A technically skilled golfer was struggling to convert putts beyond 10 feet and often missed key up-and-down chances. Despite excellent ball-striking, the scoring didn't reflect his ability. A detailed Puttalyze coaching session uncovered three primary causes: a subtle visual bias, ineffective green-reading, and a mismatch between read and pace.

The first key insight came from visual testing. Signs of mild esophoria led to a misperception of distance, especially on uphill putts. The brain saw the hole as closer than it was, causing putts to fall short. The solution was simple but effective: mentally project the hole 30 to 50 centimeters farther away on uphill putts. This improved energy delivery and rhythm.

The next breakthrough came from improving green-reading structure, beginning with one critical task: identifying the fall line. This is the steepest path down from the hole—where water would naturally flow. Recognizing the fall line gives clarity, as it defines the break direction for every putt around the hole. Putts from the right of the fall line will always break left, and vice versa. Once the fall line is known, most of the putt is already understood.

After finding the fall line, the player was instructed to stand roughly 90 degrees to it and imagine where the ball would roll if putted directly at the hole and missed low. That drop point—on the fall line—is mirrored across to the high side and becomes the Aimpoint. This intuitive method helped the player quickly visualize the correct start line based on the slope and intended pace.

The next step was learning how to adjust the Distance Point—the spot where the ball should roll past the hole if it doesn’t fall. Its location depends on the putt’s direction: on uphill putts, the Distance Point lies farther than the Aimpoint; on downhill putts, it’s shorter. At 90 degrees to the fall line, both values are nearly the same. With help from the Puttalyze tables, the player began matching read, aim, and speed more precisely.

Lastly, we addressed the connection between speed and break. The longer a ball stays on the slope, the more it breaks. Downhill putts, played slower, break more. Uphill putts, played faster, break less. This principle—time on break—transformed the player’s ability to judge both line and pace.

When all elements—visual perception, fall line awareness, aimpoint estimation, distance control, and speed matching—came together, the result was immediate improvement. The player stopped second-guessing, gained confidence in green reading, and drastically reduced edge misses.

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