You’ve seen it on TV a hundred times. A pro like Adam Scott or Justin Rose stands behind their ball, closes one eye, and dangles their putter in front of their face like a pendulum on a grandfather clock. It’s a distinct, almost ceremonial-looking move that leaves many golfers wondering: what on earth are they doing? They are plumb-bobbing, an old-school green reading technique used to get a clear visual of the slope. This article will show you exactly what they’re doing, why they do it, and provide a step-by-step guide so you can add it to your own pre-putt routine.
At its core, holding a putter up is a technique known as plumb-bobbing. Just like a builder hangs a weighted string (a plumb-bob) to find a perfect vertical line, a golfer uses their putter to do the same thing on the putting green. The goal is to determine the general slope of the green between your ball and the hole.
Our brains can be easily tricked by subtle undulations, shadows, and the grain of the grass. When you’re standing over a putt, your perception of what’s flat can be influenced by how you're standing and the overall topography of the area. A putt might look like it breaks right, but the land is actually tilted the other way.
Plumb-bobbing gives you an objective reference. By letting the putter hang freely, gravity ensures the shaft is perfectly vertical. When you hold this straight line up against the background of the green, any slope becomes immediately obvious. You are comparing the known vertical of your putter shaft against the unknown, potentially tilted surface of the green. This contrast helps you see the true direction and, to some extent, the severity of the break.
Using this technique isn’t complicated, but it requires doing a few small things correctly to get an accurate reading. Follow these steps the next time you’re sizing up a putt.
Walk a few feet directly behind your golf ball so that the ball, the hole, and your dominant eye are all on a straight line. It's important to stand on a relatively flat part of the green if possible, or at least be conscious of the slope you are standing on. If you're on a severe side slope yourself, your body might naturally lean, which can throw off your sense of what is "vertical."
Hold the very top of your putter grip lightly between your thumb and index finger. You want just enough grip so it doesn’t fall, but loose enough that the putter head’s weight allows the shaft to hang completely vertical, straight down toward the ground. Don’t grip it with your whole hand, as this will almost certainly cause you to influence the angle.
This is a big step. Closing one eye eliminates depth perception, allowing you to see the ball, putter shaft, and hole on a single, two-dimensional plane. It simplifies the image and makes the comparison more accurate. If you’re not sure which of your eyes is dominant, just form a small triangle with your hands, look at a distant object through it, and then close one eye at a time. The eye that keeps the object in view is your dominant one.
With your dominant eye open, move your hand so that the vertical line of the putter shaft runs directly through the center of your golf ball. From your perspective, the shaft is now “eclipsing” the ball.
Now for the payoff. With the shaft hanging perfectly still and covering your ball, observe where the hole is located in relation to the shaft.
The further the hole appears from the side of the shaft, the more severe the break. This gives you a great starting point for picking your aiming line before you even take your practice strokes.
You’ll see Tour players and high-level amateurs use this method, but you’ll also see many who don’t - Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus famously read greens more by feel, using their feet. So, does it really work?
The short answer is yes, it can be very effective, but it’s not foolproof. The science behind it is sound: comparing a known vertical to an unknown slope is a good way to see a tilt. However, its accuracy depends entirely on the user. If you have even a slight, unconscious head tilt, the reading can be completely wrong.
For many golfers who use it successfully, its power is as much psychological as it is physical. That consistency builds confidence, and confidence is arguably the most important ingredient to great putting. When you step up to the ball believing you have the right line, you are much more likely to put a committed, decisive stroke on it.
Think of it as one tool in your green-reading toolkit, not the only one. Combine the visual information you get from plumb-bobbing with what your feet are telling you (a technique popularized by systems like AimPoint) and what you see as you walk around the hole. The more information you gather, the more complete your picture of the putt will be.
Some golfers will hold their putter up horizontally, not vertically. They might do this from behind the ball to use the straight line of the shaft to connect the ball to an intermediate target - a spot on the green just a few feet in front of the ball that they want to roll it over. By holding the putter shaft up to "trace" that line from the ball to the spot, it helps them lock in their aim before they approach the ball.
For some, holding the putter up has become an ingrained part of what gets them ready to putt. It could be a simple, repetitive motion that quiets the mind and serves as a trigger to signal, "Okay, it's time to focus and hit this putt." A solid pre-shot routine is one of the bedrocks of consistent golf. It doesn't matter what the elements are, as long as you do them every time. This quiet moment, holding the putter away from the body, can be a great way to transition from thinking to feeling.
Occasionally, a technically-minded player might hold their putter up to check their setup position. They could hold the shaft in the position they plan to have it at address to ensure the bottom (the sole) of their putter sits flat against the ground. This helps them confirm they are not addressing the ball with the toe or heel of their putter higher than the other, as that may influence the direction of the putt.
So, the next time you see a golfer holding up their putter, you’ll know they are likely plumb-bobbing to get a true visual on the green’s slope. By using their putter as a vertical reference, they can cut through optical illusions and uncover the real break of a putt, while also engaging in a routine that builds focus and confidence.
Mastering physical techniques like plumb-bobbing is a fantastic way to improve, but true course management comes from combining that with smart strategic decisions. When you’re unsure of the shot to play, whether it's on the green or in the fairway, having more information is always better. For example, Caddie AI acts as your 24/7 on-demand golf expert, giving you strategic guidance for any situation. Whether you need an opinion on club selection or the smartest way to play a tricky hole, it helps take the guesswork out of the equation so you can play with more confidence and make better decisions.
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