Tour To Ban Green Reading Books

[Adam G]

Per Eamon Lynch. Hallelujah.


It's good to see the PAC lead from the front. Chances they do this on distance are near zero, but maybe there is hope?

[Paul Jones]

I was just reading this article from Golf Digest - PGA Tour heading toward ban on controversial green-reading materials | Golf News and Tour Information | Golf Digest


Glad to see Rory talking about it how he uses them, but they should be banned.  If it gives an advantage, they will use them.

[Brent Carlson]

Great move.  Return skill to the game and speed up play.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Good for them. Green reading is a skill of the eyes not of reading a book.

[Bernie Bell]

Is there any evidence (data) showing that the books improve putting? 

Or slow down play?  I don't think the rules allow more time for a putt if you have a book, which suggests the problem is not the book but rather the failure to enforce the pace rules.   

[Tommy Williamsen]

Bernie, for me it isn’t a question of pace of play. It has to improve putting because of all the information it has. I just think that at the level of the TOUR player he should not have that kind of outside help. He can create his own book like they did before the books became prevalent. Ballyhack has a detailed green book. It shows slopes I never saw. I’ll look at the book at home sometimes but when I am on the course I don’t. I just want the pleasure of reading the green and trust my eyes.

[Peter Flory]

Wouldn't the solution after they ban them just be to essentially copy them yourself?  Have your caddy trace them out on your own notes? 

[Bernie Bell]

Tom, that's really my question.  Logically, one would think that more information has to be better, especially for the best putters in the world.  But when you look at the level of detail provided in those books, I question whether any Tour pro or caddie but Bryson would even pretend to do the math necessary to calculate a line.  And that's before you factor in green speeds and wind.  It would be interesting to me if someone tested the hypothesis that the books are more of a validation or crutch than a difference-maker.  Plus the "why not, everyone uses them" factor.

[JohnVDB]

Things to consider:


Does this mean that yardage books will just have blanks where the greens are? If not, what level of information will be allowed?


Can a player write his own notes in those spaces, thereby creating his own book?

[Tim Gavrich]

Things to consider:


Does this mean that yardage books will just have blanks where the greens are? If not, what level of information will be allowed?


Can a player write his own notes in those spaces, thereby creating his own book?

This is what I'll be interested to see - how will the parameters of what can be printed or written into a yardage book be policed? Will rules officials do random yardage book inspections, the way Major League Baseball is going to have umpires do random baseball inspections to enforce its new ban on ball-doctoring substances?

[Adam G]

One way to go would be to limit the resolution of these books at least on the course (they will all have the current ones before their round). Maybe ban anything laser scanned or with percent grades. The other thing would be to ban caddies and players from consulting written materials on or around the green entirely. I would guess that the second option is less easily manipulated and am curious which direction they would go.

[Niall C]

So, if you want to ban green reading books in order to bring back the skill factor then presumably everyone will want to ban caddies or at least ban them from reading the greens for the players ? After all, in competition the object is to identify the best player, not the best caddy.


Niall

[Pete_Pittock]

applaud the decision. Clothing manufacturers will not have to design bigger back pockets for pants. It will be interesting to compare putting stats at this time next year.

[Steve Lang]

So, if you want to ban green reading books in order to bring back the skill factor then presumably everyone will want to ban caddies or at least ban them from reading the greens for the players ? After all, in competition the object is to identify the best player, not the best caddy.


Niall

Then they'll have to ban the word "We" ...


I put these books together with Shivas' "cheater" lines on balls, plumb bobbing, straddling over the line to confirm slope, not sure they really help, but if you need them, knock yourself out.  I'll spend my time finding the high point between my ball and the hole and try to pour it in when my time comes...

[Tim Martin]

So, if you want to ban green reading books in order to bring back the skill factor then presumably everyone will want to ban caddies or at least ban them from reading the greens for the players ? After all, in competition the object is to identify the best player, not the best caddy.


Niall

Then they'll have to ban the word "We" ...


I put these books together with Shivas' "cheater" lines on balls, plumb bobbing, straddling over the line to confirm slope, not sure they really help, but if you need them, knock yourself out.  I'll spend my time finding the high point between my ball and the hole and try to pour it in when my time comes...

For me finding the fall line consistently is tougher than getting the speed correct as a skill although that feeling may not be shared by everyone. I’ve never laid eyes on one of the books and am not aware of the level of information provided.

