Plumb Bob Putting: How It Works and Does It Actually Work?

Golf is a game of small things and this is clearly seen on the putting green. An average shot might find the cup when the green is read properly and a miss of the gorgeous putt may go out of the hole if the player is not on the target. