There are a few different ways you can learn how to read greens in golf, so it’s always just a matter of personal preference.
Some golfers like to strictly use their eyes to read greens, while others may use their feet, and some may go with an abbreviated or full-blown aim-point approach. That’s part of the beauty of putting, though, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
As some who has really struggled with his putting over the past year or so, I was looking for something helpful to help me read greens more effectively — because my putting distance control has been all over the map, with putts either way short or way too long.
Since there needed to be a middle ground in order to improve my putting and lower my strokes each round, I hit up my pal — top-ranked golf teacher Ryan Young from Chambers Bay — for a golf lesson.
In the video below, Young doesn’t just help explain how to read greens better, but provides an easy visual to repeat when needed during a round. So take a look to see Young’s secret, and follow Rainmakers Golf Club on YouTube for more golf tips and game-improvement hacks.
How to Read Greens: Use a Skiing Visual Trick
When you’re learning how to read greens, there’s almost nothing trickier than putting down an extreme slope.
Sure, you can handle the level putts (and maybe add some speed on an uphill one!), but those downhill putts can cause all sorts of anxiety — with many amateurs prone to either short-arming the stroke (or decelerating) and rolling it short, or giving it too much strength and rolling it down the hill.
Want to know just how difficult this type of putt really is? Check out what pro golfer Connor Syme did a couple of weeks ago on a putt with and extreme slope, where he rolled it past the hole, off the green, and nearly 75 yards off the putting surface.
Yikes.
To avoid this type of result, Young shares a pro-level tip and visual: Imagine skiing.
“Are you a skier? Think of the fall line [when skiing],” he says. “[On a severe slope like this], you’re trying to find the straight slope.
“If I were going straight down, the ball’s going to veer me off to the left and I’m going to lose control. If I [step a little to the right], it’s still a little bit off.”
As Young continues to walk around the putting surface, he’s identifying where the fall line is with his eyes, which is giving him a trusted strategy when it comes to reading greens — making sure he understands the contours of the putting surface, which dictates how the ball will roll.
He finds the proper fall line for this long downhill putt, has me look for a good place to aim my putt (which is a sprinkler head in the ground), which then lets the ball (and gravity!) do the rest of the work.
So if you’re struggling to learn how to read greens efficiently, try Young’s visual trick that first identifies the fall line. By simply envisioning a skier going down a mountain, you can actually improve your putting results.
You can check out my full golf lesson with Ryan Young for more tips to help your game improve!
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the Golf section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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