US Open Week

​During the US Open, you are going to hear about the long rough and tight fairways.  However, when it comes to Oakmont, the most challenging aspect of the golf course may be the lightning fast greens the players will face.  Potentially rolling at 14-15 on the Stimpmeter, the players will have to navigate the slickest greens they will play all year.
 
So in the light of what you will see this week at Oakmont, I have put together some of my keys to playing on fast greens.
 

1. Stay below the hole:  Well, this is an obvious statement.  But the thought behind this that you must consider where on the green you leave yourself the easiest putt when you are thinking about your approach shot from the fairway.  Consider the slope of the green and the positions from where the most difficult putt(s) would be and then try to play away from those positions on your approach shot.
2. Lighten your Grip Pressure:  This ties in to my next key, but make sure you’re your grip the putter with a bit less pressure than normal.  The lighter grip pressure will not only give you more relaxed muscles in your hands and arms for better feel and touch, but it will also help you make a smoother stroke.
3. Let the Momentum of the Backswing start the Forward Swing:  What do I mean by this?  Well, too many times I see players get too quick with the putter as they want to make sure they don’t decelerate.  Especially on fast greens, you almost want to feel the momentum of the backswing start the forward motion of the putter head.  Don’t feel like you have to force the putter head forward.  Think of it like a tennis ball attached to the end of a piece of rope…if you swing the ball to the right, the momentum of the ball will come back to left on its own…think of your putting stroke this same way. 
4. Play More Break:  This one may be obvious, but more often than not, players still underplay and under-read greens.  Since the ball will be rolling at a slower speed, the amount of break will increase on putts. 

 
 
Make sure you get on the practice green prior to the round to get a good feel for the speed of the greens.  With a little practice and concentrating on the keys above, you will be ready for Oakmont-fast greens.