| I admit, I'm an average golfer. I've had a hard | | | | designed for carpentry, not golf, they are quite |
| time reading greens, so I developed a product to | | | | cumbersome to carry around on the golf course. |
| help golfers do just that. Since we introduced the | | | | The BreakMaster Digital Green Reader is the first |
| BreakMaster Digital Green Reader, I have spoken | | | | highly accurate means of measuring the break on |
| about green reading with literally hundreds of PGA | | | | the green. Because it was designed for golfers, it |
| Tour Pros, PGA Tour Caddies, and Pros and | | | | is also very convenient to take on the golf |
| Caddies on the LPGA, Champions Tour, | | | | course. The BreakMaster shows the two most |
| Nationwide Tour, as well as many nationally | | | | critical factors of the break: the Break Direction |
| known golf instructors at golf academies and | | | | (also known as the fall line, the downhill direction) |
| major universities. | | | | and the Break Amount (severity of the downhill |
| What I learned from these golf professionals is | | | | slope) which we measure in degrees. |
| that average golfers are not alone in having a | | | | Tour Pros and Tour Caddies understood the |
| hard time reading greens - every golfer has a | | | | concept immediately. For the first time in golf |
| hard time reading greens. This is especially true | | | | history, they had an accurate means of |
| for the Pros, because for Tour Pros the issue isn't | | | | measuring the break. Now their Greens Maps are |
| just about making a putt, it's about making | | | | more sophisticated - and a whole lot more |
| money by making a putt. | | | | accurate. If you look at a Tour Pro's Greens Map |
| Because of my research, I have also done | | | | (available on our web site -- used by PGA Tour |
| something that as near as I can figure has never | | | | Pros at a recent PGA Tournament) you'll see that |
| been done before in the 200+ year history of | | | | the break on the green is far more complicated |
| golf - I applied some basic science to reading | | | | than you may have assumed. The break can |
| greens. To be specific... I measured greens and | | | | change (in direction and in amount) quite a bit |
| mapped them in a Greens Book (more on that | | | | over the entirety of the green. That's why the |
| later in this article). | | | | old method of reading greens by eye is not only |
| All of this led me to a basic conclusion: green | | | | a myth, but downright false. In fact, there are |
| reading by eye and any of the other senses is | | | | many break directions and amounts of break on a |
| basically a flawed proposition. Let's compare it to | | | | green. Each one can affect the roll of a putt, and |
| distance measuring. Golfers don't measure | | | | each one can be accurately measured and |
| distance to the green just by eyeballing it. No, | | | | mapped. By understanding the break in this |
| golfers rely on yardage markers or | | | | manner, you can really improve your putting. |
| measurements on sprinkler heads, and, more | | | | Now, the question you're probably asking is - is it |
| recently, laser range finders or GPS devices. Now | | | | legal? Well, yes and no. No, it's not currently legal |
| if we use such measuring tools for judging | | | | to use a measuring device like the BreakMaster |
| distance, why would we rely on our eyes and | | | | during tournament competition (but remember |
| other senses to measure something as critical as | | | | that, until a couple of years ago, it was not legal |
| the slope on a green? | | | | to use a GPS device or laser ranger finder, either). |
| The answer is... we shouldn't. After all, if you hit | | | | But it is certainly legal to use the BreakMaster |
| every green in regulation, 50% of your strokes | | | | during a practice round and make notes on a |
| are still going to be on the green. If you can | | | | Greens Map - and this is exactly what the Pros |
| improve your putting by improving your green | | | | do. I know, you're saying, "But what about when I |
| reading, wouldn't you improve your score? Of | | | | see Pros walking around the green, or crouching |
| course you would. | | | | down and looking at the hole before they putt?" |
| And nobody knows this better than PGA Tour | | | | To this I say that the Pros are really only visually |
| Pros. So, how do the Tour Pros figure out the | | | | reassuring themselves of what their research |
| break? Well, first of all, understand this basic fact: | | | | (their Caddies measuring and mapping the greens |
| Tour Pros don't read greens by eyeballing, | | | | before the tournament) has already shown them. |
| plumb-bobbing, imagining throwing water on the | | | | Here's a published quote from someone you've |
| green, walking around the green, feeling the grain | | | | probably heard of... |
| or any of the other mythologies of green reading. | | | | "My caddie, Stevie Williams, and I have charted |
| For years, Tour Pros have had their Caddies go | | | | the greens on every course we've played. That |
| out on the greens in the days before | | | | knowledge is essential to a tour player because |
| tournaments and roll golf balls on the green to | | | | we basically play the same courses every year. I |
| figure out how they break. Then, they made | | | | recommend similar due diligence for you on |
| Greens Maps that gave them an idea of how | | | | courses you play a lot. Take notes on hole |
| greens break near the expected hole positions. | | | | locations, paying attention to breaks and direction |
| During practice rounds and the tournament, Pros | | | | of grain. You'll be more comfortable on the greens |
| and their Caddies consult these Greens Maps (this | | | | -- and make more putts." |
| is, of course, legal) to decide how to adjust the | | | | Tiger Woods, "Lesson Tee," Golf Digest, April |
| aim line of their putt to compensate for the | | | | 2008 |
| break. Up until recently, the Greens Maps have | | | | So now you understand the myth that PGA Tour |
| been fairly crude. But they were at least some | | | | Pros read greens by using their senses. There is |
| indication (by proven tests - rolling golf balls) of | | | | really only one way to read greens and do it |
| how the greens would break. | | | | accurately - measure them. Anything else is just |
| More recently, Caddies would measure slope on | | | | guessing -- and guessing is usually wrong. At my |
| the greens with a tool called a Smart Level. This | | | | company, we have a word for wrong guesses on |
| was a good next step in green reading, but | | | | the green - strokes. |
| Smart Levels only show the break in one direction | | | | Check out our web site for more information on |
| - you have to turn them a number of different | | | | green reading. This is the first of the many Green |
| ways to find the exact break direction, and that's | | | | Reading Myths we will deal with. |
| not easy. Also because Smart Levels are | | | | |