THE WORLD IS BEAUTIFUL

by **Paul** Sun 04 Sep 2016, 5:12 pm

GOLF TIPS TO USE TO IMPROVE YOUR ENTIRE GAME (scroll down farther for putting tips)

29 Mar

There are a lot of factors in "working" the ball to do what you want it to do, or getting close even when you mishit. (This is an awfully long blog, so break out that Snickers Bar...it's going to be a while....lol) Don't get frustrated or impatient with it, as there is a wealth of information in it and you will be surprised if you choose to master it and apply it. Good luck reading. LOL

DRIVING AND IRONS (STEPS)
The order that I figure out a shot goes as follows: Distance, elevation, hazard such as rough, sand, mulch, fescue (if needed), wind, spin or no-spin, angle of club percentage add depending on spin, division by club rating and ball rating combination, then final addition of Shot Pal error. This order is ultra-important. The steps below cover each part in great detail. Learn the steps and follow them and you'll stick balls close to the hole or get out of that trouble effectively. This is not rocket science, but some think it is. All of this can be done on a small hand-held calculator that has percentage adds or subtraction a Memory + key and a Memory minus key as well as the four basic keys for adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. Stuff you learned by 4th grade. (at least I hope you did...lol)

1. First, figure out how FAR the hole is from the ball or where on the fairway you want to put your drive. Easy enough.

2. Add HALF the ELEVATION when you want to hit the ball right on the button close to the intended target on the fairway or green. Subtracting one-third of the elevation on a drop shot works on most shots on most courses, but you CAN'T go wrong with ADDING half the "up" elevation when you figure a shot. However, subtracting 1/3 of the elevation in feet will translate to taking that many yards off your shot in most cases. If I have a shot of 113 yards, and the elevation is up 5 ft, one would THINK to add 5 yards to the shot if one thought that converting feet of elevation to yards of addition. This is not true. I add half of that 5 yards, which is 2.5 yards. This now makes a base shot of 115.5 yards. If I have a shot of 200 yards, and the drop is 30 feet, I take 10 yards (1/3 the feet converted into yards) off the shot and I now have a base shot of 190 yards. However, see the "Elevation Ratio" section just below to have a more accurate shot to the green.

QUICK TIP: Want a little extra distance on your drives? Take the little dot on the ball that is down in the lower right-hand corner of your screen, and look at it. The dot on the ball is presented to you in the middle of the ball. I call this the "equator" of the ball (just like looking at a globe in school..remember?) and I move the little dot down just a bit (about 1/3...this will be dependent on how much spin rating is on the ball...Nikes have a higher spin rate and you don't have to move it down so far, whereas a starter ball has no spin rate and you will have to move it 1/2 the way down) and this will increase your launch angle to a maximum of 45 degrees, which is ideal for all projectiles launched for maximum distance. That's what javelin throwers shoot for, people shooting artillery shells, and even throwing a baseball or football (American football..lol) do when they want that maximum distance. Another method to help on your drives is to move the aimer about 10-15 yards farther on a drive down the fairway. This works on clean fairways where there are no impediments. The ball seems to want to "seek" the little triangle. Try it and see if I'm not crazy. I've improved my driving distance a lot using this trick. Watch out for that wind, though...the more backspin you put on a ball, the more the wind affects it.

2 A. ELEVATION RATIO I usually do this calculation BEFORE I add half the elevation because adding half the elevation is not perfectly accurate. Adding half the elevation will get you on the green and close to the hole in most cases, and leave you with a short birdie putt. However, to be hyper-accurate, I found that using a simple factor called "elevation ratio" that seems to be programmed into the game, you can get shots to land within a foot or two of the hole when shooting for accuracy to the pin. If you have a shot of 150 yards and an elevation of 25, adding half that (12.5) on a full-spin shot will get you awfully close, but many times take you a bit past the hole. What I do is take that 25 ft elevation and divide it by the distance of 150 and come up with a percentage of subtraction from the overall half-elevation number. If you divide 25 by 150, you get .1666 or 16.66%. The original half-elevation number was 12.5, so I subtract 16.66% from that 12.5 and get 10.417 and that is my new elevation number to add to my distance. So a shot of 162.5 on your original calculation becomes 160.417. Not much, but it gets you closer to the hole. Of course, wind has to be figured in yet, plus club angle percentage of add, so you aren't finished with calculating your shot as accurately as possible, so read on. This will help you get those mystery shots that seem to go long many times when you are hitting shots to the green and ESPECIALLY on wedge shots to the pin. So many times I have added exactly half the elevation on a 60-yard shot with a 12-foot elevation, thinking 66 yards was my base shot, and the truth was it was a 64.8-yard shot. You'll find this out as time goes along that this math is absolutely correct and begin to trust it to the point of sticking balls even closer to the hole than previously imagined. Certainly, you must try to ding the meter, but even slight mishits will be closer, thus making your birdie chances better. Try it and see.

3. INHERIT THE WIND. Figuring wind was somewhat accurate before, but I have found simple calculations for wind. Most of my shots to the green with irons and my hybrid work with this formula, and many times with my 3-wood. The normal add for wind on full-spin shots is 50% of the average, but it changes on ocean courses on shots over 150 yards. Some courses have trees on either side that are very tall, and they act as a wind buffer, such as at Pinehurst. Wind from the side at Pinehurst is different than wind from the side at open courses like St. Andrew's or Royal St. George's. Courses by the ocean will have a generally greater wind effect than those that are protected from the wind. Wind HELPING can be as much as TWICE the average indicated, and I've gotten wind help of as much as 50 yards from a trailing wind of 27-30 at St. Andy's or St. George's. Be ready to understand that the physics of wind resistance and wind aid to a ball in flight will mainly be determined by the lay of the land at the course you are playing and the amount of backspin you put on a shot. St. Andrew's doesn't have as many hazards as St. George's or Kiawah, and as you play them, you have to be careful how much spin you put on a ball at those places, since the more spin you put on a ball, the greater the wind effect. When I have wind in wide-open courses like ocean courses, I multiply the wind average by 75% , and then do my calculations. For instance, a 20 mph wind in your face would normally be cut in half to 10 miles per hour on a regular course like Bethpage, Oakmont, and other non-ocean courses, but since the wind on ocean courses is in an open space with no impediments, I would multiply that calculation by 75% instead of 50% thus making my wind calculation in my face at 15 miles per hour. I have found this to be also true on other courses when golfing in heavy winds for my full-spin calculation. For NO-SPIN or most partial-spin calculations, I usually take 1/3 of what I have figured for wind effect.

Wind behind you (helping wind) works the same way, and all you do is figure the angle in those nice little 15-degree increments (you'll have a hard time figuring any angles closer than that with the naked eye on the wind direction indicator) and then subtract that amount that you figured using the chart above. The reverse angles of the wind HELPING are no different.
I have also found out that there is a "twilight zone" of wind effect at the 150-yard mark. Below 150 yards, the wind effect is 50% on most courses, even on ocean courses when using a FULL-BACKSPIN SHOT. BUT....OVER 150 yards at ocean courses, the 75% wind effect factor comes into play. For NON-ocean courses, the wind effect is generally 50% of the average indicated for all distances. Just repeating it for your benefit.
Now...you can hit accurate shots figuring the wind after you figure elevation by adding or subtracting an exact amount of yardage on most courses. I used to guess about wind, but I went to a site called "The Physics of Golf" and studied the formulas for wind vectors. It's complicated as all get-out, so I decided to simplify it.

It involves trigonometry, and the hardest part of trigonometry is spelling it. You WON'T have to do it for wind, because I am now going to provide you with a simple chart of 6 angles and their wind calculation factors to multiply by before you add full spin on a shot.
The multiples are for the angles of the wind, from dead straight in your face or dead straight behind you, and then the 5 angles in between. It involves sine angles and the physics of wind, but don't be scared. I'M DOING THE MATH FOR YOU... right here and now. When the wind is in your face and straight at you, use a full spin shot and add half the average of the wind. Straight in your face is what I am going to call here a 90-degree angle (from the "North" if you will) for the purpose of simplifying the trig multiples. Straight from the side (from the "East" or "West") will be referred to as an angle of 0, Wind at other angles like the "Northwest" or "Northeast" is also included.

Here is the table:

Wind at 90....multiple is 1.00
Wind at 75....multiple is .965
Wind at 60....multiple is .866
Wind at 45....multiple is .707
Wind at 30....multiple is .50
Wind at 15....multiple is .25
Wind at 0....no effect. Wind directly from the side with a perpendicular angle (a right angle) to the ball flight is non-existent with a full-spin shot.

by **Paul** Sun 04 Sep 2016, 5:13 pm

...the entire formula for perfect distance control providing you ding the meter. Slight mishits from under 150 won't penalize you much, and you will stick the ball left or right of the hole and still be pin high. Sounds nuts, doesn't it? Well, the vector forces on projectiles hurled into the air involving windage are as accurate as anything, and artillery shells wouldn't hit their mark if it didn't. LOL The longer the shot, the more the wind will affect it. The shorter the shot, the less the wind will affect it. It's a matter of "air time."

(Distance plus half the elevation OR minus 1/3 the drop) - (elevation ratio) + (half the average of the wind x the angle factor shown above) + 5% (roughly...SEE CLUB ANGLE ADDS) of that total for a FULL-SPIN SHOT.

This formula works every time on just about every course for every distance and wind with every club. Even at ocean courses, but mainly from 150 yards AND shorter. For OCEAN courses that have shots longer than 150 yards, add 50% to your wind calculations. See also the specific "adds" in percent for each club below.

So, if you have a shot to the green of say, 150 yards that you have figured after adding half the elevation, then simply add the two wind numbers on the meter, divide by 2, and then multiply the wind calculation by the angle you figure the wind is coming from. A 30-degree angle has a sine of.5, a 45-degree angle has a sine of .707, etc.
If the wind is at a 45-degree angle and you have already figured your distance and elevation, then multiply half the wind by .707 So, if the wind average is 18, then divide it by 2....getting 9...and then multiply that answer (9) by .707, which nets you 6.363 yards to add to your shot.
Now the yardage is 150 + 6.363 giving you a base shot of 156.363 yards and then you have to add ABOUT 5% to that total (more on specific percentages of add for club angles later) to compensate for a full-backspin shot. So, 156.363 + 5% of that is 164.181. Then simply divide by your swing meter and take the shot. Of course consider your ball rating to figure the total impetus of your shot. Starter balls have no distance rating so your club won't throw the ball any farther than what is indicated on the club selection chart, but a Nike(with a distance rating of 5) will throw the ball 5% farther, so you have to consider that extra amount when dividing by your swing meter. Don't forget that part...lol
Hit the ball 164.81 and ding the meter and watch it stick near the hole or go in. This works. Trust the math. Full-spin, ding the meter.

4. USING THE SHOT PAL EFFECTIVELY (PRECISION RATING)
I have been hitting a lot of approach shots to the greens and found something out recently that has allowed me to put the ball incredibly close to the pin...even MUCH closer than previously figured. Many times, I was estimating the amount of percentage to use on my Shot Pal, and coming up a yard or two off on my shots even when I dinged the meter. First and foremost, if you aren't using the Shot Pal, you are REALLY doing yourself a disservice. You get a free one when you join a club that is past Level 3 in the country clubs, so I urge you to do that. Yes, some clubs are real snooty and they get all wrapped up in the formality of it all, but there are some clubs that don't worry about such things, and my club is one of them. You actually get a free Shot Pal AND Putter Pal when you join and you keep it for the duration of your stay in the club. Kind of nice of them, don't you think?

I use the Shot Pal and Putter Pal religiously when doing the numbers in WGT golf, and what would be the point of all this math if I didn't? You should too, if you are actually interested in getting better. HOWEVER, as I said before, I found out that there is an interesting anomaly on the Shot Pal. The Shot Pal is actually the measure of PRECISION for the rating on your clubs and balls. I have a precision rating of 3.5 on my ball and a precision rating on my clubs. The closer that rating is to the number 5.0, the more accurate the Shot Pal is when you draw the meter back to a certain percentage on your shot. SO...I have to actually ADD 1.5% on most of my shots to make it coincide with the PRECISION of the ball and clubs I use for a full back-spin shot. I always wondered about "precision" ratings, and used to think that the Shot Pal was "off" but the truth is...the PRECISION rating is a factor in your clubs and especially the ball you use. Of course, the more expensive balls and clubs have higher precision ratings, but you can make up for that error if you know what the PRECISION rating on your clubs and balls are...even STARTER sets and STARTER balls. Yes, adding as much as 5% on a full backspin shot with a starter club and starter ball will get you close to the pin. Fear not...I bring you good tidings of great joy. LOL
Here's an example. This is unique to my clubs and balls, so you will have go to your own inventory and see the club and ball precision ratings to determine the addition to YOUR percentages. Every club and ball set combination is different, but follow this example. You have a 170-yard shot to an elevated green that has a 20-foot elevation. Wind is against you at an angle of 45 degrees from the left. The wind speed is 10 on an ocean course. Now, you have all the factors to put into your math calculations. First, I take the 20-yard elevation and divide it by 170 yards to determine the subtraction of elevation ratio from half the elevation. 20/170 comes out to 11.764% Now, I take half the elevation, which is 10 and subtract 11.764% from that, giving me 8.8236 yards to ADD to the original 170-yard shot, thus making my base shot so far at 178.8236 yards. (Stay with me, because you are going to amaze yourself IF you are smart enough to punch numbers into a tiny calculator, and you wouldn't be this far in this blog if you weren't...so be patient and follow the process)
Now, you have distance and elevation, and it's time to figure wind push against you. The base wind average is 10, BUT it's at an ocean course, and the distance is MORE than 150 yards, so the multiple of 50% is increased to 75%, thus making wind push against the ball at 7.5 mph. Now, take that 7.5 mph and multiply it by the angle of the wind, which is 45 degrees, thus making it a.707 amount. 7.5 x .707 = 5.3025 yards to add to the shot.

