Golf Tips: Putting Aggression, Slope, Grain

I was watching the Wendy's Three Tour Challenge last night, a contest between the PGA Tour, LPGA and Champions Tours.  They were featuring pros from each tour giving tips on the swing, short game and putting.  One common concept, especially with the very fast greens at Rio Secco in Las Vegas, was choosing the level of aggression based on the slope of the putt.  Lets talk about when and where to be aggressive and when to be cautious. Aggressive Putts Quite simply, an aggressive putt is usually a good idea on uphill putts.  The putt will slow down quickly going up the hill.  Weak putts will come up woefully short. If you play golf in areas where there is a lot of grain in the greens, like in Florida, a read of the grain will help the decision as well.  Even if the putt is level, a putt against the grain will roll like it is going uphill.  Be aggressive putting against the grain. Conservative Putts The opposite applies on downhill putts.  Pounding an aggressive put on a downhill slope is obviously not the best play.  If the putt misses the ball will travel far past the hole, leaving a tough putt coming back.  Clearly a more cautious putt which dies at the hole will have the best chance of dropping, or staying close to tap-in range if it does miss. Once again, those who play on grainy putting surfaces should read the grain.  Putts going with the grain will act like downhill putts.  These putts will be faster and require a less firm stroke. Conclusion Before you hit your putt, take a second or two to read not just the break, but the slope and grain.  Then pick the proper aggression level.  You'll make more and when you miss, you'll have more tap-ins.