[Jon Sweet]

Having caddied the better part of 17 years at one course, the last 14 or so part time, I have found I really don't read them as much as I remember them at this point.  I have come to find certain putts on the course are missed the same way from the same spot over and over and over again.  Having never seen a green book for the course I caddie at I would venture to guess it would show either more slope or less slope than your eyes see specifically on those putts that are continually misread.  I have seen them for other courses, I might use it to confirm what my eyes are seeing as opposed to telling me what it's doing.  I can specifically think of one hole at the course I caddy at that breaks completely opposite of how you see it.  This particular hole is built on a giant hill. The green looks like it goes against that hill, really your eyes just get tricked and it's going with the hill.  When I visit other courses I try to get a feel for the low point of the property and general lay of the land surrounding the green.

[jeffwarne]

So, if you want to ban green reading books in order to bring back the skill factor then presumably everyone will want to ban caddies or at least ban them from reading the greens for the players ? After all, in competition the object is to identify the best player, not the best caddy.


Niall

great point.
saves another 15 minutes
we're getting there

[Pete Lavallee]

I bought a Golf Logix book for the course iplay the most. The reason I bought it was to help decipher the truely hard to read small breaking putts. These are all shown as white, meaning less than 1% slope, so it really isn’t very helpful!

[Jon Sweet]

I bought a Golf Logix book for the course iplay the most. The reason I bought it was to help decipher the truely hard to read small breaking putts. These are all shown as white, meaning less than 1% slope, so it really isn’t very helpful!

Pete,
Ones I’ve seen have arrows indicating direction. You’ll really want to check, use the level on your iPhone. Should give you an indication of tilt, from there just remember it.

[mike_beene]

If you follow the lesson I received: swing the putter and miss everything on the high side. The high side misses go in or stay close. And there are 50 lines upon which you can make a putt. So that’s my teacher who doesn’t want publicity and Jackie Burke. This book stuff is silly unless we give them 10 minutes to read.

[Kyle Harris]

Good for them. Green reading is a skill of the eyes not of reading a book.

Then so is distance estimation. There is no difference.

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

I would love to have a green reading book for my home course. I wouldn't plan on using it all the time, but I'd study it before playing. They say reading a green is a skill, but spare a thought for us poor souls that have less than perfect eyesight. I now wear progressive glasses and I can't even find a level spot to place my tee peg on the tee. I need to tee up my ball and walk 8-10 feet behind and check if it's in a slight depression on the tee area.


I'm hopeless at reading long putts where the slope is not so obvious. Sometimes I aim 3-feet left when I should be aiming 3-feet right. I was able to read greens up to my early 40's, but now it's getting very frustrating. I now 3-putt about 35% of the time; usually the pace is OK, but I can miss by up to 10-feet left or right. The other day, I went into my garage and took out a small spirit level. I'm going to use it on some greens at my home course when I play late in the evenings. I'm thinking of making my own Green Reading book.

[jeffwarne]

Good for them. Green reading is a skill of the eyes not of reading a book.

Then so is distance estimation. There is no difference.

100% correct.
But memorizing a few key trees/markers(as we used to) doesn't take long-especially if a caddie involved.
I still remember white circles(in the dead of night) painted on huge pines marking distances that were different every hole.
Not hard to learn 14 of them

[Tommy Williamsen]

Good for them. Green reading is a skill of the eyes not of reading a book.

Then so is distance estimation. There is no difference.

100% correct.
But memorizing a few key trees/markers(as we used to) doesn't take long-especially if a caddie involved.
I still remember white circles(in the dead of night) painted on huge pines marking distances that were different every hole.
Not hard to learn 14 of them

Figuring out the distance without an aid is indeed a skill. I don't always use my distance finder because I do enjoy figuring out the distance, although most sprinkler heads now give the distance to the middle of the green.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Is there any evidence (data) showing that the books improve putting?

Absolutely none.

Things to consider:

Does this mean that yardage books will just have blanks where the greens are? If not, what level of information will be allowed?

Can a player write his own notes in those spaces, thereby creating his own book?

I wonder if the USGA might not be asked to create a new Model Local Rule for this kind of thing, but I too am curious what they mean or how they intend to legislate against greens books without legislating against pre-written materials (etc.).

The other thing would be to ban caddies and players from consulting written materials on or around the green entirely.

Interesting. I hadn't thought of that idea.