So...178.8236 + 5.3025 = 184.1261 yards. Using this number, you then have to determine what type of shot you are going to use and which club. The amount of impetus will vary from a full-spin shot or a no-spin shot. I PREFER a full backspin shot because of the bite involved and the numbers crunched. Looking at the number, I have to select a club in my bag that will go a bit FARTHER than 184.1261 yards, and my 185-yard 5-iron combined with my addition of club angle percentage will leave me a bit short on a full backspin shot because the angle add on a 5-iron is approximately 5.6%, so I'd need to hit it 194.4437 yards with full spin (I always refer to "spin" of any kind as backspin...rarely will you use overspin except on drives up hills) and if I selected my 200-yard 4-iron, which has a club angle addition of 4.4%, I'd have to hit it 192.2227 yards. Therein lies my decision. I am officially between clubs. So, I have to figure which is best, and which will clear trouble, and how much roll I'll get with the higher club. The 4-iron will have more roll even on a full-spin shot than the 5-iron, and the 5-iron on full mode at 100% will come up a bit short with my Callaway HEX Chrome 33+ balls at 190.55 yards. That's with the 3% addition for the ball rating. I either have to take a bit of spin off (not much at those high distance clubs...just a hair) and hit the shot at 100%, which is preferred, and gamble with the roll, OR I have to take the 4-iron and divide the 192.2227 by 206 (my 4-iron rating with the HEX Chromes) and come up with 93.3314% on my swing meter. However, I have to add that last 1.5% for the swing meter error, and it gives me a safe margin at 94.8% on my swing meter, which is acceptable. I don't like hitting shots lower than 95%, but in this case it is definitely close enough. The shot will fly VERY close to the hole if you ding it...I mean VERY close either way you choose to hit it with either club. Trust me...I've been doing this for a while now, and found out it WORKS. Here are some of the club angle adds to help you out on full-spin shots...

by **Paul** Sun 04 Sep 2016, 5:16 pm

I did some research online and found something interesting about that "5% addition rule" that I originally put out. On the wedges, irons, and woods, there is a vast difference between club angles and this changes that "addition factor" by quite a lot in some cases because of a thing called the "Magnus Effect" that shows how a golf ball really flies instead of being a perfect arc. That perfect arc is not the case with a dimpled golf ball, wind effect, and even club angle effect. Here are general club angles and percentage adds that I have found to be even more accurate than the "5% addition rule." Remember, this is for FULL-BACKSPIN SHOTS ONLY.

CLUB CLUB ANGLE % OF ADD FOR FULL SPIN SHOT
ULW   64 10.7%
SW   56 11.4%
PW   48 6.5%
9-IRON   45 6.1%
8-IRON   40 5%
7-IRON   35 6%
6-IRON   30 6.4%
5-IRON   25 5.6%
4-IRON     20 4.4%
3-IRON     15 3%
HYBRID   14-16 -0.4% (NOTICE THE MINUS)
3-WOOD   11-13 -1.1%(NOTICE THE MINUS)
DRIVER   8-11 1.93%

Here is an example on an ocean course.
Wind is at 45 degrees from the left slightly against you (in this case, the Northwest...North being straight ahead) and your shot is 215 yards. The average wind indication for this Pebble Beach shot is 14 mph.

The first thing I do is take 14 mph and multiply it by 75%, giving me 10.5 yards of base resistance. THEN I multiply that by the sine of 45 degrees, which is.707
So, .707 times 10.5 yards comes out to 7.4235 yards of ADD to the shot. I add that original 215 yards to 7.4235 yards, and use a full-backspin shot of 222.4235 yards. Of course, there are further factors of club angle adds that have to be considered, but after a while, it becomes almost automatic. In my case, the club-angle add for 222.4235 yards makes it a 225-yard hybrid for me, so I actually subtract 0.4% for my hybrid (the hybrid and 3-wood in my bag actually have subtractions instead of additions like all the rest of the clubs in my bag) and figure what the distance will be with my HEX Chome 33+ balls of a distance rating of 3 (adds 3% to the distance off the club face)

My 225-yard hybrid actually will be rated at 225 yards with starter balls, but with Callaway HEX Chrome 33+ balls of a distance rating of 3%, they should go 231.75 yards. I have that written in the margin of my putting charts for quick reference on all clubs.
Now I take that 222.4235 yards and divide it by 231.75 yards and get a percentage to drag the swing meter back to. The percentage on the swing meter comes out to 95.9756% (96% for all intents and purposes) and I wind it up and try to ding the meter.
Here's one more example for a full-spin shot on a non-ocean course. The distance is 145 yards and the wind is dead in your face at 10 mph. The multiple for the sine angle dead from the "north" is 1.00, and I take HALF the wind average. So, I have 5 mph of wind to add, translating to 145 plus 5 yards, which comes out to 150 yards.

Now I have to figure a club to select that is higher than 150. I have a 155-yard rated 7-iron (I run MAX Meter irons and wedges) and with the Callaway HEX Chrome 33+ balls, the distance on the 7-iron becomes 159.65. The club angle add for my 7-iron is 6%. That makes the 150 yard shot a 159-yard shot. (150 + 6% = 159) This will be for a FULL-BACKSPIN shot only. (no backspin changes everything)

So now, I have nice 159-yard shot and divide by my 159.65 of the full rating of my club and ball and come out with 99.592% on the shot meter. Dinging the meter will throw the ball that exact distance.

Picking full-backspin, partial backspin, and no backspin will be up to you. Knowing how to use the math and the amount of backspin takes a bit of time to learn, but it's deadly accurate.

by **Paul** Sun 04 Sep 2016, 5:18 pm

6. USING THE RIGHT CLUB AND SWING METER  Once you have figured out distance, elevation, and wind, you will come up with a number. From THAT point, you will divide that number by the maximum of the swing meter on a certain club and decide to either put full spin on it or not in order to create a "full" shot (as close to 100% as you can) with whatever club you have chosen.

6 A. BEING IN BETWEEN CLUBS
HOWEVER, many times you are caught "between" clubs, and you have to choose which is more beneficial for a "miss." You won't "ding" the meter every time, and you need to think, "Do I want to come up short or long on a miss?" The other consideration is trying to make it so you hit anywhere between 95-100% on a full shot, ESPECIALLY with longer irons from the 8-iron to the 3-wood. Shots with shorter irons and wedges can take "partial" shots down to around 75% and still be accurate on a mishit. Shots that are around the 75% number to 90% on longer irons willPENALIZE you radically on a mishit, so the prudent thing to do is figure out how close to a "full" shot (95-100%) you can make with those clubs. Picking the right club is not the one that is always suggested by the "caddie" and I've fired many of them over the months, but I've realized many times when in rough or with goofy wind, the "caddie" errs on the side of caution. However, the calculations I gave you for the sine of the angles is solid, and the programmers HAD to use them to design the game to work properly and mirror real golf. Now, with the same math they used in the program, the distance is no longer a mystery...it's an exact number, and you will wow your friends and enemies with it.

The "go for it" golf that people try to play on here costs them more strokes than they can imagine, and until you get a feel for wind, elevation, rough, and distance, "working" the ball is futile. Having said all that, just know that ultimately YOU are your own caddie, and making the decision to go with spin or no spin will affect the distance and "bite" of the ball. When you don't put spin on a long iron, it will fly a bit lower, be affected by the wind less, bounce less steeply, and roll farther. Sometimes, that's exactly what you want, but other times, you have to clear a bunker or rough near the green, and you have to fly the ball a bit farther to make it to the flag or just short of it. This will require either full spin or partial spin to counteract all the forces working on the ball and still hit a "full" shot (100%) to make the ball control much better. All shots are different, but you'll get a feel from practice. Use starter balls in practice so you don't "burn out" a good store-bought ball with "-2" (twice the wear for mulligans) on each practice shot. The only way to get good at controlling the ball with all the factors involved is to get really good at using starter balls, and THEN you will see how well the good ones respond. Plus, you should always note from course to course just how far your ball flies before it lands for each club on each shot. Eventually, you will get a feel for how far your ball is flying, and the numbers for each club will become almost automatic, ESPECIALLY ON THE LONG IRONS, WOODS, AND DRIVER. Knowing THOSE numbers will keep you out of a lot of trouble, and you will golf mostly from the fairways and hit your greens with greater accuracy. Your misses won't hurt as much..

Using different balls will affect your play. Personally, I use Callaway Hex Chrome 33's which have a distance factor of 3 and a spin factor of 3.5. . I have a few sleeves of Nikes that people gifted to me but I save them, since the distance, meter speeds, and spin rates are all much higher, and I have to actually WAIT for the meter to get to that certain point on my swing meter, and it throws my mental timing off when I hit a shot. PLUS, they are hideously expensive, and at 500-800 credits per sleeve, you drop more than $2 each time you lose one. That's not in my budget. A lot of the "big hitters" and "sharpies" use the Nikes, and because I understand how to work the ball. I KNOW most of the time on the first hole whether or not my opponent knows how to USE his clubs and balls properly by the type of shot he or she hits. THEN I determine how "safe" I have to play to beat them. Sure, I run up against some "razors" that have all the equipment and the talent and knowledge to work the ball, so I break my own rule and play "go for it" golf against them and let the chips fall where they may.

7. SPIN OR NO-SPIN  Putting full spin on a ball will need about 5% more impetus on your Shot Pal than figured,but I have included the specific percentage addition factors for each club in previous paragraphs. The spin actually throws the ball a bit higher and SHORTER, so you have to compensate for that. My 8-iron is rated at 140 yards, and my Callaway Hex Chrome 33's have a distance rating of 3, and this adds 3% to every shot I take with it, even down to the 60% range. So, I have to figure a full shot with the 140 club (8-iron) will go 144.2 yards, and I have to take that into account when I am shooting. If the shot calls for 139 yards, I may add the 5% of 139, thus making the shot 145.95 yards, and a full-spin shot may come up 2-4 yards short. Every ONE yard of misfigure usually translates to TWO yards difference when it lands on the green. this is something to seriously consider when shooting. However, if I am between yardages like that, sometimes putting half-spin or 3/4 spin on a shot will get it to go the correct distance, and a slight mishit either way just lands the ball a yard or two left or right. If you saw some of the "darts" I've been throwing, you would know how well I have learned to work the ball with the math I have provided. I used to load replays of shots each day but it is tedious now since I stick so many close to the hole ever day, but if you have nothing better to do, look at what the math does for me. Yes, some of the shots are older, but unless I make a double-eagle or hole in one, what's the point? LOL

Rule of thumb for spin and no-spin shots is ADD 5% to your final calculation when using full spin, and allow for about 5% bounce and roll with no spin. Those numbers should get you hitting balls close to the pin and making more birdies. Also, when hitting shots with store-bought balls, you have to consider the distance rating and SUBTRACT that many percent from your final shot. I know that my 4-iron of 200 yards will go 206 with my Hex Chrome 33's because their distance rating is 3% more, so when I want to hit a shot of 195 yards, I have to divide 195 by 200, which is 97.5%, and then subtract 3% on the meter down to 94.5%, and it usually produces a perfect shot. I don't like to go below 95% most of the time on a shot, but sometimes the conditions dictate that I do. On shots like that, I either put a small bit of spin and hope I've made my calculations as accurately as possible. I made it easy for myself by making a macro and micro-putting chart, and on that chart on the side, I have the full distances of EACH of my clubs paired with my Hex Chromes written in the margin and it's quite easy to divide by THOSE new numbers instead of guessing. For the most part, THE MORE YOU GUESS, THE WORSE THE RESULT if you mishit. Don't do that to yourself now that you are armed with accurate math.

8. AIMING Once you have figured all the distance, spin, wind, and bounce and roll, you'll be able to create different types of shots for different situations and the only thing left is aiming and dinging the meter. MOST of the time, one of the "looks" from the green approach or behind the green will have a blue line that you will line up with a little white dot (which is actually your ball...of course, if your ball is black or some other color, it will be hard to spot) between your figure and the ball. If you look VERY closely, you will see it on all drives and fairway shots from the reverse angle. Lining up the blue line with THAT colored-dot will be accurate for a safe shot most of the time and many times be the EXACT compensation you need to make the perfect shot. I've discovered that they give you all the tools to figure out each shot perfectly, and once in a while, it's half or double the amount of aim difference OR on the wrong side of the hole when figuring indicated wind push, but for the most part, it's quite accurate for the "safe" shot to the right part of the green or fairway. The same is true on putting when you aim. ALWAYS look at the aimer fromboth angles, and you'll find that it's usually the average of the two looks or the exact aim from one look if you feather a putt, and the exact aim when you ram a putt. (more on aiming putts later) Sometimes it's the addition of both, so you have to judge for yourself when the camera angle isn't right.

