If your green-reading skills aren’t as sharp as you’d like, perhaps it’s time for a fresh method. Jeongeun Lee6, the defending U.S. Women’s Open champion, uses an unusual technique, but it’s based on common sense. She reads putts with her body facing perpendicular to her target and her head turned to the side.
“Putting is a stroke from the side, not from behind the ball,” Lee6, of South Korea, told Golf Digest through a translator. “Reading it like I do reduces misconception.”
Lee6, who has a number on the end of her name to differentiate herself from several other players with the same name on the Korean LPGA Tour, has averaged fewer than 30 putts per round since qualifying for the LPGA Tour in 2019.
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Golfers who stand behind the ball to read greens might not realize how much their perspective changes when they set up to hit the putt, she says. Seeing the line from different viewpoints can create doubt about which is correct.
Lee6 also will confirm her “sidesaddle” read by straddling the putting line, noting the pressure in her feet. If she’s favoring one foot more than the other, which is usually the case, she knows the putt will break in that direction.
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