HOW DO SOME PUTTS BREAK UPHILL?

Have you ever putt the ball on the perfect line only to see your putt break uphill? Have you ever wondered what caused your putt to break uphill? Well, I figured that I would answer this question since I have heard golfer say, "my putt broke uphill" all to often.

ANSWER: Your putt did not break uphill. It either broke downhill or, on rare ocassions, it was pushed by the wind. I know it seems as if putts break uphill at times, but (excluding the rare howling wind scenario) what you are experiencing is a localized nob or high spot on an area of the green which is otherwise sloping downward. Your ball simply broke down this localized nob.

A localized high spot or nob can be different sizes ranging from large sections of a green down to small lumps in the green. Accordingly, when you are reading a green you want to read the break specific to the line that you are going to putt on and not the generalized slope of the green.

So the next time you hear someone say that their putt broke uphill tell them, "No, your put broke downhill. The law of gravity is still in effect on the golf course."