9. DINGING THE METER
THE KWAI CHANG CAINE EFFECT OF DINGING THE METER
Recently, I have been dinging the meter much more often than before. Another "aha moment" came to me as I was golfing and struggling at times to get my timing right. The biggest factor in getting your timing down is to match your entire set of golf clubs from driver to putter with the EXACT SAME METER SPEED. Only then will good timing come more naturally. However, even though my club set was matched for an awfully long time, I still had trouble being at or near the ding UNTIL I started doing hyper-accurate math on my shot and putting calculations. Many times I would get ready to play a tournament that had Championship green speeds, and I knew I had to be accurate on my drives and approach shots in order to be closer to the hole to give myself a chance to putt the greens well.

So, I set about doing my math as accurately as my little $4 calculator and two handwritten homemade charts would allow me, and aiming as perfectly as possible to allow the meter to adjust to my shot timing. It always seemed that the meter would try to compensate for an inaccurate calculation and this threw a lot of shots off that I thought I had calculated correctly. It was almost like the meter became the "Kwai Chang Caine" character in the old television series, "Kung Fu." The meter, much like Caine, would have a mind of its own and say to you, "I must HELP you." I remember how annoyed the people in that series used to get when Caine "helped" them in ways they didn't really like at first, and eventually they saw the error of their own ways when Caine fixed things for them. Well, the meter is just like Caine.
The meter actually tries to compensate for inaccurate math, improper spin, wrong club selection, and lousy aim. Every one of those factors is taken into account by the computer when you click on it to drag it back to the precise point of release. If you violate any one of those factors, the meter will do its best to speed up or slow down to affect the shot and not only throw your timing off, but many times throw your golf ball in places you don't want it to go. Call me crazy, but it works.

Lately, from doing hyper-accurate math and not guessing or golfing by feel, the meter has been MUCH more cooperative, and my timing in dinging the meter or being slightly (a frog's hair) early or late without much damage to my shots or putts. The accuracy of being at or near the ding has gone from 40% or so to more than 80% of the time and even when I am a bit more than a "frog's hair" off, the shots are close enough to make the next shot easy or much more manageable. That's a significant improvement. You'll see what I mean once you go from guessing on shots to using the math to help your game. This blog is published to "help" you, and while I am not Kwai Chang Caine, I know it works.

Example #1. 175 yds. 15 ft. UP elevation Ocean course. Wind in your face (dead from the 'north') at 15 mph.

by **Paul** Sun 04 Sep 2016, 5:22 pm

'This blog is published to "help" you, and while I am not Kwai Chang Caine, I know it work

Example #1. 175 yds. 15 ft. UP elevation Ocean course. Wind in your face (dead from the 'north') at 15 mph.

15/175 = 0.08571 (elevation ratio) is 8.571%
15/2 = 7.5 (half the elevation)
7.5 - 8.571% = 6.8571 (true elevation)
175 + 6.8571 = 181.8571 yds. (distance plus true elevation)
15 mph x 75% = 11.25 yds add (ocean course...over 150 yd. shot) [wind multiple is 1.00...no change for angle]
181.8571 + 11.25 = 193.1071 yds. (new adjusted shot for wind)
193.1071 + 4.4% = 201.6038 yds (addition for club angle add for 200-yd. 4-iron)
201.6038/206 = 0.97865 or 97.865% (swing meter pull-back and adjusted ball distance add of 3% for my Callaway HEX 33+ Soft balls) [this will vary with the type of ball you use]
97.865% + 1.5% = 99.3% (precision adjustment for swing meter for most clubs) [starters will have no adjustment]

Yes...NINE calculations for a full back-spin shot....BUT...you stick the ball within a yard provided you aim at the pin and ding the meter. (My recommendation is to PULL THE PIN so you don't whack it and end up 20 yards from the hole...lol...trust me)
This calculation can be done with practice in about 45-50 seconds. It takes a few extra seconds if the wind is at some other angle. Now, if you are in an Alternate Shot game, you have 45 seconds to aim and shoot if you have a 90-second shot timer. If you are by yourself, you have all day to make the calculation correctly.

Example #2. 145 yds. 15 ft. DROP Wind 14 mph from the "southeast" (or 45 degrees over your shoulder from the right)
15/3 = 5 yds. (drop calculation)
145 - 5 = 140 yds. (true shot calculation distance)
14/2 = 7 mph for wind
7 x.707 = 4.949 (true wind push)
140 - 4.949 = 135.051 yds, (true shot minus true wind)
135.051 + 5% = 141.803 yds. (club angle add for 8-iron full backspin shot)
141.803/144.2 = 0.98338 or 98.3338% (division for swing meter using Callaway HEX Chrome 33+ Soft balls...this will vary for the type of ball you use) [normal 8-iron shot for me is rated at 140 and I have to add 3% for the ball type]
98.3338% + 1.5% = 99.838% (swing meter precision error for club set)

Aim right using the blue line and line it up...most times the blue line will help in adjusting for wind push ....DON'T AIM AT THE PIN...LOL. The blue line is there to help you AIM. The blue line (or red when you extend it) is usually the exact amount you need to adjust for wind push. I have used it effectively in tons of cases and when I ding the meter, I have to actually have the pin pulled so I don't smack the pin.

by **Paul** Sun 04 Sep 2016, 5:23 pm

PUTTING (9 STEPS TO BETTER PUTTING)
The steps for figuring putts is laid out as follows. Distance plus/minus elevation, times green speed factor, times distance touch factor, divide by meter, store in memory, figure elevation ratio add/subtract in percent times ten, store in memory plus or minus, figure grain flow in seconds, add or subtract percent, figure break flow in seconds, swing the aimer, figure wind resistance, then ding the meter. You will lag putt great with this and the ball goes in the hole or dies near the hole. I am NOT a proponent of going too far past the hole by "ramming" putts. Some people are, but I find that giving the exact impetus to a ball and seeing it die in the hole is much nicer than going 4 feet past when you miss and turning a birdie into a bogey. That's not my idea of smart golf. Of course...that's my OPINION...LOL Read on for the steps. Many have benefited from this method. Lots to read and absorb, so get that Snickers bar out. (They should pay me for advertising)

Before you even begin the process of putting, make sure the distance is correct. Sometimes, you see a putt distance of 17 feet, and if you move the aimer a bit, farther past the hole or even inside the hole, you find out that the putt is 18 feet instead of 17 feet. Be careful to make sure you do this first before you start your first step. The grids are 24 inches long and 24 inches wide, so you can get an idea of how many inches to add onto your putt in order to get the number of FEET of distance for your putt. If you move that aimer around, the grid will move with it or stay stationary depending on whether you lock or unlock the grid. Look at the aimer and see when it changes to the next foot. This will happen on putts of 11 feet or longer, so be aware of the EXACT distance of your putt. For instance, if you see it is 1/4 of a grid farther than 17 feet, then that means you add 6 inches to the overall distance of your putt, thus making the putt 17.5 feet instead of 17 feet. This will make for a more accurate putt and fewer misses or putts that come up just short. Now, let's begin the process of calculation. It's not that hard, and you can do all of this on a cheap little calculator like I do and learn to do it fast ONCE YOU LEARN TO DO IT CORRECTLY. It seems like a lot of work, but those that guess at this are doomed to do this work eventually, so the smart option is to learn how to do it now.

One of the main things you want to do in putting is NOT BLOW the next shot. If you are putting for eagle, make sure you don't blow birdie by coming up too short, too far left or right, or going too long. If you are putting for birdie, don't blow par. If you are putting for par, don't blow bogey. Too many times in the past, I got aggressive on putts and figured on ramming a short putt in the hole for birdie and ended up making bogey or worse because I felt bold or out of sorts. EACH PUTT COUNTS THE SAME AS A 290-YARD DRIVE. Think about that when you begin figuring out how to putt properly. Remember...you drive for show, and putt for dough. Too many people think that buying that big hot driver will solve all their problems, and find out that they should have worked on putting first. The driving is the LAST thing in your game you should work on perfecting. The thought of golf is to work from the hole BACK to the tee. The short game is the fastest way to improve your overall game and it STARTS with good putting....especially lagging the correct distance. Sure, you'll mishit once in a while and come up a bit short, but for the most part, this blog is designed to get you TO THE HOLE or just a tad past. Once you master that, the rest is simply a game of aiming the putt.

Step 1. Add or subtract the height (elevation or drop) in inches to the distance of the putt in feet. (everyone ...even the hacks figure that out)

Step 2. Multiply by the green speed factor. (charts will be included further on for all green speeds you will encounter in normal play from 2-100 feet along with a micro chart for the majority of putts, which are under 8 feet.) This will give you a new distance for the putt. Green speeds will remain constant throughout the course, so once you understand how to multiply by the green speed factor, then you can move on to step #3. For SLOW greens only, don't go any farther than this step OTHER THAN USING STEP 4.

Step 3. Look at the new distance for the putt and then multiply by the "touch" factor. The "touch factor" is a product of the overall impetus or "oomph" you are putting on the ball from different distances. It is NOT LINEAR, so there is no "set" formula for figuring it out. I've made charts for you up to 100 feet. (Scroll down and you will see that charts are included for this factor from 2-100 feet. Nice of me, huh?) For STANDARD and SLOW greens, don't use this step.

Step 4. Divide by the swing meter distance. For instance, if you have a calculated putt of 10 feet by the time you get to this step, and you have a swing meter of 15 feet, then divide 10 by 15 and you know that your base impetus is now 0.667 or 66.7%. If you have a swing meter of 10 feet, then divide that 10 feet by 10 and you get 1.00 or 100%. Easy enough. Now comes the the beginning of the tricky parts of figuring a putt..

Step 5. Add or subtract the RATIO of elevation or drop in percentage For instance, on that putt of 10 feet that you just figured out to be 66.7% of your swing meter, you now have to factor in the ratio of elevation or drop. This will be a small percentage that you add or subtract to the total putt. So, if the drop was 2 inches, and the distance was originally 12 feet, then you would take 0.167 then multiply that by ten in order to make the actual percentage of 1.67% to take off the total putt you have figured so far. So, that 66.7% you originally figured for the putt becomes 65.03% Now comes the really tricky part. LOL (For SLOW and STANDARD greens, ignore this step and all the others beyond.) This elevation ratio is crucial to figuring putts more accurately. The elevation ratio does NOT come into play on DOWNHILL PUTTS ON SLOW GREENS OR STANDARD GREENS, SO IGNORE IT. It ALWAYS comes into play on UPHILL PUTTS ON ALL GREENS, BECAUSE YOU ARE FIGHTING GRAVITY. Something to remember.

6. The trick to figuring grain flow toward you or away from you AND figuring break is a matter of counting the dot flow in the last TWO grids of a putt for grain, and looking at the overall flow left and right for break. This will radically impact how far your ball goes. This grain flow is a product of the number of seconds the flow is from one grid to the next nearest the hole in the last two grids. Use the vertical "grain" flow of the little dots to determine how many percent to add or subtract for your final calculation. (all of this is explained a bit later in this blog) Again, as always, downhill dot flow does NOT come into play on slow and standard greens. UPHILL DOT FLOW COMES INTO PLAY ON ALL GREENS....you're fighting gravity.

7. Figure wind resistance.(this is also expounded upon later in this blog) Wind resistance in general once you figure the percentage of a putt is usually .1 percent addition (point one...or one-tenth of a percent) for every mile an hour of wind in your face AND using the wind angle factors...yes...those come into play also)

8. Aim using your aimer. (all of this is explained a bit later in this blog) A somewhat tricky process that I still haven't mastered, but there are plenty of hot tips on how to aim as properly as you can, so don't ignore the tips as quack technology. All the indicators you need for aiming are THERE, and you have to decide whether to aim a bit wider or ram a putt a bit harder. That's the essence of good putting once you learn to figure out distance using this method. All my putting stats have improved using this method, and nothing happens in golf overnight. That's the fun of the game.

9. Ding the meter.
Here's the overall formula for in words for putting. I hope it simplifies it for some, although I had a terrible time with math back in school until I realized everything boils down to the four basic operations. If you can use a small hand-held calculator, you can get this formula down to 35 seconds. I do it all the time.

(Putt distance plus or minus elevation) X (Green speed factor) X (Touch factor) divided by (swing meter distance chosen) plus or minus (elevation divided by distance times 10) plus or minus (grain factor) plus (break factor) plus wind.

by **Paul** Sun 04 Sep 2016, 5:25 pm

This is how it looks in math language for you math geeks like me. [([Dp +/ - E) x (Gsf) x (Tf)] / [(Smd)] +/- (E/Dp) x 10] + /- Gf +/- Bf + Wf
Dp = Putt distance
Gsf = Green speed factor
E = elevation or drop
Tf = Touch factor (amount of "oomph")
Smd = Swing meter distance chosen
Gf = Grain factor
Bf = Break factor
Wf = Wind factor

Real simple, huh? LOL. If you follow the formula, it works every time, and all you have to figure out is how you aim, and I have that covered if you read on. The main steps are now explained in detail in the next portion.

GREEN SPEED FACTORS (STEP 2 in the process)
All green speed factors are at a baseline of the "FAST" green number "9" and the division INTO 9, is the key.

