Playing different green speeds

[Gurra]

Normally I play at a few different courses with different green speeds. How do you adjust to that? I can have a very good putting round to just be terrible the very next round and sure some of that could be blamed on a good or bad day in general but I do feel that the different speeds of greens can set me off. If I then have a couple of bad putts in a row I become unsure on every single putt regarding the speed. I try to get a feel for the greens by warming up at the practice greens before the round but at some of the courses I usually visit the practice green is a lot slower then the course it self so then I feel great at the practice green to just be rolling miles on the first green.. 

So I am curious how you guys attack different green speeds and if you have any advice how to practice etc. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

Putt on the practice green to get an idea what the course will be like. Take your normal stroke and see if it comes up short, flow out to much or somewhere in between 
 

for me I can adjust within the first few holes to the speed.

[TwoCoatsOfWax]

Here's what I've been doing to get a sense of green speed that day.  Find a fairly flat spot on the practice green.  Even a slight up/down hill isn't a problem and may even help.  I take a fairly narrow stance putting so you may need to adjust how you do this slightly. 

1. Hit a putt taking the putter back so the putter face is even with the inside of my right foot and count how many paces that putt goes. 
2. Hit another putt from there with the same method back in the direction of where you started and count how many paces that putt went.
3. Average the two numbers. 
4. Repeat steps 1-3 except this time take the putter back so the putter face is even with the outside of my right foot. 

If you play a course often and use the same spot on the putting green you will start to get a sense of an "average" for that course.  Any huge variance from this "average" will immediately stick out.  I realize this isn't an exact method (stop typing!) but it has helped me with pacing.  For example, if my short putt (inside of right foot) went 5 paces and I have a putt in my round that is about 5 paces, I pretty much know how to hit this putt.  Hope that helps.

[DaveP043]

One thing I very seldom practice are 15 to 20 foot putts.  Both for practice and when warming up for a round, I practice short putts, out to maybe 8 feet, and long putts.  The short ones are to make sure I'm hitting my line.  The long ones are to determine the right pace.  When I'm on a "strange" course, I spent a LOT more of my putting warm-up working on 30-footers for pace.  You don't have to putt at a hole, you can putt to the edge of the green, working only on pace.  Practice those long ones both uphill and downhill, across the slope too.  The only way I know of to get the pace right is to practice getting the pace right.  Once you're clued in for the longer putts, then its fine to hit a few mid-range putts, but as I said those are generally not in my normal practice routine.

When there are big variations between different greens, or between the practice green and the course, its tougher.  Often you can see a difference, or feel a difference when you're walking on the green.  When that happens, I occasionally will try to "fool myself" by selecting an aiming point short of the hole, or well past it, depending on what I think the green speed will be.

[Brian A]

Biggest thing regardless of green speed (at least for me) is know what you can make and make adjustments there. You're probably not going to hit that 25 footer, so accept it as 2 putts and leave an easy putt for 2. When I start to have "bad days" its because I think I can make that long or undulating putt and it blows by the hole because if its not perfect, its gone and take a 3 or 4 putt. 

[Kenny B]

When I'm home I play the same course most of the time; not an issue except for when they change the mowing schedule or mow height.  When seasons change, the green speed changes a little, but it only takes a few holes to adjust.

My wife and I travel to play golf and that is the main reason I don't play as well as at home.  I will spend an hour on the putting green before teeing off working on speed.  Bermuda greens are the worst.  They can be really slow or really fast.  I look at the hole when putting so I have to adjust my eye-stroke calibration for the speed-de jour.  Most of my practice time is working on long putts, trying to get within 3 feet of may target.

When my green speed calibration is off, it not only affects the distance, but also the break when greens have a lot of slope.  I find that most practice greens don't have equivalent slopes to greens on the course.  I like to practice both R-L and L-R putts uphill and downhill for speed... not just long straight-ish putts.  I do better when the practice green is similar to on course greens.

[palvord]

Quite a good bit of advice here, and it pretty much covers how I prepare for different greens.

I play at quite a few different courses and green speed is always the biggest learning curve the first few holes. I spend the first 3-4 holes ensuring that I have the speed correct to make no more than a 2 putt. From there, if I feel dialed in on the speed, I then start attacking the hole.

Before a round, I will practice 3 footers, 10 footers, and 30 footers to try and understand the green speeds that day, but I have found that the practice green can lie to you sometimes. I do try to end the practice with five 1 foot putts just to hear the sound of the ball dropping in the hole before the round begins to boost my confidence before the first tee.

[THEZIPR23]

Good advice on pre round practice here. 

I try to start by leaving putts short and adjust from there. To me it is easier to add speed than take it away when putting. 

[Gurra]

Wow, great advice all around! Thank you for that.

I will try to implement some parts of this and see what works for me. I would like to be able to spend about 30-40 minutes before my tee time but some days that´s just not possible but then again I guess I should give myself a bit of a break on those days. Can´d expect to play my best if I don´t give myself time for practice. The biggest takeaway from this is to probably have a better practice routine at the practice green. Usually I just go there and putt randomly and that will not help me much.. 

The 5 short putts just to boost confidence before tee off I will make a permanent part of the warm up! 

[pulledabill]

My home course has decent greens but nit super fast. When I play other courses I always try and spend 15 minutes on the green before if possible with the hope that they are similar speeds of the greens on the course. 

I like to hit some long lags to judge the speed and then a ton of 2 to 6 footers to work on my stroke especially if the greens are crazy fast. 

I prefer fast as I have a better focus.