1. Stop using only your eyes

While we all trust our eyes to guide us through life, on the golf course, it’s best to utilize other tools properly read greens.

Nuber notes that course architects try to fool players with “the amount of uphill, downhill and left-to-right break that you think you see.”

In other words, you can’t always just trust that your eyes are seeing everything the green has to offer. Your feet can reveal important information, too.

2. Walk a 12-foot radius around the hole

To train your feet to read greens, walk in a circle around the hole, at a 12-foot radius, feeling with your feet for what you think are the high point and then also the low point.

“Pay attention to your feet,” he says. “Identify the subtle change in walking from downhill to then walking uphill, and from walking uphill to then walking downhill.”

3. Use a tee to help mark straight putt lines

When you think you’ve found the high point, mark that spot with a tee. Then repeat that process for the low point. But, Nuber says, don’t always assume these are the flattest part of the green.

“Oftentimes, the straightest putts will be on the direct opposite sides of the hole, but that is not always the case. Also, 90 degrees from straight will be the putts that break the most for that particular hole location.”

4. Test your accuracy

Now that you’ve walked the green, felt the changes from uphill to downhill and vice versa, and have done your best to identify the high and low points, it’s time to test your skills. Hit a putt from each spot. If the putts roll straight, you’ve succeeded.

Because this putting exercise is often new to golfers, it’s important to frequently employ it, which will only improve your ability to read greens.

For those having problems with the drill, never hesitate to ask a teacher or instructor nearby for help.