FAST (9) ...9 divided by 9, which is simply one to one, or 100%

VERY FAST (10)...9 divided by 10, which is 90% or multiply by .90 (that's point nine-oh...lol)

TOURNAMENT (11.)...9 divided by 11, which is 81.8% or multiply by .818 (that's point eight one eight...you get the idea)

TOURNAMENT (12)...9 divided by 12, which is 75% or multiply by .75

TOURNAMENT (13)...9 divided by 13 which is 69.23% or multiply by .6923

SLOW (7.4)...9 divided by 7.4 which is 121.6% or multiply by 1.216

STANDARD (7.9)...9 divided by 7.9, which is 113.9% or multiply by 1.139 (or 1.14...close enough for government work)

This will always work. The math of the green speed factors is always true, and these baseline numbers are programmed into the game. I have heard rumors that WGT changes the green speeds slightly from day to day, but THIS IS NOT TRUE. There is no way the programmers could ever do that.

IMPETUS OR "TOUCH" FACTORS (STEP 3 in the process)
Touch, or impetus, is a factor of the distance you are hitting the ball. Generally, the shorter you hit the putt, the more OOMPH (impetus) you have to put on the putt and the longer the putt, the less OOMPH you have to put on the putt. Here is a table of OOMPH (impetus or "touch") factors for distances from 1 to 100 feet. They work every time, and the closer you pull the swing meter back to the exact percentage, the better you will get at longer putts. Frankly, a 3-5 foot breaker is more daunting than a 50-foot straight putt. You'll see what I mean as time goes along.

1 FT...(don't bother...just ram it)
2 ft.... 107%
3 ft.... 106%
4 ft.... 105%
5 ft.... 104%
6 ft.... 103%
7 ft.... 102%
8 ft.... 101%
9 ft.... 100%
9.5 ft.. 99%
10 ft... 98%
11 ft.... 97%
12 ft.... 96%
13 ft.... 95.66%
14 ft.... 95.33%
15 ft.... 95%
16 ft..... 94.83%
17 ft..... 94.66%
18 ft.... 94.5%
19 ft.... 94.33%
20 ft... 94.16%
21 ft... 94%
22 ft... 93.8%
23 ft.... 93.7%
24 ft.... 93.6%
25 ft.... 93.5%
26 ft..... 93.4%
27 ft.... 93.3%
28 ft..... 93.2%
29 ft..... 93.1%
30 ft..... 93%
31 ft..... 92.8%
32 ft..... 92.6%
33 ft..... 92.4%
34 ft.... 92.2%
35 ft..... 92%
36 ft.... 91.8%
37 ft.... 91.6%
38 ft.... 91.4%
39 ft.... 91.2%
40 ft.... 91% (linear from here on)
41 ft..... 90.9%
42 ft..... 90.8%
43 ft..... 90.7%
44 ft..... 90.6%
45 ft..... 90.5%
46 ft..... 90.4%
47 ft..... 90.3%
48 ft..... 90.2%
49 ft..... 90.1%
50 ft...... 90%
55 ft...... 89.5%
60 ft...... 89%
65 ft...... 88.5%
70 ft..... 88%
75 ft..... 87.5%
80 ft.... 87%
85 ft.... 86.5%
90 ft.... 86%
95 ft..... 85.5%
100 ft.... 85%

Upwards of 100 feet, you have to be HYPER-accurate on the exact amount of percentage you pull your swing meter back to and I've found that using the "touch factor" doesn't work as well. Use the green speed factor after you figure out the elevation to drop addition or subtraction, but you have to ding the meter, since usually after 40 feet, any slight mishit will produce a radical change in distance (short) in your putt.

More on putting...when you look at the grid for the left-right break (horizontal), don' t forget to use the up-down grain (vertical) when you get ready to putt. Some putts have the grain running INTOyour putt when the up-down arrow shows DOWN, or AWAY from you. (WGT gets tricky on occasion..lol) You have to add 2-10% on your swing meter on some putts to get it up the little hill that is not normally shown on short putts. On long putts, (20 feet or more) look at the run of the grain and understand that your putting will be dependent from that point on the rise and fall or "grain" of the green AND the break This will help get those nasty long putts to either go in, or settle nicely by the hole on a slight mishit or a mis-aim. Then you can turn a possible difficult 3-putt on a green into an easy 2-putt and save your hole and thus your scores. Even on short putts that would normally be a bit scary, you can figure out whether to "ram" a putt or feather it in with the break and a nice touch. It's lowered my scores considerably when I finally discovered that the vertical "grain" is just as important as the break. I consider any putt under 50 feet a make-able putt now.

I have included a putting chart to use with all putters and swing meters at the very end of this blog for you beginners who putt "fast" and "very fast" greens so you can get an idea of how to do the first two calculations. Copy it down on a sheet of paper, and use it. You'll automatically become a better putter, I GUARANTEE it or your money back. LOL (of course, this is free, so you don't get anything back)

by **Paul** Sun 04 Sep 2016, 5:27 pm

WIND FACTOR There is also a wind factor on each putt, (yes, wind affects putts..how about that?) and adding or subtracting .1% for each mile per hour (that's point-one percent for those of you who don't know math well) of wind is going to get you in the hole or darn close. If you have a 30 mile-per-hour wind in your face, add 3 full percent to your putt. By the same token adding 2% on a 20-mile per hour wind will get you to the hole if it's in your face. Same thing is true with a trailing wind and use the sine angles for wind from the side or at an angle. It works.

READING THE GREEN USING THE DOTS (FIGURING BREAK AND GRAIN) (STEP 6)
When I am lining up a putt and want to figure break, I look at BOTH VIEWS, forward and reverse. Many times the putt will show it straight in the hole with one look and possibly a full grid the other way. Therein lies decision time, and I look at the dots flowing left or right both ways.and ADD the break calculation. I'll cover break calculation in a few paragraphs, so don't worry yet.. This will get you in the hole, provided you check the SPEED of the impending putt for VERTICAL GRAIN.

Vertical grain, or the flow of the dots in the OTHER look when you click on the horizontal/vertical button (the little arrows in the lower right-hand corner) and see the "flow" of the dots, there is a formula for adding or subtracting THAT MANY PERCENT to or from your final calculation. If I have a putt that works out to 50% on the meter, I COUNT THE SECONDS on the flow from the first grid (0-2 feet from the hole) and the second grid (2-4 feet from the hole). A 5-second count will produce a 5% addition or subtraction from the impetus needed on the putt. Rule of thumb: 5 seconds -- 5% added, 4 seconds -- 6% added 3 seconds -- 7 % and more than 5 seconds, it goes 6 seconds -- 4% added 7 seconds --- 3% added and so on down. Now you don't have to RAM a putt and ruin the hole with a mishit. Many MORE mishits will go in with this formula, and the lip-outs won't be as severe, nor will the comeback putts be any more than 4-inch tap-ins.should you miss your longer putt. I consider this final read the MOST VALUABLE final tool to use when putting. More of those tricky 4-8 foot putts will go in, and the maddening 3.5-foot breakers will drop in for you. I know, I've seen it happen in my putting stats. (Yes, I keep track in a notebook of all my major stats every few days to see my progress,and it helps immensely when I see room for improvement....yes, I'm a geek, and so are you if you have read this far)

I found on my "dot flow" calculations that the dot flow is wholly dependent on the swing-meter increments, and I have to go and mention that now. I realized that my MAX Meter Control Master putter has increments of 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80. 100, 200, and 300 that the majority of putts are under 40 feet and the division by those increments changes from putter to putter, so I have to clarify it.

For instance, a 5-second flow in the last two grids for a 10-foot swing meter would calculate out to a 5% addition or subtraction of impetus to a putt uphill or downhill on a T- 11, T-12, or T-13 green but if the increment of the swing meter is for an uphill putt, and you pick a 20-foot swing meter, the percentage of add changes to 2.5% because you are fighting gravity. It does not change for a downhill putt for those green speeds. Conversely, if you pick a 30-foot swing meter, the 5-second dot flow changes to 1.666% (a division of 3) of add for an uphill putt, and it gets even smaller for a 40-foot swing meter, dialing down to 1.25% ( a division of 4) of add. Many putters have different swing meters, and the ones with 15-foot meters as their lowest increment will be 2/3 of what I have talked about in the previous paragraphs above. Make note of this, or you will be putting a bit longer and a bit too strongly. The dot flow addition is wholly dependent on the swing meter chosen. Dot flow subtraction is dependent on gravity and the faster the green, the more accurate that dot flow subtraction is. A "fast" green won't affect a downhill putt as much as a "Tournament 12" or a "Tournament 13" green. Tournament 13 greens putt as true to the numbers as you will see, and any mistake in calculation or not pulling the swing meter back to the exact number will be magnified and not forgiven. There isn't much forgiveness on T-13 greens as you will eventually find out. On slower greens like "slow" and "standard" the dot flow downhill is essentially ignored.

On all putts UPHILL, the dot flow MUST be taken into consideration at all speeds. The reason is because you are fighting gravity.
Once you have figured vertical grain, you have to consider the dot-flow left and right to figure the addition of the break factor in percentage. This will be a small amount, but you have to overcome the break, since it is gravity or the resistance of the sideways grain that is fighting against you.

Break is a bit tricky, but not impossible. I use what I call the "Rule of Half" and the "The Rule of 10's." My swing meter distances at 40 feet and under are perfectly matched to the Rule of Tens, so I know that a putt for a swing meter of 10 feet (like on my MAX Meter Control putter...if you don't have one, get one..I have yet to see a putter that makes calculating easier) will calculate perfectly with the Rule of Half with no compensation for distance. At 20 feet on my swing meter on my putter, the calculation for break becomes a bit trickier, but I've devised a way of figuring that perfectly. If I want to putt a ball with my 20-foot swing meter, ADDING 1% will give it more impetus (twice...how about that?...lol) than it would be for the 10-foot swing meter and the break involved. So if the flow of the vertical grain is into you at 20 feet, and you figure that the grain flow into you is 4%, then only take 2% addition to the vertical grain, and then figure the dot flow sideways in seconds across the grids from the ball to the hole.
A flow of 5 seconds across the path at 10 feet will normally follow the Rule of Half. This means that you would ADD only 2.5% to the putt to make up for the impetus you have to put on the putt to overcome the sidehill or the grain of the green running sideways.Subsequently, at 20 feet, the calculation for a 5-second flow is further divided by 2 down to 1.25% because of the greater impetus or OOMPH you will get from a 20-foot swing meter. For a 30-foot putting meter, you divide the calculation by 3, and for a 40-foot calculation you divide by 4, and so on up the swing meter distances on your putter. So a 5-second flow at 20 feet, you only have to add 1.25% to the putt to overcome the sideways break. A 5-second flow across the one grid at 30 feet, you add only.833% and so on up the distances. Whatever the break flow is in seconds, first divide by 2, and then divide again by the factor of the greater distances in increments corresponding to the first number on your swing meter. 1 at 10, 2 at 20, 3 at 30, 4 at 40, 5 at 50 etc.....see how that works? You will when you start dropping longer putts or leaving 30-footers on the lip.

A 6-second flow (pretty slow...not much break) at 20 feet would first end up 4%, and then be divided down to 2% (because of the 20-foot swing meter). A 2-second flow (really fast, like the Johnstown Flood) would have an 8% addition, divided by 2 initially down to 4% (for the 20-foot meter) A 4-second flow of break (slightly fast) on a 30-foot meter comes to 6% and then divided by 3 (for a 30-foot swing meter) and becomes an addition of 2% to the other calculations in the putt. A 7-second flow at 30 feet is initially a 3% addition then divide by 3 down to 1%. Got it? If not, you are still going to be very close figuring the putt anyway, but you WILL miss the shot if you don't consider sideways break. Adding too much impetus for break on higher swing meters will produce radical changes in the putting distance and everything goes out the window and you end up not only missing after you aim, it sails by and waves at the hole and ends up being a horribly long comeback putt if you miss. Try this and see if you can use the Rule of Half and the Rule of Tens to make that little white thing (or whatever color you chose for your ball) go in the hole from long distances and hit dead center. I call them "Tenderloin Shots" and I'm making them now on a regular basis. Center cut. The programmers did a wonderful job of designing this game, but again, they HAD to use some form of math and a formula that was simple to calculate to make the whole thing happen. You will find, though, that there is "forgiveness" built into the more expensive putters, and any calculation that is HYPER-ACCURATE like what I have explained will end up dying in the hole. Try it and see. Of course DINGING THE METER is more crucial on longer putts, or being super-close either way, so be careful how far you pull the meter back on your Putter Pal (and I'll SWEAR by how accurate it is) to within 1%, and you will significantly lower your scores and subsequently your putting averages.

