weight
Heavier putters tend to be easier to swing smoothly, while lighter putters tend to be easier to dial in your distances with. Remember this though — overall weight and swing weight are not the same thing. Overall weight is as the name implies — how much a putter weighs on a scale.
Putting whilst looking at the hole works. A lot of people find it helps your rhythm and stops you steering the ball. Most guide it and watch what the putter is doing. But if you throw something, you look at the target and not what you're throwing.
The cross handed or left hand low putting grip is quite popular on the PGA Tour. Players like Jordan Spieth, Kevin Chappell, and Billy Horschel are among some of the most well-known right-handed golfers with this cross handed grip.
Do heavier riders go downhill faster?
'When you increase the mass the speed increases by cubic function, whereas if you increase the aerodynamic drag the speed decreases by a square function. Hence why cyclists who are heavier can go faster,' Fonda says.
Heavier riders can descend faster than light riders because heavier riders don't have significantly more volume/surface area than their lighter counterparts, despite possibly major differences in weight.
The PGA Tour average is 88% inside 10 feet, and just 40% from 10 feet. In 1 of 10 rounds tour pros hole 100 percent of their putts from inside 10 feet. Don't be wowed by the incredible number of putts the pros make inside 10 feet. It's the Strokes Gained that count.
If your ball is to the right of the line, your uphill putt will break to the left; if it's to the left, your putt will break right -- just as the law of gravitation says it must.
The hips, legs and feet should be as still as possible as you swing the putter back and through. Anything more than slight movements can cause you to strike the ball with the putterhead no longer square to your intended line.