How to Putt on Uphill and Downhill Lies

In golf learning how to putt effectively is certainly a challenge and especially when it comes to handling uphill and downhill lies. If you are having problems in this area then a better understanding of how to approach these shots could definitely benefit your game.

First you want to determine if your putt is either an uphill or downhill lie and if it is going to break right or left. In addition you must decide how much of a slope your dealing with so you can decide how much speed to apply to the ball. A good way to do this is to pretend that you are pouring a bucket of water from where your ball is and visualize how fast the water will flow and in what direction it will flow. This will provide you with a good idea of the high point of the break and the degree of the slope.

Your ultimate goal is to determine the spot to aim for and the amount of speed you need to apply. This is definitely a judgment decision based on whether your dealing with either an uphill or downhill line and the severity of the slope.

On downhill putts they will be effected more by the break, while on uphill lies they will play less of the break. The reason for this is that on a uphill putt the ball will be struck with more force and be moving faster at impact. Because of the higher speed of the ball it will be less effected by slope until it gets closer to the hole where it will loss speed more quickly and then become effected by the break. On the other hand on a downhill putt the ball is hit with less force at impact because gravity will take over and carry the ball to the hole. Since the ball starts out with less speed it will more quickly be effected by the slope of the green.

Let us walk through an example to better clarify the effect of a break and choosing the correct spot to aim for. Assume we have a twenty foot very steep uphill putt and our green rises from left to right. In this case we have a putt that will break right. Because our hill is very steep we will need to apply the same speed as we would for say a thirty foot putt if our lie was flat. Since we will be applying a lot of speed to the ball at impact in order to get up the hill, the ball for the majority of the distance will not be effected by the slope. It will not be until the ball losses speed towards the end of the putt where it will begin to quickly curve right. So in this example we would choose a spot only a little to the left of the hole. Furthermore our imaginary spot that we will be putting towards would also be well behind the high point of the break.

In short we have simplified this example into a straight putt where we are aiming slightly left and applying the same amount of speed as we would for a thirty foot flat lie putt. Developing the ability to consistently determine the correct angle and speed to apply to uphill and downhill putts takes practice. But with a better understanding of how the ball will react to different conditions and the ability to simplify your approach you will significantly be able to improve your putting game.

Learning how to putt takes dedication and practicing the right golf putting drills that develop proper fundamentals, consistency and self confidence. However with time and patiences anyone can become an excellent putter.

Also for more information on learning proper putting fundamentals visit http://golf-how-to-putt.blogspot.com/ where you will find comprehensive lessons on grip, set up, proper stroke, reading greens and help for common putting problems.

About the author, John Paolino is a life long avid golfer who spends countless hours researching the game and writing lessons for golfers that are easy to follow so others can implement quickly and improve their game.