Why Do Golfers Hold Up Fingers When Putting?

You’ve likely seen it time and again: a professional golfer on the green, squinting towards the hole, and holding up a few fingers in front of their face. This isn't just a quirky habit or a signal to their caddie. It's a calculated, surprisingly simple technique used to judge the break of a putt. This article will break down exactly what these golfers are doing, explain the two most common methods, and provide you with actionable steps to start using this technique to make more putts.

The 'Why' Behind the Fingers: Going Beyond Just a Glance

At its core, holding up fingers is a method of green reading - the art of predicting how the slope of the green will affect the path of your golf ball. The ground between your ball and the hole is almost never perfectly flat. It’s a landscape of subtle tilts and slopes, all of which will pull your putt offline if you don’t account for them. A casual look can give you a general idea, but these finger methods offer a more structured way to measure that slope.

Think of it like this: your fingers, when held at arm's length, create a consistent visual measuring tool. By comparing this "ruler" to the golf hole, you can get a more objective measurement of how much a putt will curve, or "break." Golfers are essentially turning a gut feeling into a tangible aim point.

There are two primary systems that involve holding up fingers you see on the PGA Tour: the classic "Plumb-Bob" method, often done with the putter, and the more modern "AimPoint Express" method. Let's break down each one.

Putting Method 1: The Classic "Plumb-Bob" Technique

The plumb-bob method is an old-school technique that uses the putter shaft as a perfectly straight, vertical line of reference - like a construction worker's plumb line. A golfer might hold fingers up to steady their hand or to frame the shot, but the core principle is about using the vertical shaft of the putter to see the slope of the green.

What is Plumb-Bobbing?

When you let your putter hang freely, gravity pulls it perfectly straight down. By lining this up with your ball and looking at the hole, you can visually see if the hole is on the "high side" or "low side" of the putt. Your brain is fantastic at tricking you with optical illusions on a putting green, but gravity never lies. This method helps you separate what you think you see from what the actual overall slope is.

Step-by-Step Guide to Plumb-Bobbing

• Step 1: Find Your Dominant Eye. This is extremely important, as using the wrong eye will give you a false reading. To find it, form a small triangle with your hands and extend your arms. Center a distant object (like the hole) inside that triangle. Now, close your left eye. If the object stays in the triangle, you are right-eye dominant. If the object jumps out of the triangle, you are left-eye dominant. You'll use your dominant eye for plumb-bobbing.
• Step 2: Take Your Position. Stand a few feet directly behind your golf ball, on an imaginary line that extends straight back from the hole, through your ball.
• Step 3: Hold the Putter Correctly. Grip the very top of your putter grip lightly with the thumb and forefinger of your dominant hand. Let the putter hang down naturally, so the shaft is perfectly vertical and free to swing slightly. Don't grip it tightly!
• Step 4: Align and Read. Close your non-dominant eye. Hold the putter up so the vertical shaft appears to cut right through the middle of your golf ball. Keeping the shaft dissecting the ball, look up toward the hole.
• Step 5: Interpret the Result.
  • If the hole appears to be to the right of the dangling putter shaft, the terrain slopes from left to right. Your putt will break to the right.
  • If the hole appears to be to the left of the dangling putter shaft, the terrain slopes from right to left. Your putt will break to the left.
  • If the shaft appears to go right through the middle of the hole, you have a straight putt (congratulations, these are rare!).

The further the hole appears from the shaft, the more significant the break. Many golfers will use their free fingers to steady their hand during this process, which is often what you're seeing on your screen.

Putting Method 2: "Feeling" the Slope with AimPoint Express

The gesture you see most often today - where players like Adam Scott or Justin Thomas hold fingers up horizontally - is likely a version of the AimPoint Express read. This method differs from plumb-bobbing because it starts with feeling the slope of the green with your feet, and then uses your fingers to find a precise aim point.

Quick disclaimer: The full AimPoint system is a detailed process taught in certified clinics. The following is a simplified version to help you understand the core concepts behind what you're seeing.

A Beginner's Guide to the AimPoint Express Process

This method translates the slope you feel in your feet into a definitive spot to aim your putt.

• Step 1: Feel the Slope. Walk to a point about halfway between your ball and the hole. Straddle the line of the putt and stand naturally. Close your eyes if it helps you focus. Can you feel a tilt in your feet? Is more of your weight on your left foot or your right foot? You are trying to gauge the steepness of the slope.
• Step 2: Assign a Number. Based on that feeling, assign a number to the slope's percentage, most commonly on a scale of 1 to 5. A 1% slope is barely noticeable. A 3% slope is very obvious, and a 5% slope is a seriously steep hill. For now, just go with your gut. Let's say you feel a clear, but not extreme, tilt from right to left, and you call it a "2."
• Step 3: Hold Up Your "Ruler." Extend your arm straight out in front of you toward the hole. Hold up the number of fingers that corresponds to the slope number you felt (in our example, two fingers). You will hold them up vertically, palm facing your body.
• Step 4: Align and Find Your Aim Point. Now comes the part that looks confusing but is quite simple. Go back to your ball and close your non-dominant eye. For a putt that breaks from right to left:
  • Place your index finger (the right-most finger of the ones you're holding up) on the right edge of the hole.
  • The spot on the green that aligns with the outside of your middle finger (the left-most finger in our two-finger example) is your new aiming point.
  For a putt breaking left to right, you'd do the opposite: Place your left-most raised finger on the left edge of the hole, and your aim point will be outside of your right-most finger. This spot is where you will start your putt, trusting that the slope of the green will curve the ball back towards the hole.
  Common Sticking Points and Practical TipsThese methods are not magic wands, but they are great tools. Here are a few things to remember when you start trying them out.
  • Practice on the Putting Green First. Don't try to master this during a competitive round. Spend 15 minutes on the practice green. Hit putts, go through the process, and see how your read matches the result. This builds the trust you'll need on the course.
  • Trust Your Feet (Critically Important). Both methods are about gathering information, but your feel for the green is still paramount. Walking the line of the putt from the hole back to your ball gives your brain and feet valuable information about changes in slope that a single read might miss.
  • It's a Guide, Not a Guarantee. Especially with AimPoint, don’t stress about if a slope is a '2' or a '3'. Just start by guessing. The process of thinking this way makes you more aware of the slopes you’re playing on. Over time, you'll get better and more accurate at judging the percentage.
  • Putt Speed is Still King. You can read a green perfectly, but if you hit the putt too hard or too soft, it won't matter. The AimPoint method, in particular, assumes "pro-standard" putting speed - a pace that would send the ball about 1-2 feet past the hole if it missed. If you are a die-it-in-the-hole putter, you'll need to aim for a little more break.
  Start by incorporating just one of these methods into your practice routine. You may find that plumb-bobbing is great for double-checking putts that look deceptively straight, while theAimPoint provides a fantastic starting point for medium-length breaking putts.Final ThoughtsSo, the next time you see a golfer hold up their fingers, you’ll know it’s not for show. They are using proven systems like plumb-bobbing or AimPoint Express as visual tools to transform a guess about the break into a confident, decisive aim point, giving them the best possible chance to hole the putt.Of course, building new skills and having confidence in your reads takes practice. While a tool can't read the green for you, having reliable feedback can accelerate your learning. When you find yourself in a head-scratching situation on the course, I can provide instant, on-demand strategic advice. You can snap a photo of a tricky lie or describe a difficult putt, and I will offer a clear recommendation and a simple plan, helping you feel more confident over every single shot–without feeling stuck or alone. Think of it as having your own tour-level golf mind like Caddie AI in your pocket to make sense of any challenge a course can throw your way.