How To Hole A Double-Breaking Putt

Guessing won't help you hole it, but these tips will...

How To Hole A Double-Breaking Putt

Long, straight putts are scary enough, but double-breakers from far away will make even the best putter nervous. Your friends won’t be able to avoid three-putts, but you’ll be knocking them close – and sometimes in – with these three secrets to conquering double-breakers.

1 Break up the break

There will be an initial slope, an in between slope and a final slope near the hole. First, get a feel for how the first slope will affect your putt, because if you misjudge this one, you’ve got no chance. This is critical if you‘re putting over a tier, as in this picture. At the very least, determine if it will throw the ball left or right and by how much, then read the rest of the putt like any other.

Related: Jordan Spieth's incredible putting technique...Revealed!

2 If you think the putt is impossible, it will be

A double-breaker is challenging, even for a tour pro. But you‘ve got to think about holing it, just as you would a three-footer. Lowering expectations will lead to disaster. If you merely try to lag it to a five-foot circle around the hole, what if you miss your target by just two feet? The way to hole it starts with simply trying to hole it.

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3 Focus on the area near the cup

The point in tip one is good advice, but if the putt is long, the ball will be rolling too fast at the start for the initial slope to hold much sway. Instead, spend most of your read time near the hole, where the ball will move at its slowest and, thus, be more susceptible to break. The last thing you want is for the ball to be moving away from the hole as it slows. That makes the next putt more difficult.

Bonus tip: Locate the point where a double-breaking putt changes direction. Make your read all about getting the ball to that spot, then let speed do the rest.