On those "crazy" breaking short putts (like the one at Cabo at the end of the round) hit into the hill. I call it "Hill Kill" and that will keep you out of a lot of trouble like on the 5th and 6th at Merion. What I mean by that, is when you figure a 4-foot putt that you just KNOW you will miss and roll way down the hill below the hole if you "ram" it,(making a comeback putt very long and difficult) then do the following instead:.See that the height and elevation change is different way above the hole where you have settled on aiming and add that amount together with your original putt and take the average of the two and try the putt. You will find that the putt gets "killed" by the side-hill, and if it misses, it will not roll way down the hill. Then you have a simple tap-in or a gimme, and end up saving the hole. Of course, ramming a putt of less than 3 feet can take all the break out, but the faster the sideways dot-flow, the more you have to ram, and if you aim wrong...."Adios, Charlie." A rule of thumb I use for short putts of .5 feet or more up to about 3 feet, is I add 100% more to the distance figured on the meter for putts under 1 foot, and 50% more than figured up to 3 feet. What this means is that a .7-foot putt (8 inches) would figure to be 7% on my 10-foot swing meter, and I double that to 14% so as to remove the break, but not pop it out of the hole, and even a radical mishit still goes in. I call it "ramming" the putt but not getting too crazy. For putts on up to 3-4 feet, the flow will dictate that you add only 50% of figured distance on average flow and sometimes as much as 75-100% more on heavy (fast) flow.Touchy, but not recommended. A 3-foot putt with heavy flow figuring at 30% on a regular green would have to be "rammed" at around 45% to take the break out of it. I ram sometimes, but for the most part, I try to finesse it in and look at where the ball goes in the hole and mentally figure my "touch" when I ram. Also, you can move the aimer left or right a bit INSIDE the hole (called 'not giving the hole away' by real golfers) and ram with decent results. However, missing those 3-4 foot "breakers" by ramming will kill a round faster than losing a ball in brush or water,so be careful if you get lazy and don't want to do the math.Good luck with that. LOL Don't get lazy...do the math.

by **Paul** Sun 04 Sep 2016, 5:29 pm

THE THEORY OF PARALLEL LINES IN PUTTING THE BREAK
The Theory of Parallel Lines that I have also come up with involves looking at the grids from both angles when you putt. Trying to simplify it is very hard. All of it involves the dot flow across the grid to figure break. This is not complete yet, but it seems to work well. As time progresses I will come up with hard numbers to go by, so be patient as you read and try this. It will REALLY improve your putting once you get the distance control down.
I've had an easy time figuring distance as my putting stats have improved due to almost perfect distance control. A few weeks ago, I started leaving tons of 20-30-40 foot putts on the lips for 2-3 inch tap-ins. I knew I was very close in the overall idea of the total package in putting but there was that little part of the overall formula that was missing. It involved the cross-flow of the break.

I found that a 5-second flow across the grid translated to a mean average of double what one of the looks showed in T-12 greens. Many times one look was a perfect straight shot, and the other look might be half a grid, 3/4 of a grid or whatever. I started using that 5-second dot flow and doubling the grid amount of aim to coincide with the look from one end. However, the speed of the green has a tremendous effect on break. The faster the green, the more the dots affect the putt. This makes perfect sense because a "fluffy" green that putts slowly will not affect the ball the way a "pool table" green that is very slick will. Most of my recent experimentation has been done on T-12 tournament greens and the math of it is very close. I have also recently found that a 5-second flow on T-12 greens translates to an aiming point of exactly twice one of the looks and on T-13 greens, it's a 6-second flow for twice one of the looks.

For instance, a half-grid with a 5-6 second flow (I don't time it exactly, I just do 'one-thousand one, one-thousand two, one-thousand three, etc. to estimate the seconds it takes) would translate to doubling the aim. So, that half-grid would translate to a full grid of break. However, uphill putts don't break like downhill putts, and this also has to be taken into consideration.
Uphill putts have to fight gravity, and the impetus you put on a putt changes the amount of break, cutting it down some on uphill putts. I found that most of the time, an uphill putt will break either the exact amount on one figured look or the other with a 5-6 second flow, and downhill putts will break twice as much as figured with a 5-second flow. Also, the shorter the putt, the less chance it has to break, and from 5 feet in, where I have been having the most trouble, I have to either add a bit or subtract a bit to make the putt hit dead-center.
The danger comes in on those short putts from 3-5 feet where you have a serious flow like 4 seconds or less and you want to overcome that break by adding a few percent to the putt. If you miss, it goes WAY by and now you are faced with a testy par or even hairy bogey putt.

I have never been a proponent of going past the hole much, as I like to feather putts from all distances so if I miss, I end up with a tap-in. Some blogs tell you that it's better to go past than to be short, ascribing to the Tom Watson theory of "never up, never in." I agree with that, but ramming or giving a bit too much to overcome break won't help your putting stats or your scores.
I've had a recent breakthrough on this and my scores have come way down, my standings in the recent WGT and club tournaments have been much higher, and I'm starting to drain more putts from distance because of the "forgiveness" that WGT builds in to each putter. The MAX Meter Master putter has a lot of forgiveness, and the increments of 10, 20, 30, 40 on shorter putts allows me to add or subtract parts of percents to putt like I have radar, sonar, and GPS. I used to be very satisfied with 14-15 putts on a nine-hole course, and now I am regularly putting at 11-13 putts for a 9-hole round.

That Theory of Parallel Lines involves looking at the parallel lines when shifting your aimer and many times the line of the flag-stick will end up parallel with your aimer, and at other times it will end up parallel with the one grid outside the flag. This, combined with the 5-6 second rule has made tons of putts from every distance drop for me. It's given me a feel that any putt I step up to I KNOW what the break is even before I look at both the normal and reverse looks. It's become absolutely deadly for me. As a general rule, the slower the greens the less the ball will take the break and I've found that the parallel lines you look at will be a big aid in gauging how much you aim left or right. Rule of Thumb The faster the green, the more break it will take and the slower the green the less break it will take. You'll develop feel with this theory, bet on it.
However, there is no perfect mathematical formula for it yet, but it works. I'm working on a true formula that can be taken to the bank every time. BUT, I'm leaving all my putts from everywhere super-close when I miss or mishit, and a much higher percentage are dropping even when I mishit due to that forgiveness built into the putter.

Try what I've put out in this message and see if it works. I KNOW it's spot-on, I just can't explain it perfectly. However, that 5-second flow is the one I'm concentrating on with T-12 greens, and a faster flow of 4, and 3 seconds seems to translate into 3 times and 4 times the look from one end. You'll see what I mean when you try it. It's amazing. T-13 greens putt to the numbers distance-wise and a 6-second flow for double the aim, and I can't wait to putt them on a regular basis at the Tour Legend tier. Hey...you drive for show and putt for dough. I don't know who said that, but it's so true in regular golf and it's in the program of WGT. Safe putting translates into lower scores, and ramming putts is crazy. Sure, the little short ones and ramming is already covered in my blog, but I am adamant that this Theory of Parallel lines works.

PUTTING EXAMPLES
#1. Distance: 26 ft. Elevation: 4 inches UP Green speed: Very fast green (10) Wind: 15 mph in your face (from the "North") Dot flow: toward you 5 seconds average in the last 2 grids.
Step 1. Add 26 + 4 = 30 (new adjusted distance)
Step 2. Multiply 30 x .9 = 27 feet (new adjusted distance for green speed)
Step 3. Multiply 27 x 93.3% = 25.191 (new adjusted distance for 'touch' factor)
Step 4. Divide 25.191/30 = 83.97% (percentage for 30-foot swing meter) [PUT THIS IN THE MEMORY OF YOUR CALCULATOR]
Step 5. Divide 4/26 = .153846 then multiply this by 10. This is the elevation ratio percentage of add to your shot. It is 1.53846%
Step 6. Add the 1.53846 to your calculator memory. 83.97 + 1.53846 = 85.508461%
Step 7. Multiply the wind factor of .1 x 15 = 1.5% (wind percentage add)
Step 8. Add 1.5% to the total calculation. 85.508461% + 1.5% = 87.008461%
Step 9. Divide dot flow of 5 second by 3 (30-foot swing meter division) 5/3 = 1.666%
Step 10. Add the dot flow to the overall shot. 87.008461% + 1.666% = 88.6474461% (final pull-back for swing meter)
Step 11. Aim
Step 12. Ding the meter.

Example #2 Distance: 15 ft. Elevation drop: 3 in. Green speed: Tournament 12 (12) Wind speed: 8 mph at 45 degrees from the "Northwest" (against you from the left in your face) Dot flow in the last 2 grids: 8 seconds.
Step 1. Subtract 15 - 3 = 12 (new distance)
Step 2. Multiply 12 x .75 = 9 (new adjusted distance for green speed)
Step 3. Multiply 9 x 1.00 = 9 (new adjusted distance for 'touch' factor)
Step 4. Divide 9 by your swing meter. This will vary on putters, so be careful here. My putter has a 10-foot swing meter, and some putters have a lowest swing meter of 15, so the percentage will now vary. I recommend getting a putter with a 10-foot swing meter, because it makes the calculations much easier. However, I used a Ghost Spider putter that had a 15-foot swing meter for the longest time until I got sick of doing ODD calculations, so your putter choice will come into play. For THIS example, I will use MY MAX Meter Control Master Putter. It's FAR easier because it has increments of 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, 100, 200, and 300, which makes for nice even-number calculations. Again..it's YOUR choice on your putter, and whatever floats your boat is fine, but make SURE you divide the new adjusted distance by your swing meter to get the proper percentage. 9/10 = 90% (swing meter pull-back) {STORE THIS IN YOUR CALCULATOR MEMORY}
Step 5. 3/15 = .2 then multiply by 10. .2 x 10 = 2%
Step 5 Take 90% and subtract 2% 90% - 2% = 88% (new adjusted percentage for elevation ratio drop)
Step 6. Multiply wind factor of 8 x .1 = .8
Step 7. Multiply wind angle factor of .707 (sine of 45 degrees) .707 x .8 = .5656%
Step 8. Add .5656% + 88% = 88.5656%
Step 9. Subtract dot flow. 8 seconds is 2%, so 88.5656% - 2% = 86.5656%
Step 10. Aim
Step 11. Ding the meter.

I do all of this in less than 25 - 35 seconds on average, and you can too. Of course, I'm experienced, but once you get the hang of it, you'll fly your fingers over the calculator like it's nothing. The numbers will become so familiar, that you'll know exactly which swing meter to select even before you start your calculations. It's not that hard. It SEEMS hard...so is walking...at first.

by **Paul** Sun 04 Sep 2016, 5:31 pm

THE ART OF THE FLOP SHOT
Okay, so you didn't hit the green with your approach shot. Disaster, right? Not really. Sure, you can chip or pitch and that's not really that hard, but there are many times I find (in fact, most of the time) that the flop shot, if done correctly, can be a real weapon in lowering scores. You can flop from 40-50% rough all the way down to fringe, and be very accurate without ever having to chip, pitch, or putt. Saving par when you are off the green is a matter of choice between chipping, pitching, and flopping, and the flop shot can really help you out when you need to get up and down in two strokes. Getting the ball near the hole for a one-putt can save par or even make birdie when you go for that green and come up short, long, left, or right. BE AWARE that I have mid-range balls for spin rating,and mid-range spin ratings on my wedges, so you may have to adjust slightly longer or shorter for your spin ratings on your balls and clubs. The only way to find out what works perfectly is to practice your flops and record the results. This way, you can adjust accordingly. Once you get it down, you'll rarely ever chip or pitch again from 25 yards and under.

First, let's cover flopping on a flat green from fringe. I don't like putting from fringe, although it's a matter of adding 5% for each grid (two feet) of fringe, but the contour of the green and the run of the grain can make a putt from fringe quite inaccurate when not done right, so I choose the flop most of the time.

Most lob wedges have a distance rating of 16 yards, and I've found that a FULL BACKSPIN flop(complete underspin...that's moving the dot on the little white ball in the lower right-hand part of your screen to the bottom of the ball) will go exactly 15.4 yards at 100% on the Shot Pal. This is with my Callaway Hex Chrome 33+ balls, and it will go slightly farther with starter balls. At 75%, the ball goes 10.3 yards, and at 50%, it goes 5.2 yards. For every 5% on the Shot Pal meter, the ball will go one yard more or less, depending on what you pull the meter out to when shooting. This is on a dead flat green like the 9th at St. Andrew's, and all you have to do is aim properly, and the ball will settle very close to the hole for a tap-in par or birdie, and many times go in the hole...(yippee).

When you aim, make sure you move the aimer 1.5 grids left (that's three feet) of the hole on a 15-yard shot, 1 grid (that's two feet) left on a 10-yard shot, and half a grid (that's one foot) left for a 5-yard shot, and adjust a bit for every distance in between. The ball will settle close enough to the hole for a short putt, and you will walk away from the hole without making bogey, and once in a while, the ball will go in, and you are happy with birdie.

