"Strange Stances"... "Anything for Victory"

How Pro Golfers Read Putting Lines in Their Own Ways
Fitzpatrick Lies Down to Analyze the Grain on the Green
Im Hyang Lee Uses Fingers for the AimPoint Express Method
Jimenez Measures Green Slope Using His Putter

There is no single right answer on the green. Each player finds their own way. This is true for tour professionals as well. Some players lower their eyes as much as possible, others use their fingers to measure angles, while some rely on the sensitivity of their toes. Even when facing the same putt, they come up with entirely different solutions.

Matt Fitzpatrick, this year's RBC Heritage champion, lies down on the green to read the line. Photo by AP Yonhap News

The most talked-about figure recently is Matt Fitzpatrick from England. On April 19, at the Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, he defeated Scottie Scheffler of the United States to win the RBC Heritage, a PGA Tour Signature event. Although he made a bogey on the 18th hole (par 4) of the final round, sending the match into a playoff, he secured victory by sinking a birdie putt during the first extra hole, which was played on the same 18th hole.

Fitzpatrick’s strength lies in his unique approach to reading the green. He lies down on the ground to read his putting line. This low vantage point makes the grain of the grass more visible: with-the-grain putts appear faint, while against-the-grain putts look darker, like shadows. Thanks to this technique, he has earned the nickname "Spiderman." He repeated this routine on the first playoff hole and successfully made a birdie putt from about 13.4 feet (approximately 4.08 meters).

Camilo Villegas of Colombia is also famous for reading the line by getting down low on the green. The lower you get, the more pronounced the slope appears. He also adjusts the strength of his stroke after considering the grain of the grass. This difference becomes even more significant on faster greens.

Mi Hyang Lee, who won at the Blue Bay LPGA last month, reads the green slope using her finger. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Im Hyang Lee, who plays on the LPGA Tour, reads the green using her fingers. This is called the "AimPoint Express" method. She holds up her fingers relative to the hole to gauge the slope, then sets her target point based on the number of fingers. This approach is particularly effective for identifying turning points where the ball will break. Using this method, she claimed her third career victory at the Blue Bay LPGA last month.

Lydia Ko of New Zealand, who has won 23 times on the LPGA Tour, uses the sensitivity of her feet. She stands with both feet on the green to feel the slope, allowing her to detect even subtle inclines by noticing where her weight naturally shifts. She has increased the reliability of this technique through repeated practice.

Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain, who has 17 wins on the PGA Tour Champions, checks the levelness using his putter. He lets the putter hang down like a plumb bob and judges the slope by examining the relationship between the shaft and the hole.

The "golf emperor" Tiger Woods of the United States prefers to narrow his field of vision. He bends the brim of his cap to block peripheral vision, using the so-called "tunnel effect" to focus solely on the path between the ball and the hole. It is a method that is easy to apply in real play without complicated techniques.

In the end, what matters most on the green is not the right answer, but the choice. Reading the green in a way that suits you and trusting your judgment to the end—that is the final key to mastering the putt.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.