It’s US Open season, which means greens are crispy, lightning fast and, in the case of Pinehurst Resort’s famed No.2 course, shaped like turtle shells.
With balls rolling around, over and through the greens easier than when they settle on the surface, Pinehurst severely tests players’ ability to putt well.
So that’s what we explored in the most recent of our video series:
The easiest way to understand how pros navigate around the greens is to divide the space around the hole into three different circles. I call them scoring zones, and as we explain in the video, here’s what you need to know about each.
Scoring Circle No.1: Three-shot zone
The first scoring circle is the distance furthest away from the hole. Generally speaking, it’s anything outside about 50 feet, which usually encompasses chips and pitches. From here, it’s more likely that you’ll finish in three shots than in one shot. The goal from here, as Eduardo Molinari explains, is to hit the green and avoid disaster.
Golf Twitter Hall-of-Famer Lou Stagner had a great stats thread recently explaining how, more often than not, that means looking for an excuse to use a putter.
Putting wins in all but one situation.
Lower handicaps have options, but for most, the putter is the go-to choice.
For most you should Texas wedge your way to lower scores! 🏌️♀️
(All data from @ArccosGolf – use code DATALOU15 to save 15%)
— Lou Stagner (Golf Stat Pro) (@LouStagner) May 31, 2024
Scoring Circle No.2: The black hole
We call this the black hole because this is where two-putting is the most likely outcome. The exact distance of each of these scoring circles depends on ability level, but for pros, the black hole starts at about nine feet and stretches to about 50 feet.
The goal here is to not be drawn into silly mistakes by trying to make the putt. Going high and soft gives you the best chance of making it – and leaves you in an ideal spot if you don’t.
Scoring Circle No.3: ‘I should make this’
Once you get inside about eight feet, you’re in the ‘I should make this’ zone. The key to this zone is making a lot of putts, because that’s how you’ll be able to gain the most on your peers. Obviously that’s easier said than done, so this zone comes down to, above all else, making sure your putterface is square at impact.
Once again, you can watch the full video right here:
