ADJUST YOUR SPEED

I have an unusual way of factoring speed on the greens. Many good putters try to hit every putt so that the ball finishes at the same distance past the hole on a miss. Not me. I treat every putt di erently. On one putt, the optimal holing speed might be four feet past the cup. On another, it’s six inches.

Why switch it up? I’m trying to hit each putt at a speed that is going to “lip in” if I catch an edge. I determine that by how I think the ball will react with the back of the cup. If the putt is super fast, I want the ball trickling in so that it hits the flagstick holder at the bottom of the cup (below, top photo). If the putt is slow, the ball should hit between the top and bottom of the cup’s liner (bottom photo).

Varying your speed gives you more of a chance at success from putt to putt.