Static Factors
The Ideal Line of a putt is determined by the slope between ball and hole, the green speed – measured in Stimp - and the intended Power. The steeper the side slope, the higher the Stimp, and the softer the intended Power, the more your putt will break. And vice versa.
Stroke Factors
Your putting stroke influences how the ball rolls. Angle of attack, dynamic loft and strike location amongst others influence how high and with how much spin your putt launches off the putter face. This leads to more or less skid which results in the ball taking less or more break, respctively. Off-center strikes and high “face to path” numbers will also lead to a tilted spin axis resulting in putts jumping left or right and therefor behaving different to what we project. While a representative amount of skid is factored into PuttView’s line calculations, individual stroke-based differences are nottaken into account.
Environmental Factors
There are plenty of external factors that influence the break of a putt, but are not taken into account for the calculation of PuttView visuals as they can vary tremendously. The most important ones are listed below:
Grain – refers to the direction grass is growing in. The extent grain influences your putt primarily depends on the length of the grass blades and the type of grass used. Typically longer blades mean higher grain effect with Bermuda greens being particularly famous for their influence of grain due to their strong lateral growth habit. A putt will naturally follow the direction the grass grows in. Visually darker areas are into the grain while brighter areas are with the grain.
Moisture – dew and irrigation slow a green noticeably, and unevenly. One part of the green can roll very differently from another. Typically those areas covered in shadows for a longer time in the mornings tend to be more moist, and therefore, slower.
Wear on the greens – the longer the grass is, the softer the green, the more impact surface wear,will have on your putts. Every player walking over the surface, every ball carrying onto the green and every leaning on the putter can impact the smoothness of the surface and the trueness of your ball roll.
Wind – probably the most obvious one. The faster the green is the higher the influence of wind on your putt.
It is important to acknowledge that you can do everything right from read, aim and stroke and your putt might still not drop. The game of golf always carries a certain element of unpredictability with it. PuttView provides a reference to help analyzing these factors and practice the various skills of putting in isolation. .