However, when you have a rise or fall of the putting surface, you have to adjust your distance accordingly to ensure the flop makes it to the hole or doesn't go past the hole. This is where the trick comes in for good flopping. I usually start with adding 1/2 of the rise-to-distance ratio or subtracting 1/2 of the drop-to-distance ratio when flopping. This gets me in the ballpark.
Then, I move the aimer back to about half the overall yardage of the shot (and sometimes more) and look at what the height in inches is compared to the height in inches at the hole and figure out a ratio of the rise or fall and add or subtract half of that ratio to the shot. For instance, if you have a 10-yard flop that has a rise of 5 inches in 5 feet from the 5-yard point, the ratio is 1-1 (or 100%) and therefore you would add .5 yards to your shot to make it settle close to the hole. The example goes like this: 10 yards distance and a 10-inch rise, and at 5 yards,it shows a 5-inch rise. The ball will bite and end up short if you hit the ball only 10 yards, and you have that tricky putt to deal with, so that extra .5 yards makes all the difference. Of course, you are taking off .3 yards to begin with on a ten-yard shot, making it a 9.7-yard shot, and then you have to add that .5 yards to the shot, so now you have a 10.2-yard shot to get it nice and close. For a green that falls away from you, the opposite is true, AND you will have to take a 10-yard shot, subtract the .3 yards first, and then subtract another .5 yards, thus giving you a shot of 9.2 yards to adjust for the roll. Try it and see if I am not correct. I've done it time after time, and it has lowered my scores significantly even when I haven't hit the green. There are times when I see a ball rolling back off of a green from 30 feet andPRAYED it ended up on the fringe so I could flop. Sure, it won't help your G.I.R. stats, but your score will go down and your putting stats will improve, and that's the whole point.

Here are some distances to subtract from a shot on a full-spin flop that seem to work really well. I've holed a lot of flops lately and danced around the hole a lot closer from clean fringe or fairway lies. Subtract .2 at a 5-yard calculation, .3 at a 10-yard calculation, .4 from a 15-yard calculation, .5from a 20-yard calculation, and .6 from a 25-yard calculation. These are solid numbers with my Callaway Hex Chrome 33+ Soft balls, and those numbers may vary slightly with starter balls or high-spin Nikes due to the spin rate differential.

For flopping from rough, I add 5% below the minimum indicated on the rough factor meter, and then subtract 8% from that final calculation for a flier (more on "fliers" later from rough) for the initial calculated distance of the shot from the rough. THEN I look at the rise and fall and adjust my flop shot accordingly. Know that rough will also affect how the ball flies in the air, and you usually have to aim twice the distance left of the hole than originally figured. For a shot that normally goes at 1.5 grids left in 30-40% rough, I'll move the aimer 3 grids left to adjust for how the rough treats the shot. Also, when I look at the contour of the green and I see a radical swing on the contour, I'll do further adjustment left or right depending on the flow of the green. You'll see what I mean when you try it.

I've found that going digging on a 20-25% lie actually throws the ball a bit shorter than I want because there is less grass behind the ball increasing the spin contact, and the opposite is true for a 40-50% lie because there is more grass behind the ball, killing the spin factor and throwing it farther. Experiment with this and see if this works. It certainly works for me, and I've gone from scores of 36 or 35 down to 32 or 31 on a nine-hole course by using the flop shot as my main weapon.

For a sand wedge (mine is rated at a full distance of 26 yards), the ball normally goes 29-30 yards on a no-spin flop, and 25 yards on a full-spin flop. The increments go down to 3% for every yard for a full-spin flop with a sand wedge, and that means that at 90% it goes 22.4 yards on a full-spin shot, 19.3 yards at 80%, and 16.2 yards at 70%. Anything below 16 yards, and you have to switch clubs to the lob wedge.

The rest is up to you and your experimentation. Good luck, and you'll most likely abandon the chip and the pitch (like I have), although there are methods mentioned further on in this blog that will help you chip and pitch with relatively good accuracy, but the flop shot takes most of the contour out of play, along with the green speed factors, which take more time and calculation than you would normally want to do.

MORE ON FLOPPING
I also found out about hyper-accurate aiming and distance control on all manner of flop shots around the green. When you move the aimer around in your initial calculation of distance, make sure you move the grids and see if the shot that indicates 17 yards is really 17 yards on the money, or 17.33 or even 17.66 yards. From that, you can figure half the height to add or subtract, and THEN figure subtraction of "flier" factor of the lob wedge.
Normally, it's .2 at 5 yards, .3 at 10 yards, .4 at 15 yards, .5 at 20 yards, and .6 at 25 yards. However, PARTS of those percents can be figured into the shot calculation. For instance, .22 at 6 yards, .24 at 7 yards, .26 at 8 yards, .28 at 9 yards, and so forth. You'll doink the flag so many times or flop one in for eagle or birdie like you wouldn't believe.

Also, in aiming the same principle works. With no wind or green contour left or right, the blue line shows it dead on the flag-stick. If there is wind or contour, the blue line shows a shift left or right, and you have to make up for that AND aim properly on top of it. What I mean is that if there is no wind or contour, you shift ONE grid for a 10-yard flop, 9/10 of a grid for a 9-yard shot, 8/10 of a grid for an 8-yard shot, 7/10 of a grid for a 7-yard shot, 6/10 of a grid for a 6-yard shot, and half a grid for a 5-yard shot. This works every time and you'll see balls dancing within INCHES of the hole instead of a yard. Try it.

EXAMPLE OF A FLOP CALCULATION (FULL BACKSPIN FLOP SHOT)
Given: Distance --14 yds. Elevation -- 6 inches. Ratio of elevation--- 2 inches at 4 yds. 6 inches at 14 yards.
1. Take half the elevation and divide it by 12 to convert the elevation to feet. 6/2 =3 then divide 3/12 = .25
2. Add the elevation to the distance 14 + .25 = 14.25
3. Figure distance ratio subtraction for the shot. The shot is between 10-15 yards, so it will be between .3 and .4 so interpolate the difference between the total distance of 14.25 and 10. Subtract 14.25 - 10 = 4.25 and divide by 5. 4.25/5 = . 85 This gives .85 for the interpolation so it will be .385
4, Subtract .385 from the total distance. 14.25 - .385 = 13.865
5. Figure the elevation ratio addition factor. 2 inches at 4 yards and 6 inches at 14 yards gives a 4-inch rise in 10 yards. Take this ratio and divide it by 2. So, 4/10 = .4 Now, .4 divided by 2 is .4/2 =.2
6. Add the elevation ratio to the overall shot. 13.865 + .2 = 14.065
7. Full backspin shot for 100% on my lob wedge is 15.4, so I divide 14.065 by 15.4 to get the percentage of pull-back on the meter. 14.065/15.4 = .9133 or 91.33%
8. Aim 1.4 grids left of the hole, adjusting a bit for the break of an indicated putt.
9. Make sure the dot on the ball is all the way at the bottom for a full backspin shot.
10. Pull the meter back to 91.33% (or very close to it...as close as you can visualize) and take the shot and watch it check up at the hole or go in.

PLAYING FROM ROUGH
For any shot from rough up to 50%, use 5% LESS THAN the minimum percentage to ADD to your shot. For instance, 30-40% rough will be 5% less than 30%, which is 25%, and 40-50% rough will be 5% less than 40%, which is 35% that you would add to your calculated distance. (side note...when you have a long-distance shot and lots of fairway to work with, use a punch 3-wood. You can get up to 250 yards on a punch 3-wood (like at the 4th at Merion) when the shot goes downhill, and you can also use backspin for loft to clear a trap in the distance up to 140 yards with a 3-wood or hybrid punch shot. Try it in practice. I have seen Legend tier players give up on doing this and rob themselves of decent yardage and make bogey on a hole they have a decent chance to still make birdie because they sacrificed distance on their second shot. DUH.
Also, when you are in rough all the way up to 60%, there is a "FLIER" factor of 8% of total yardage calculated that you SUBTRACT from all your shots. . Of course, dinging the meter is important. A slightly late hit won't affect the distance much and will actually give you some spin and loft. A slightly early hit will knock the shot down and rob you of distance. All of this is based on that 8% subtraction AFTER you add the percentage of rough calculation initially done when you need to calculate a flier.

I have also found that rough of 15-20% or even 20-25% will NOT produce a flier, so don't subtractthe 8% rough calculation UNLESS you go digging down to put spin on the ball. Just do a calculation for 5% less than the minimum and add that to the shot. It's called "picking" the ball from the rough. A normal shot from rough that light will not "air mail" the ball the way 30-40% (most common) rough will. Heavier rough like 60-70% will knock the shot down and the "flier" factor goes out the window. You have to really have touch and pick a lot of club to make that ball fly from rough like that. A punch shot is more effective to at least get you out of trouble in deep rough like that, and make sure you have fairway under you after a short distance, or you will haveanother rough shot to contend with....not fun. Experiment when you practice. Just hitting shot after shot trying to beat a course while practicing is useless. Take PLENTY of mulligans and use your notes to compare what you see with what I have posted and send me feedback so all of us get better at this monumental game.

by **Paul** Sun 04 Sep 2016, 5:33 pm

A SHORT CUT TO ROUGH CALCULATIONS WITH A FULL SHOT AND NO SPIN
When I don't want to go digging down for a spin shot from the rough, and my shot is less than 150 yards, I do a quick calculation that works just about every time from 40-50% rough, 30-40% rough, 25-30% rough and 20-25% rough. It's easy, fast, and mostly accurate.
40-50% Use the normal calculation for a rough shot. Add 24.2% to the calculated shot (distance, 1/2 elevation, and wind). THEN add your club angle addition factor. I experimented with different types of percentages, and it's not linear, so I gave up. Don't put any spin on these shots. The ball will fly roughly 64% of the distance for this lie, so be aware of what is short on your shot such as rough or sand. You have to clear that, so you may have to add a yard or two to your overall shot calculation.

30-40 % just add 15% and ignore the normal calculations for the 30-40% lie, THEN figure 1/3 wind average and add or subtract the wind push ( the add on this is also proportional.) Example: 120-yard shot with no wind comes to 120 + 15% = 138 (no spin)
25-30% just add 10.4% to the indicated shot and ignore the normal calculations for 25-30% lie,

THEN figure 1/3 wind average and add or subtract the wind push. Example: 135-yard shot no wind or elevation comes to 135 + 10.4% = 149.04 (no spin)
20-25% just add 5.8% to the indicated shot and ignore the normal calculations for 20-25% like, THEN figure 1/3 wind average and add or subtract the wind push. Example: 100-yard shot with no wind or elevation comes to 100 + 5.8% = 105.8 (no spin)

This works quite a bit of the time for shots under 150 yards and know that there will be bounce and roll of about 8-10%, so allow for that, making sure nothing is in the way for that last 10% of bounce and roll. You'll be surprised at how well this works.

PLAYING FROM SAND
Most sand is a lie of 30-40 % and for starter clubs, which don't have a high spin rate, you would ADD 5% more than the maximum lie, which is 45% for 30-40% sand. If you are playing better clubs than starter clubs, you would NOT add 5% more than the maximum, you would just take the maximum percentage UP TO A POINT. The longer the shot (up to around 25 yards of calculation...that is..when you add the total distance and elevation) the less the sand affects the shot.

1. Add the distance to the hole and the FULL elevation together.

2. Add the maximum percentage indicated for the lie factor.with purchased balls, and 5% more than the maximum with starter balls... IF your shot is under 25 yards. IF the initial shot calculation comes to more than 25 yards, add the minimum indicated on the percentage of lie indicator. The "twilight zone" of addition of percentage is the 25-yard mark. A shot of 20 yards plus a 5-foot elevation comes to exactly 25 yards. For a shot like that I take the average of the sand lie for a 30-40% lie, which is 35%. Once you get over a 25-yard total for distance and elevation addition, you start going to the 30% addition and less. At 35 yards of total, I go all the way down to about 27.5%. Once you get to 40 yards, the whole game changes.

3. For higher-spin rated clubs, subtract 2% to 3% from the final calculation.

4. At higher lies (60-70%) you add 10% more to the maximum indication of lie, since the ball is buried like an egg over easy. So, you would add 80% for a sand lie of 60-70%.

5. For shots over 40 yards from sand with a 30-40% lie, ADD 66% to your distance calculation. For instance, a shot of 50 yards would figure to be a shot of 83 yards and a shot of 60 yards would figure to 99.6 yards. It works quite well.

When you are around the greens and have one of those short shots that figures at less than 40%of your "full" shot setting, know that you can actually use a pitch shot. The pitch shot seems to follow a pattern of 77% (for now) of what is indicated. Take a lob wedge or a sand wedge, and see if you can take the height and distance, add both together as figured, and then multiply by 77% and use whatever club you need as a "pitch" shot to get it close to the hole. Elevation counts for a lot, and don't think you can use the pitch shot all the time when the height out of the sand to the green is more than 33%, since a pitch shot travels much lower than a normal full shot, so be careful you don't get caught on the rough past the lip before it lands on the green. You can actually put backspin on a pitch shot from sand and make it do nice things like at Bethpage, or just about any other course you want to do it.
Try this and send me feedback.

PUNCHING FROM SAND
When you have one of those shots that has a lip elevation higher than 1/3 and less than 1/2 of the distance, (For instance, an 11-yard shot with a 5-foot lip) and the full-shot calculation is down around the 44% mark or less, and you know you can't pitch, use a punch shot from the sand with NO BACKSPIN. The way to calculate this shot is to take The distance in yards, add half the elevation (converted to yards...in this case 5 feet calculates to a 2.5 yard add) and then add 50% to the shot. So, an 11-yard shot with a 5-foot rise would calculate out to 11 + 2.5 = 13.5 THEN add 50% to that 13.5 number, giving you a 20.25-yard shot. Select your punch mode, and look at the distance indicated for a punch shot on your lob wedge. In my case, it's 41 yards, and some lob wedges vary so be aware of that. I divide 20.25 by 41 and get a percentage of 49.3% and aim a bit for the break of the green. It's not like a flop shot, so you don't have to aim radically left. Sometimes I use the pitch mode to see the break of the green to aim, so also be aware of that. Take the shot at 49.3% and watch it settle by the hole. This works quite well for those in-between shots when a full shot will definitely be too much and a pitch shot won't get you out of the sand. Try it and see.

