Understanding the grain on the green can be the reason a player makes or misses a putt.
For some it can be a confusing concept, but the grain influences golfers in how they read and execute a putt.
Ahead of the Hero Indian Open on the DP World Tour, Joost Luiten gave a players’ insight behind its basics.
“It changes not the way I putt but the way you read a putt,” Luiten said.
DLF G&CC, host venue this week in New Delhi, is a Bermuda-grass layout meaning the influence of grain is more keenly felt for those in the field rather than bentgrass, more commonly found in the UK.
Put simply, putts will be slower when rolling against the grain and faster when putting with the grain.
Six-time DP World Tour winner Luiten also explains how looking at the golf hole itself to determine which is the grassy or bald side plays a key role.
“The hard thing about grain is it obviously depends on how hard you hit it,” he added. “If you hit it hard it affects it less, if you hit it softer it is going to break more.”
Watch the video above to hear Luiten’s insights into reading the grain on the green.
