Effective Golf Putting Tips For Fast Greens

Ever notice how your putting stroke that works perfectly on your home course turns into a disaster when you play somewhere with lightning-fast greens? Fast greens expose every flaw in your putting technique and turn three-footers into unwanted and costly adventures.

The difference between smooth putting on fast greens and watching balls race past the hole comes down to understanding what these slick surfaces demand from your stroke.

Less is always more

On fast greens, your biggest enemy isn’t the slope or the break—it’s your own instinct to hit the ball. Fast surfaces amplify every movement so that a normal putting stroke suddenly becomes a rocket launcher.

The ball needs barely any energy to reach the hole, meaning your job is controlling speed, not creating it.

Think of putting on fast greens like whispering instead of talking. You’re still communicating the same message, just with much less volume. I love that tip and image, something my Papa Runyon taught me about 35 years ago. Miss you every day, Papa!

Your backstroke tells the story

Here’s where most golfers go wrong: they shorten their follow-through but keep the same backstroke length. This creates a jerky, decelerating stroke that’s impossible to control on fast greens.

Instead, shorten your backstroke and maintain your normal follow-through length.

A shorter backstroke with smooth acceleration through the ball gives you the control fast greens demand. You’re not hitting at the ball—you’re stroking through it with just enough energy to get there.

Grip pressure is everything

Fast greens punish tension like nothing else. When you grip the putter tightly, every small movement gets magnified, sending putts racing past the hole. Hold the putter like you’re holding a bird—firm enough that it won’t fly away, light enough that you won’t hurt it.

This lighter grip allows you to feel the putter head throughout the stroke, providing the touch these surfaces require.

Read with your feet first

Before you even look at the line, walk around the hole and feel the slope with your feet. Fast greens make subtle breaks more pronounced so that slight slope you might ignore on slower greens becomes a major factor. Your feet will tell you things your eyes might miss.

Pay special attention to the area around the hole. On fast greens, the ball will be moving slowly as it approaches, making it more susceptible to subtle breaks near the cup.

Practice your lag putting

The biggest score-killer on fast greens isn’t missing short putts—it’s leaving yourself impossible second putts after poor lag putting. Spend time practicing 30- to 50-foot putts, focusing purely on speed control. Your goal isn’t to make them; it’s to leave yourself within a three-foot radius of the hole.

Think of lag putting as playing catch with the hole. You’re not trying to throw a strike—you’re just getting the ball close enough for an easy catch.

Trust your first instinct

Fast greens make golfers second-guess everything, leading to overthinking and tentative strokes. Once you’ve read the putt and chosen your line, commit to it. Tentative putting on fast surfaces is like driving with one foot on the brake—you’ll never get where you’re going smoothly.

Embrace the challenge

Here’s the secret about fast greens: they’re actually more predictable than slow ones. The ball rolls truer, breaks are more consistent and good strokes are rewarded. Yes, they’re less forgiving of poor technique but they also respond beautifully to proper fundamentals.

Fast greens aren’t your enemy—they just demand a higher level of execution. When you adjust your technique to match the conditions instead of fighting them, you’ll discover that these challenging surfaces can actually improve your putting by forcing you to develop better fundamentals and touch.

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