Green Reading Quotes

Doug Ford was one of the first of the old pros I saw during my first full year on tour, in 1963. To this day he's the best chipper I've ever seen. One thing Doug did was get the ball onto the green and rolling right away, keeping it as low as possible. He never hit his chips higher than was absolutely necessary.

I'm much better off the tee. I'm not a great putter. I do not have a good short game.

Bad putting is due more to the effect the green has upon the player than it has upon the action of the ball.

The game itself, I think, plays into the strength of my game, which has always been tee to green, hitting the ball consistently in play and managing my game. Putting has always been the one thing that's been a bit more erratic.

Bets lengthen putts and shorten drives.

Contours on the second half of a long putt have more impact on how the ball rolls because it's going slower. Adjust your speed if that last part is playing uphill or downhill. Don't get fooled by an early slope or break.

I use a system called Vector Green Reading, which applies science to the green reads.

But, if you miss (the supposedly easy pin) by just a little bit, you're looking at the next putt from 30 feet. The ball just rolls away.

I can't putt. The reasons are infinite. When lining up a putt, I can't remember if the ball always breaks to the ocean or to the valley or away from Pinnacle Peak. And because I took up the game in Minnesota, in what is often called Middle America, I also grew up asking, 'To which ocean does it break?'

I typically opt for a fade when I'm hitting into greens. It's just an easier shot to control.

You have to be sharp with all aspects of your game at Augusta. You need to put yourself in the best spot off the tee and hit the longest drive you can, but I think this is really a second-shot course. If you leave yourself with an awkward putt on the greens, it can be very tricky here.

I don't want to brag, but I do more homework on the course than any other announcer. I chart the greens to get all the breaks. I walk down into the greenside bunkers. I walk into the fairway bunkers to see whether a player can reach the green from them.

No one has as much luck around the greens as one who practices a lot.

It's just a matter of hitting the ball where I want to hit it and hopefully making some putts.

The only reason why I don't win is because of a bad decision, misjudged the wind, misjudged the read on the greens and wet conditions. Those are the three or four things that will cause me not to win. That's it.

Look at the putt from behind the hole. Everyday players almost never do this. They should! Your eyes will take in more information about the slope. Sometimes you'll find that your initial read was incorrect.

I always could putt. Part of my makeup, I always could putt.

For the average player, most three-putts happen because of a poorly judged first putt from long range.

I can hit a lot of drivers, be aggressive, and attack from the fairway.