Play Your Best Game »Downhill Putts
By: Coach Alice
aka Kathryn Ridlehoover, AWGA Board of Directors
Sierra Vista, AZ
E-mail: Kathryn@ridlehoover.com
Q: How can I prepare for a downhill putt to have a better chance of holing the ball?
A: Most amateurs panic when they see they have a severe downhill putt, while pros are delighted. Why the big difference in attitude?
Probably because the amateur has not realized that speed is not their problem. In fact you can absolutely ignore how hard or how soft to hit the ball. Gravity will do the work for you as far as speed. Your job is to get the line correct.
You need to take a look from all sides to look for
slants and breaks. Are there mountains close on one
side or the other or are they fairly evenly distributed
around you? Moguls act like mountains sometimes. You
always need to check the grass to see if it will deflect
the ball to one side or the other. Then give that slight
modification to your angles. If you can tell how much
of an angle the green is on, then aim at approximately
the same angle to the high side of the cup. Hit the
ball hard enough to break the inertia to start the ball
moving towards the cup. Take into consideration the
mountains and grass direction. If you have a straight
putt -- mountains, grass or moguls are your only worry.
The severity of the slope determines how hard you need
to tap the ball. This is really the only thing you need
to practice ... how hard to hit ball to start it rolling
down the hill for the distance you need to go. Remember:
always hit to the high side of the cup on any putt.
Below the cup never goes in. Most putts need to be just
a tinge higher than you think. After a little practice
you will know what your “tinge higher” is.
