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A good putting game makes all the difference in golf. If you want to improve your game you must develop an ability to read the green.

Unless you have experience, factors such as: the shape and roughness of the ground; the thickness or wetness of the grass; and the changes of distance can distort your judgment.

So first get down and take a good look at the ground between the ball and the cup. Lay your club in the direction of the hole and check the surface along the shaft. Do you see any bumps? Are there any curves to the left or to the right? Do you see any hills and valleys? Figure out how much downhill versus uphill is between you and your goal. Your shot would change depending on whether you are uphill or downhill and how the green breaks. Feel the grass. Moisture can shorten the balls distance up to 14 inches.

Then there is the length of the grass to consider and whether it has been double cut (double cut means that the grass has been cut in one direction and mowed again at a perpendicular angle). This affects the distance the ball will travel. If the grass is double cut it can go 12 inches further than it normally would and likewise if the grass has been cut even 1/16 inch shorter, the ball will travel 10 inches further. More difficult to determine is whether the grass has been rolled which will compact the soil. That would increase the ball's travel up to ten inches.

These techniques can't be measured objectively. Unless you carry around cumbersome equipment, the more you practice the more you can rely on experience. If you are not actively playing watch how others play the game. It's a good idea to see the hole from another angle. Take notes and use that information to judge how to putt.