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Learning the Greens for Optimal Placement of Approach Shots

• 8802 4,246 Posts

  Wed, Mar 13 2013 5:01 PM

  There are sections of some greens that are quite severe and landing in those areas can make a two putt impossible unless you hole a long recovery.  Oakmont has a few, including the feared 9th, Bethpage 15, Olympic 5, 13 and 17 also come to mind.  And then there is Whistler.

  Approach shots to these greens must be placed properly - or else.  You want to avoid these sections of greens as if they are a hazard, but since they look like greens, you don't know until the grid comes up and you realize you have no chance.

  I'll switch to PUTT to get a close look in reverse view, but it only shows the area immediately around the hole.  I want to know if there is a way to study the green's undulations before you execute the shot so you know where you don't want to be.  I'll take a 40 foot putt straight up the hill over a hard downhill breaker of 20 feet any day.

  Is there a way to do this or does it just come down to getting burned a few times, taking notes and keeping them handy for the next round?

  Cheers!

   

• Joshnosh 548 Posts

  Wed, Mar 13 2013 5:15 PM

  not sure all i know is that this game really is only about putting it should be called World putting tour.

  the other day i played a round 100% GIR ave distance to hole 8 foot finished 1 under, all my rounds are like this hit nearly every green and 2 putt most, i used to be a good putter now i dunno.

  a quick glance at any score card from a great round will be 8-10 putts per 9.

  I thought it was my clubs that they are too short for legend tees till i started looking at why my score have risen so rapidly its just putting plain and simple

• tiffer67 1,764 Posts

  Wed, Mar 13 2013 5:48 PM

  Joshnosh you have to allow yourself some readjustment time to the faster green speeds when you get bumped up a tier. Don't get too down on yourself about it as you will see an improvement in time. I have hit something like 130,000 ranked putts in my time playing this game, probably another 70,000 in unranked rounds but it still took me a good 3 months to get used to champ greens.

• pjschaub 173 Posts

  Wed, Mar 13 2013 7:32 PM

  8802:

  I want to know if there is a way to study the green's undulations before you execute the shot so you know where you don't want to be.

  http://www.wgt.com/forums/t/161332.aspx

  Try this if your computer can do it, which it should. hope it helps

• 8802 4,246 Posts

  Fri, Mar 15 2013 4:02 PM

  Good tip on the zoom feature pjschaub!

  I did some practicing and came up with this process for hitting any approach shot to a green and leaving yourself the best angle.

  1) Switch from FULL shot to PITCH shot.  CHIP will work too.  You do this because the grid will then be visible.  Red on the grid is downhill, blue is uphill and black is level.  The object is to leave yourself uphill putts and avoid the downhill big breakers which often result in three putts.

  2) Go into REVERSE or pick a camera that displays an aerial of the green.  You can tap the space bar to reverse.  Move the aimer around the hole and take note of where the red (danger) and blue/black sections (safe) are.  You now know what area to avoid, so set your aimer accordingly.

  3) Reverse back to NORMAL view.

  4) Switch back from PITCH shot to FULL shot.

  5) Execute!

  This whole process does not take long with a little practice and will help greatly with placing your approach shots in places that will leave a putt that you can take an aggressive run at.

  Here are some pictures to clarify.

  The blue means anything left of the pin will leave an uphill putt (good).

  
  

  The red means anything right of the pin will leave a downhill putt (no good).

  

  A shot left of pin leaves this easy, uphill putt.

  

  A shot right of pin leaves this ticklish downhiller.

  

  Hope this helps.

  Cheers!

  'ol 88

• 9,041 Posts

  Fri, Mar 15 2013 7:17 PM

  8802:

  or does it just come down to getting burned a few times, taking notes and keeping them handy for the next round?

  Not sure ?   

  I'll have to consult my 7 note books.. :))

• Chinajohn 1,190 Posts

  Sat, Mar 16 2013 1:07 AM

   

  8802:

  Good tip on the zoom feature pjschaub!

  I did some practicing and came up with this process for hitting any approach shot to a green and leaving yourself the best angle.

  1) Switch from FULL shot to PITCH shot.  CHIP will work too.  You do this because the grid will then be visible.  Red on the grid is downhill, blue is uphill and black is level.  The object is to leave yourself uphill putts and avoid the downhill big breakers which often result in three putts.

  2) Go into REVERSE or pick a camera that displays an aerial of the green.  You can tap the space bar to reverse.  Move the aimer around the hole and take note of where the red (danger) and blue/black sections (safe) are.  You now know what area to avoid, so set your aimer accordingly.

  3) Reverse back to NORMAL view.

  4) Switch back from PITCH shot to FULL shot.

  5) Execute!

  This whole process does not take long with a little practice and will help greatly with placing your approach shots in places that will leave a putt that you can take an aggressive run at.

  Here are some pictures to clarify.

  ....

  Cheers!

  'ol 88

  Thanks for that, may I ask a question for clarification as it may point to something I've been doing wrong, seriously wrong.

  On the aerial view I thought red was downhill from the pin, i.e. red points to downhill therefore if you're at the bottom of a red bit you will then have an UPHILL putt? Are you saying that red means downhill TO the pin?

   

• 8802 4,246 Posts

  Sat, Mar 16 2013 8:39 AM

  Chinajohn:

  On the aerial view I thought red was downhill from the pin, i.e. red points to downhill therefore if you're at the bottom of a red bit you will then have an UPHILL putt? Are you saying that red means downhill TO the pin?

  Yes, red is downhill TO the pin, which are areas to avoid landing approach shots as they can leave tough putts.  Especially on Legend Tournament speed greens like Oakmont.  I want to wind up in the black and blue zones.  Of course, knowing and doing are two different things, you still need to execute!

   

• keidan 311 Posts

  Sat, Mar 16 2013 11:29 AM

  Hi 88,  thank you for your contribution!
  
  at the risk of stating the obvious to clarify your conversation with Chinajohn:
  
  in AERIAL GRID VIEW, a pin sitting in black, between a red and a blue zone:
  it is preferable to land in the red zone such that you are putting UPHILL TO the pin and towards the blue zone.
  
  in PUTTING VIEW, the player with a red zone between them and the pin is putting DOWNHILL TO the pin.
  
  the point is that the aerial grid view is a relative map of the terrain.  A given area can be different colors depending on where you move the grid.  For a given grid placement, its colors will not necessarily correspond with the color seen in the putting view.
  
  hope I haven't made things worse  :)    -Keith

• Chinajohn 1,190 Posts

  Sat, Mar 16 2013 9:12 PM

  8802:

  Chinajohn:

  On the aerial view I thought red was downhill from the pin, i.e. red points to downhill therefore if you're at the bottom of a red bit you will then have an UPHILL putt? Are you saying that red means downhill TO the pin?

  Yes, red is downhill TO the pin, which are areas to avoid landing approach shots as they can leave tough putts.  Especially on Legend Tournament speed greens like Oakmont.  I want to wind up in the black and blue zones.  Of course, knowing and doing are two different things, you still need to execute!

   

  Many thanks! And another piece of the jigsaw that is the picture of what I'm doing wrong (a lot) falls into place.

  As you said, now I know WHERE to put the shot I've just got to figure out how the heck to get it there! ;)