First, keep following in your mind when judging your putts or chips.

1. Examine "Grain:" The term 'grain' is simply direction is which grass grows.

This can be determined by looking for 'shine' or 'sheen' of putting surface.

When green reflects sun and appears brighter, you are looking down grain.

Putts down grain, or with grain, will run faster.

Another method of determining grain is to stroke your putter in fringe just off putting surface (make sure you are on fringe and not on actually green).

Fringe grass usually has same grain as green.

2. Read Contour: When waking to green, study general slope of land.

Remember, most greens are built higher at back and lower toward front. This will definitely impact how you play a shot on green...or even as you approach green.

When you are putting from front of green (assuming that it slopes downward from back to front), putt will be uphill. When you are putting from back, downhill.

Any putt across such a green will usually break toward front lower portion of surface.

These are simply good "general" rules to keep in mind as you approach green.

Now, think about these 2 elements (Contour and Grain) together.

- Putts running with grain will tend to "run" faster.

- When you are putting cross-slope and your putts are running with grain they will break more.

- And likewise, if you are putting cross-slope against grain, your putt with break less.

- When you putt against grain...give it a little "more." Your putts will tend to run slower so you may leave it short more often if you aren't careful.

- When you putt downhill, with grain, you putts will not only run faster but they will break more.

- And opposite is also true. If you are putting uphill, against grain, expect your putts to run slower and break less.

By keeping these very simple "rules" in mind and reading greens as you approach you should be able to improve your consistency on greens and sink more putts.

Plus, everyone knows...you drive for show and putt for dough.

Michael Hamilton is an accomplished golfer, and editor of GolfTips Weekly Newsletter. His newest book can be found at: http://www.free-golf-tip.com/golfebook.htm

Greenside Bunkers

The most common mistake weekend players make in greenside bunker is allowing their lower bodies to get too active. If you shift your weight or make a turn with your lower body, your swing’s shape and impact position will never be same from one swing to next—you’ll never know whether you’ll leave ball in bunker or skull one 35 yards across green.

Proper bunker technique requires that you place your weight forward—and leave it there throughout swing. Here’s a great drill to engrain this feeling. Go to a practice bunker and hit 25 bunker shots with your right (for right-handed golfers) heel in air—only your right toes should be dug into sand for balance. This will position majority of your weight forward to begin your swing. If you try to shift your weight back to your right side as you play shot, you’ll feel pressure in your right toes and you’ll have to fight to keep your right heel from lowering into sand. It might feel as though you’re actually shifting your weight forward in a reverse pivot, but you’re not—you’re just not used to feel of proper bunker technique.

As you learn to keep your weight forward and quiet your lower body on these greenside bunker shots, you’ll begin to notice ball flying same distance and on same trajectory again and again. Once this happens, you’ll start to develop some touch and begin to think about not only getting ball out, but also about getting it close.

Poor bunker players have a far-too-active lower body. If you make a turn or weight shift, your swing's shape and club's impact position will change from swing-with inconsistent results.

To quiet your lower body bring consistency to your greenside bunker game, practice hitting sand shots with your right heel raised. Your swing's shape and club's impact position will be same-shot after shot.

Michael Hamilton is an accomplished golfer, and editor of Golf Tips Weekly Newsletter. His most recent book can be found at: http://www.free-golf-tip.com/golfebook.htm