You're Correct!

The speed of the greens is often something that is unknown to the golfer before they step on to the course, and a lot of the time the speed of the practise putting green is different to the greens on the course.

This is one of the reasons that many of you get caught out by the speed of the greens on the first hole, making it difficult to prepare yourself before you start your round.

The weather can also affect the speed of the greens and even change them mid-round. For example, you could be on the 6th hole when it starts raining, the water on the greens will slow them down and you now have to adjust your speed control from what you have done on the previous holes.

One of the best ways to adapt to the change in speed, either from what you are used to or mid-round due to the weather, is to allow for your ball to take less of the break. The slower the speed of the green, the less break you need to allow for. A great way to practise allowing less break on putts is to practise your putting uphill.

As uphill putts break less than straight, downhill or sidehill putts, spending some time practising uphill putts from around 10 feet will give you a feel of not only seeing putts that break less but you will also get used to hitting putts with a little more speed to ensure that they reach the hole. The combination of this will help your speed control and line when the greens are a little slower than youre used to or if they get wet mid-round.

When the greens are slow, hitting your putt harder is not the full answer. Having a little bit more speed than normal to make sure your putt gets to the hole is all well and good but the speed controls the line. You must make sure that you dont just hit it harder as you will be left facing many a difficult comeback putt.

Every golfer knows how important the line of their putt is, but it is nowhere near as important as the speed. The right line coupled with the wrong speed instantly becomes the wrong line. Why? Because with too much speed for the line, the ball wont take the break, with too little speed it will break too much.

If you were to add more weight to the head of your putter, you might find it easier to control your putting stroke better. This would be ideal if the greens were nice and fast. The heavier the putter head, the easier it is for you to control the small movements of your putting stroke, helping you control the speed on quick putts. If the green is slow, it will just see you hit the putt too fast, seeing the ball whizz by the hole.