How to curve a golf ball while putting?
Filed in Golf Talk on Nov.26, 2011
I recently have gotten into golfing and one of the things I was confused about is left-right / right-left curving of the golf ball in putting. Instead of just hitting the golf ball straight towards the cup, how do I put spin on the ball and curve it? Any video that you might have found online would be the most helpful, but you can try to convey the techniques in words to.
Thank you very much.
November 26th, 2011 at 11:33 pm
You don’t put spin on it, You put it on a slope to get it to curve. The curving is more like compensating for wind and slope. If you have the option to putt it straight in, putt it straight in.
November 27th, 2011 at 12:19 am
Balls being putted usually only curve as a result of the slope of the green, not because of the way it is struck with the putter.
In some cases high winds may cause a ball to curve as well.
November 27th, 2011 at 1:05 am
They don’t actually curve the ball, some surface on the green is elevated, causing the ball to change direction.
November 27th, 2011 at 1:19 am
They don’t spin it or curve it using the club. When you see golf balls curve on the greens on TV, that’s because the green isn’t flat, it’s sloped. The slope of the green is what makes curve. So if the green is not level, you can’t always hit it straight, you have to aim to the left or right of the cup. Again, there is no “curving” it off your club, it will just curve depending on the slope of the green.
November 27th, 2011 at 2:03 am
One can put side spin on a putt, causing it to curve one way or the other. But this is very advanced golf, and is used primarily by hustlers. Beginners, and almost every golfer wants to read the “break” allowing the putt to roll naturally to the hole. The hustler’s objective in cutting across the ball is to decieve his opponent, who may have a similar line, into seeing more or less break than is acually there. In a match, the hustler may not care if his ball goes in, if his partner can win the hole, or if he can influence his opponent to miss.