I recently had a discussion with a friend regarding the amount of break on comeback putts – those putts that miss and roll pass the hole.  At question was the amount of break on the comeback putt vs. the amount it broke going past the hole.

With regard to breaking uphill putts vs. breaking downhill putts and returning putts on those you missed, first let me say that the answer is a lot more complex than it would seem.

I think we all recognize that fast greens break more than slow greens for the same slope. And a downhill breaking putt is similar to a fast green whereas an uphill breaking putt is similar to a slow green, therefore downhill breaking putts will break more than uphill breaking putts.

The reason for this is that a slow green (or uphill putt) requires that the ball must be hit harder, thus it starts off faster and slows down faster than a putt of the same distance on a fast green (or downhill putt), which must be hit more softly and it slows down more slowly, and thus takes more time to reach the hole. The longer a putt takes to reach the hole the more time gravity ­ pulling it downhill — will have to act.

The ball will take on a path similar to a parabolic curve, breaking more at the end than at the beginning. This is due to gravitational forces and the phenomenon known as precession. The slower the ball travels the more it will break. Therefore at the end of the journey the ball will break considerably more than at the beginning. Because a downhill putt is travelling slower it will break 3 or 4 times more than an uphill putt.

You should not putt on the exact same line back to the hole as the ball took on its way past the hole, because short putts do not break as much as long putts, especially if you hit them at the correct speed.

The correct speed for a short (two foot) putt should be hit hard enough to hit the back wall (not the top lip) of the cup, and it should usually be traveling faster than the ball was when it passed the hole on the missed putt. Therefore it will not break as much.

Practice the speed requirement by stroking putts 17 inches past your target – such as a rubber jar opener that’s about the same size as a golf hole – available at K Mart for less than a buck.  Just lay it on the practice green, stick a tee in the ground about 17 inches past the target, and practice speed for shortish putts.  If you think that this is a bit too weird for you, lay a coin on the green instead.

A babied short putt ­ soft enough to only die in the hole ­ on a side hill lie will turn as much as 50 degrees as it dies. This is not what you want to do as you will likely miss this putt. Hit it with confidence and fast enough to hit the back wall of the cup and don’t aim outside the hole on short putts.

Thoroughly understanding how and why putts break will serve you better than watching the last foot or six inches to give you a good indication of what will happen on the next putt