EVEN MORE ON SAND...LOL
I've found that sand shots at around 25 yards on my 50-yard lob wedge go a bit longer sometimes, and I subtract 2% from a shot to let it settle near the hole instead of rolling past. Most of my calculations are for shots LESS than 25 yards, and for that, I use the HIGHER percentage to add, and for shots more than 25 yards, I use the LOWER percentage to add. So a shot of 22 yards with an 8-foot elevation would come out to a 30-yard shot PLUS only 30% for a 30-40% lie, and a shot of 20 yards with only a 2 foot elevation would come out to 22 yards and I would add 40% to that shot. Once that final figuring is done, I subtract 2% from the shot, and it settles near the hole.

On 10-15% or 15-20% lie in sand, I do the same type of calculations, but ADD 5% BELOW the minimum to add to the shot. This will get you close enough for an easy putt. You can also flop from these lies without serious fear of disaster occurring IF you aim 2.5-3 grids left of the hole. EVERY type of shot you hit from sand, know that it's there and ready for you IF the math is correct. You can also flop like this, and not get in trouble

MULCH
For mulch, use a punch shot and move the little dot on the ball down to the exact point on the ball where it touches the mulch and ADD 5% to the maximum percentage indicated on the "percentage of lie" indicator. For instance, 20-25% mulch would be an addition of 5% to the maximum, which is 30%. Then take the distance indicated on the "punch" selection of club and you will find it hits whatever division you make for the punch shot on your swing meter. A punch shot from that 20-25% lie will need 30% more of the calculated distance and what is indicated. You can actually hit 200-yard shots from mulch with a rescue club (hybrid) if you know exactlywhere to move the dot and do your calculations correctly. Practice at Kiawah on the first par 5, which is the second hole. (or on Best of Par 5's...the first hole presented) It has mulch if you hit it left off the tee trying to clear the sand.

FESCUE
Put total topspin on the shot (move the little dot on the ball to the top of the ball indicator, thus giving it overspin), select a punch, and treat it like you would figure a normal rough shot calculation. The ball will go the exact distance you plan. One thing to remember though, is that a punch shot goes much lower than a full shot, so make sure you have some fairway(usually about half the distance figured) underneath you when you aim.

BRUSH
I'm working on brush. LOL
For brush at 50-60%, I do a 55% addition to the shot and calculate a punch shot. The ball needsno "rough" calculation for a "flier." You're going to get lucky if the brush is less than 50-60%, and I don't like spending a lot of time in the brush practicing with purchased balls, so my brush play is weaker than it should be. At 70% or higher, the only real club that will hit it more than a few yards is the pitching wedge. You will have to aim SIDEWAYS to get the ball back on the fairway or any manageable rough. Good luck.
Most brush shots at 30-40% can be treated like a normal rough shot without using punch mode, and 40-50% brush seems to be in the "twilight zone" between a punch and a full shot. Let me have some feedback if you decide to practice in brush. Frankly, it tickles my legs and I try to stay out of it..

by **Paul** Sun 04 Sep 2016, 5:37 pm

WIND FACTOR (ANOTHER METHOD FOR CALCULATING WIND)
When you are on the tee on any given hole, it's nice to know from the tee to the green what the wind is going to do to you.

1. Take your aiming arrow and place it at the exact distance your driver says. That is to say, whatever your distance would be for your club rating off the tee WITH your extra percentage for your ball rating.

2. Look at the elevation or drop at that point. (You will see that whatever the elevation or drop is, THAT MUCH will be added OR subtracted on a shot with no wind....for instance, a 10-foot drop at 280 will produce a 285-yard shot...half the distance of drop added to the shot...280 plus 5) Now you expect to hit the ball 285 yards off the tee.

3. Aim at 285 with your pointer, and don't put any backspin for loft. (this will change the distance...more on that later)

4. Wind the meter up and ding it.

5. See how far your shot traveled. See what the wind at that angle did to your shot right when the shot settles, OR go to the "Replay shot" section to look at the landing point and the total distance of the shot. This now gives you the wind "push" or wind "knockdown" for your drive.

6. On your next shot...say 150, take the number you found for wind push or knockdown from your drive, and multiply that by the 150 distance you want on the next shot, and then divide by your original 280 or however far your driver goes.. This will give the wind knockdown or push for that distance. The shorter the shot, the less air time, and the less the wind will affect the shot, and vice-versa.

7. It's a ratio problem that has an answer every time.

Here's an example. The wind is in your face at 10 mph, and you've figured your shot to go 285 yards. The wind knockdown lands your shot at 273, which is 12 yards less than you figured. Now you have a 180 shot to the green and you would multiply 12 times 180, (comes out to 2160) and then divide by 280,(your driver distance) which comes out to 7.714. So, you would add 7.7 yards to the calculation of 180, and come up with 187 yards. Then just divide by your swing meter for maybe a 190 club and come out with 187 divided by 190, which is 98.421% (don't worry about the .421 part, we're not putting here) SO....you wind it up at 98% and you end up a few feet from the hole and amaze your friends.
Get that calculator out to do these calculations. They work every time.

PITCHING AND CHIPPING
Pitching and chipping from rough is an art for some, but I find it's a simple calculation of the same type as rough and fairway shots combined.

1. Figure out the distance of the shot in yards to the hole and add or subtract half the height in inches. This will be exact if you divide the height change in inches by 12 (12 inches in a foot) For instance, a pitch of 20 yards and an elevation of 12 inches adds 1/2 yard to the shot, which would be 20.5 yards

2. Multiply by 5% less than the minimum of the rough indicator and add that to the shot.

3. Subtract the "flier" factor of 8%...(yes, even for a short chip or pitch, there will be a flier factor)

4. Then divide by the distance of the club selected.

5. Then multiply by the green speed factor.
a. FAST...87%
b. VERY FAST...84%
c. TOURNAMENT 11...80.5%
d. TOURNAMENT 12...77%
e. STANDARD …. 90%
f. SLOW.... 93%

6. Then factor in the ratio of elevation to drop by seeing what the height is at the hole and the height at 4 yards or so from your ball and do a ratio calculation to figure how much to add or subtract in percentage to the shot. For instance, a 20-yard shot with a 30-40% lie to a fast green with a drop of 12 inches from 4 to 20 yards would calculate as follows: 20 minus 6 inches (19.5 feet) plus 25% (5% less than 30% for rough) now you have 24.375 yards times 87% (green speed factor) ...now you have 21.2062...then divide by your club selection distance (mine would be 22 yards) which gives 96.3%...then the ratio of 12 inches to 16 yards (the distance to height ratio) which is 75% or a 7.5% reduction, so take off 7.5 percentage points from the 96.3% and you get 88.8% for the final shot calculation with your 22-yard club, and the ball goes in or next to the hole depending on your aim. Trust me, it works every time. There is a rough factor of 1 yard for every 12.5 yards you would subtract from the shot BEFORE you do the final touch factor, but sometimes the angle you hit the ball at to pop it out of the rough and over the fringe which will come into play, but on longer shots, I don't pay much attention to it unless I really need to get super-close to the hole. It's your choice, and every situation is different, since you may be pitching uphill or downhill and where you are on the course next to the green. Always see how far your ball flies before it hits the green on a chip, pitch, or flop so you can use that information very quickly later for reference.

7. Ding the meter.
Make sure that when you practice, take a lot of mulligans and figure out if your math was wrong. A mishit will happen, and practice your math by doing the same problem until you ding the dingerand see the exact result. Only then will you see that the math is perfect and then subsequently begin to trust it.

Trusting that math is the key to repetitive exact solutions that are not affected much by a slight mishit. You'll find that there is some "forgiveness" in shots and you will end up close enough to the hole for a birdie or eagle chance, or right near the hole on a shot just off the green that will save par with a short one-putt.

As you make more birdies and pars versus pars and bogeys, you'll become used to doing the math very quickly, and will even be able to do the six putting calculations in around 27 seconds without pressing very hard once you know your calculator buttons and use certain short cuts to figure percentages. I do a quick one that saves two calculator strokes such as dividing by .2 (two tenths) for a 20-foot swing meter calculation instead of dividing by 20 and multiplying by 100. Obviously, if you divide 20 by 100, the result is .2, and I have calculations like that down to a quick science when I am in Alternate Shot, when you only have 90 seconds to figure out the entire putt. Fairway shots take a lot less, and those are only 4 calculations each, however, I have gone out to 5 and 6 calculations when I am in between clubs or the type of shot I want to hit.

When you ARE between clubs, you may have to choose the type of shot you need to get as close to the hole as safely as possible. Your club will not defy the math, no matter what. Attempting to hit that "impossible" shot every time will get you in more trouble and cost you more strokes than you really want or should take on a hole. Knowing how to get out of any trouble will make you more confident, and you will see that the game designers did a great job of figuring out the math for the solution of a shot out to the third and fourth decimal places, but I recommend you only do your math to the second decimal place since the swing meters are so small (they are REALLY small on my laptop screen that I use) and even getting to the point of 1% on the tiny swing meter when you wind it up is hard enough, let alone PARTS of that 1%, although HALF of a percent is not out of the question. Not dragging the meter out to the EXACT point on the swing meter can radically alter your shot and your math solution goes out the window if you just GUESS at a point on the swing meter when you drag it back to make contact. The closer you get it, the more you will get used to it, and it will be frustrating at first, because you won't be trusting the math.

That math is the result of TENS OF THOUSANDS of mulligans that have been carefully worked out with systematic statistical analysis, geometry, trigonometry, and advanced algebra. Most of the math can be boiled down to the same ballistic calculations they use for projectiles that are hurled through space, whether they be rocks, balls, bullets, or artillery shells. Launch angle of the ball using the button can be changed, and you will find that PARTIAL backspin, just short of halfway down, will produce a 45-degree angle of launch, thus creating a trigonometric solution for maximum distance. You can also use partial backspin on a shot where you are in between clubs and can't really pick the type of shot for a full swing at 98-100%. Being in between clubs can be solved by partial backspin and moving the button on the ball MOST OF THE WAY DOWN instead of ALL the way down if you are using balls that have more spin than starter balls. The more the spin rating on the ball, the higher it will go, even when hit without moving the red dot on the ball. Nike balls with a spin rating of 4.5 to 5.5 will travel MUCH higher and land MUCH softer than starter balls, and have a "bite" factor even without ANY backspin. In fact, my Callaway Hex Chromes (level 33+ and only 250 credits per sleeve) will bite all by themselves with no spin put on them as far as 155 yards away without any "dot" movement down from the equator of the ball. They will roll just a bit farther than when I put spin on them, and if I put full spin on a ball, I can make a 225 to 230-yard shot bite and not go more than a yard or two after hitting. When you get to that point with the math and understanding YOUR clubs, and YOUR balls, combined with the math that works, you will have arrived and won't fear anyone on the opposite team when playing Alternate Shot, and you will enter tournaments and start placing in the top 100, and ultimately in the top 10, and even win a few credits once in a while.

It took a lot of practice and a lot of mulligans, but I've worked out the math for your benefit. Even if you are using starter balls, you can make Tour Master eventually. I used to think I would never make Master, and that Tour Master was out of the question, but as I learned the putting grid from both the horizontal and vertical, my putting has improved, as well as not being worried about a miss when I aim at the pin or very near it from the fairway. Figure out on each fairway shot, drive, pitch, chip, sand shot, mulch shot, punch shot, and putt just what your "best miss" is, and you will learn the art of safe golf and capitalizing on scoring opportunities. Most of this game is designed to teach good course management, NOT to play "go for it" golf the way Tiger Woods or Bubba Watson play. Sure, they are great champions and have exceptional ability and equipment, but look and see what happens when their swings or timing break down. It's awful. LOL.

Take the "safe" mentality at first until you trust the math, and you'll eventually get that confidence to shoot for the pin, because you will know how to get out of trouble. This way you can see how the math works with your clubs and your balls.
Another thing that should be included is a dissertation on ball rating. I have to subtract 3% on my meter for distance on my final calculation, because the distance rating on my ball is 3, so remember that if you use a ball that has a higher rating than a starter ball. A starter ball will go exactly 200 yards on a flat fairway with no wind if you hit it with a club that is rated at 200 yards. It will go 206 yards with a ball that is rated at 3 (3% more than a starter ball) and it will go 210 with a Nike ball rated at 5. (5% farther) Remember, EVERY physical factor is involved in making a shot. Distance, elevation, lie, wind, green speed, grain, club rating, ball rating, contour, and timing of the swing. You will find that the ball even goes a bit higher and catches the wind a bit more when you hit late, and the ball goes a bit lower and farther and is not affected by the wind as much when you hit late. This mimics REAL golf, and the pros on television have it down to the millimeter when they shoot good scores, and they talk about the "zone" that they get in when they are putting or shooting.

I've been there, since I've shot 22-under on Best of Par 5's. Sure, the green speeds were dialed down to "fast" by the tournament creator, and wind, tees, the pin placements were all at their easiest, but YOU try to make 8 birdies and 7 eagles in 18 holes sometime. I was MAD when I made those three pars. LOL. I also finished in 2nd place, since the one of the Legends in our club beat me, but I have been steadily moving up the Legend ladder in my country club and used to be the best Tour Master at the time, and I only made Tour Master in February 2015 and moved up to Legend in April 2015, so I was pretty proud of that and knew the math worked perfectly when I used it and paid attention. The hardest part is concentrating on my swing timing for 18 holes on every shot, but on most par 5 holes, there is at least one shot of "forgiveness" that you can get in trouble on and still make birdie or par. You'll get to that point, and you will see what I mean when you practice.

PERFECT practice makes PERFECT, not just going out and trying to beat hole after hole. PracticeTYPES of shots, not just one certain shot. Having as many TYPES of shots from a given distance, and what I mean by that is learning to "work" the ball left and right, short and long for your advantage and the safest shot you can make if you end up short or long, left or right, will end up making you a better "mental" golfer once you get the physical part down of timing and the math. Many times, I'll end up very close to the hole on a mishit and get complimented by other players in Alternate Shot, and I'll know damn well that if I had dinged the meter, the ball would have gone in from great distance or danced around the hole while everyone said, "WOW." I hit shots like that in individual tournaments ALL the time EVERY DAY, and it's almost blase after a while. (not really...I replay those shots, but don't record them anymore...I'm waiting for that elusive double-eagle in a scored round...LOL)

Enjoy the advice, and make your practices PRODUCTIVE. LEARN, LEARN, LEARN. You'll see JUST how good that math is after a while. Tour Masters, Legends, and Tour Legends swear BY it and not AT it. LOL. Good luck. Work on it and HAVE FUN.

by **Paul** Sun 04 Sep 2016, 5:40 pm

ADVANCING FROM TIER TO TIER
Two requirements are needed at each tier to advance. Your average has to be at or below a certain number AND you have to get in a certain minimum number of ranked rounds AT THAT TIER. Some game formats don't contribute to your overall average and don't count as "ranked" rounds. Closest to the hole (CTTH), Practice, Alternate Shot, Match play LOSSES, Skins, and Blitzes won't help lower your average. Playing a 9-hole round and scoring it will be doubled by WGT and counted for or against your average, Tournaments in country clubs or WGT tournaments, and beating a higher-tier player in single match play WILL count and lower your average ONCE YOU GET IN THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF ROUNDS AT THAT TIER. So, the key is to play at that tier as much as possible no matter how lousy you do in a round. Ultimately, once you get to that minimum number of rounds, those previous bad rounds will be "squeezed out" by any round you play from that point on and your average will never go up AT THAT TIER. Once you get to the next tier, the first round you play becomes your base average and you work from there. Some people bail out on a lousy round and end up screwing themselves out of a score because they are afraid of increasing their average. WGT doesn't want you to know this because you'll spend a lot more money on ball hits by playing all those other formats and being fearful of raising your average, so they don't explain it very well in the Help/FAQ section. If you truly are interested in lowering your average AND advancing in tiers, use the following chart as your guide to advancing.

When it is equal or smaller than 100 you go from hack to amateur
When it is equal or smaller than 80 you go from amateur to pro.
When it is equal or smaller than 72 you go from pro to tour pro
When it is equal or smaller than 67 you go from tour pro to Master
When it is equal or smaller than 63 you go from Master to Tour master
When it is equal or smaller than 61 you go from Tour master to legend
When it is equal or smaller than 60 you go from Legend to Tour Legend*
When it is equal to or smaller than 57 you go from Tour Legend to Champion
- you need to play at least 5 ranked rounds as hack before reaching Amateur
- you need to play at least 10 ranked rounds as amateur before reaching Pro
- you need to play at least 20 ranked rounds as Pro before reaching Tour pro
- you need to play at least 25 ranked rounds as Tour pro before reaching Master
- you need to play at least 40 ranked rounds as Master before reaching Tour Master
- you need to play at least 50 ranked rounds as Tour Master before reaching Legend
- You need at least 500 ranked rounds as Legend before reaching Tour Legend
- You need 200 ranked rounds as a Tour Legend before reaching Champion
- (the # of ranked rounds may change for Champion Tier

Here are the numbers in feet for "FAST" and "VERY FAST" greens for a MACRO putting chart from 2 feet to 100 feet. These numbers take into account TWO THINGS. The first number is the feet with the green speed calculated, and the second number is the feet with the "touch" factor calculated. The second number (the most important one) can be then divided by the swing meter to get a percentage. Remember, there are 8 calculations to figuring out each putt, and this takes care of ONLY TWO of them, but these numbers are universal to ALL putters no matter which one you purchase and which swing meter you use. They are solid and invaluable as well as inviolable.

DISTANCE   FAST 9 -- 100%      VERY FAST 10 -- 90%
2 2 / 2.014 1.8 / 1.93
3 3 / 3.18 2.7 / 2.87
4 4 / 4.2 3.6 / 3.79
5 5 / 5.2 4.5 / 4.702
6 6 / 6.18 5.4 / 5.594
7 7 / 7.14 6.3 / 6.47
8 8 / 8.08 7.2 / 7.329
9 9 / 9 8.1 / 8.173
10 10 / 9.8 9.0 / 9.0
11 11 / 10.67 9.9 / 9.72
12 12 / 11.52 10.8 / 10.497
13 13 / 12.43 11.7 / 11.267
14 14 / 13.34 12.6 / 12.07
15 15 / 14.25 13.5 / 12.89
16 16 / 15.17 14.4 / 13.71
17 17 / 16.09 15.3 / 14.95
18 18 / 17.01 16.2 / 15.357
19 19 / 17.92 17.1 / 16.18
20 20 / 18.83 18 / 17.01
21 21 / 19.74 18.9 / 17.832
25 25 / 23.37 22.5 / 21.093
30 30 / 27.9 27 / 25.191
35 35 / 32.2 31.5 / 29.2
40 40 / 36.4 36 / 33.048
45 45 / 40.72 40.5 / 36.834
50 50 / 45 45 / 40.725
60 60 / 53.4 54 / 48.384
70 70 / 61.6 63 / 55.881
80 80 / 69.6 72 / 63.216
90 90 / 77.4 81 / 70.389
100 100 / 85 90 / 77.4

Here are the numbers for T-11 and T-12 greens. Remember, these are only the FIRST TWO calculations of 7-8 calculations, but they will cut down on the overall time you have to spend when under the deadline in Alternate Shot or Match play of 90 seconds. I normally do the 7-8 calculations with this chart in under 26 seconds on my little calculator. After a while, you'll actually start to memorize this chart by rote because of how much you'll use it, ESPECIALLY the T-12 chart. I have most of the numbers from 2-15 feet right on the tip of my tongue almost all the time. LOL

DISTANCE   T-11 - 81.8%     T-12 - 75%
2 1.636 / 1.756 1.5 / 1.6125
3 2.454 / 2.614 2.25 / 2.401
4 3.272 / 3.459 3.0 / 3.18
5 4.09 / 4.29 3.75 / 3.946
6 4.908 / 5.109 4.5 / 4.7025
7 5.726 /5.913 5.25 / 5.446
8 6.544 / 6.704 6.0 / 6.18
9 7.362 / 7.482 6.75 / 6.901
10 8.18 / 8.247 7.5 / 7.6125
11 9.0 / 9.0 8.25 / 8.312
12 9.816 / 9.638 9.0 / 9.0
13 10.634 / 10.354 9.75 / 9.603
14 11.452 / 11.056 10.5 / 10.237
15 12.27 / 11.768 11.25 / 10.884
16 13.088 / 12.517 12.0 / 11.52
17 13.906 / 13.261 12.75 / 12.208
18 14.724 / 14.001 13.5 / 12.892
19 15.442 / 14.75 14.25 / 13.573
20 16.36 / 15.504 15.0 / 14.25
21 17.178 / 16.356 15.75 / 14.942
25 20.45 / 19.241 18.75 / 17.695
30 24.54 / 22.956 22.5 / 21.093
35 28.63 / 26.665 26.25 / 24.511
40 32.72 / 30.251 30.0 / 27.9
45 36.81 / 33.732 33.75 / 31.134
50 40.9 / 37.182 37.5 / 34.3125
60 49.08 / 44.217 45.0 / 40.725
70 57.26 / 51.12 52.5 / 47.119
80 65.44 / 57.885 60.0 / 53.4
90 73.62 / 64.519 67.5 / 58.89
100 81.8 / 71.018 75.0 / 65.625

Here is a micro-putting chart for green speeds of "FAST" and "VERY FAST" to get you through on the majority of putts from 2.0 to 8.0 feet. It will ensure more pars and more birdies, and those elusive eagles. Remember, this chart only takes care of the FIRST TWO of the 6-8 calculations needed for every putt. Don't think that just using these two charts will automatically make you a superior putter. All the other calculations have to be included in the putt to ensure you become a superior putter. Enjoy.

DISTANCE   FAST--100%       VERY FAST--90%
2.0 2.0 / 2.14 1.8 / 1.9296
2.2 2.2 / 2.3496 1.98 / 2.119
2.4 2.4 / 2.5584 2.16 / 2.307
2.6 2.6 / 2.7664 2.34 / 2.496
2.8 2.8 / 2.9736 2,52 / 2.638
3.0 3.0 / 3.18 2.7 / 2.87
3.2 3.2 / 3.3856 2.88 / 3.056
3.4 3.4 / 3.5904 3.06 / 3.241
3.6 3.6 / 3.7944 3.24 / 3.426
3.8 3.8 / 3.9976 3.42 / 3.618
4.0 4.0 / 4.2 3.60 / 3.794
4.2 4.2 / 4.4016 3.78 / 3.977
4.4 4.4 / 4.6024 3.96 / 4.159
4.6 4.6 / 4.8024 4.14 / 4.341
4.8 4.8 / 5.0016 4.32 / 4.522
5.0 5.0 / 5.2 4.5 / 4.702
5.2 5.2 / 5.3976 4.68 / 4.882
5.4 5.4 / 5.5944 4.86 / 5.061
5.6 5.6 / 5.7904 5.04 / 5.239
5.8 5.8 / 5.9856 5.22 / 5.417
6.0 6.0 / 6.18 5.4 / 5.594
6.2 6.2 / 6.3736 5.58 / 5.77
6.4 6.4 / 6.5664 5.76 / 5.946
6.6 6.6 / 6.7584 5.94 / 6.121
6.8 6.8 / 6.9496 6.12 / 6.296
7.0 7.0 / 7.14 6.30 / 6.47
7.2 7.2 / 7.3296 6.48 / 6.643
7.4 7.4 / 7.5184 6.66 / 6.815
7.6 7.6 / 7.7064 6.84 / 6.992
7.8 7.8 / 7.8936 7.02 / 7.159
8.0 8.0 / 8.08 7.2 / 7.329

Here is the micro-putting chart for T-11 and T-12 greens. As the greens get faster, you have to make your calculations much more accurate because once you get to the higher green speeds, the forgiveness factor becomes smaller and smaller. These charts are for the FIRST TWO CALCULATIONS ONLY and you still have several calculations to make to finish the putt. This chart is universal to all putters and all swing meters. The chart involves the first calculation for green speed factor and then the second calculation for "touch" factor. Once you have these two numbers, divide by your swing meter to get a percentage and get you in the ballpark for your other calculations to modify the percentage on your swing meter.

DISTANCE   T-11     T-12
2.0 1.636 / 1.756 1.50 / 1.6125
2.2 1.799 / 1.928 1.65 / 1.7712
2.4 1.963 / 2.101 1.80 / 1.9296
2.6 2.126 / 2.272 1.95 / 2.0874
2.8 2.290 / 2.443 2.10 / 2.2449
3.0 2.454 / 2.614 2.25 / 2.4018
3.2 2.617 / 2.783 2.40 / 2.5584
3.4 2.781 / 2.953 2.55 / 2.7144
3.6 2.944 / 3.122 2.70 / 2.8701
3.8 3.108 / 3.292 2.85 / 3.0252
4.0 3.272 / 3.459 3.00 / 3.18
4.2 3.453 / 3.626 3.15 / 3.3342
4.4 3.599 / 3.793 3.30 / 3.4881
4.6 3.762 / 3.959 3.45 / 3.6414
4.8 3.926 / 4.125 3.60 / 3.7944
5.0 4.090 / 4.290 3.75 / 3.9468
5.2 4.253 / 4.455 3.90 / 4.0989
5.4 4.417 / 4.675 4.05 / 4.2504
5.6 4.580 / 4.782 4.20 / 4.4016
5.8 4.744 / 4.946 4.35 / 4.5522
6.0 4.908 / 5.109 4.50 / 4.7025
6.2 5.071 / 5.270 4.65 / 4.8522
6.4 5.235 / 5.432 4.80 / 5.0016
6.6 5.399 / 5.593 4.95 / 5.1504
6.8 5.562 / 5.753 5.10 / 5.2989
7.0 5.726 / 5.913 5.25 / 5.4468
7.2 5.889 / 6.072 5.40 / 5.5944
7.4 6.053 / 6.231 5.55 / 5.7414
7.6 6.217 / 6.389 5.70 / 5.8881
7.8 6.380 / 6.547 5.85 / 6.0342
8.0 6.544 / 6.705 6.00 / 6.180
Good luck, and good shooting.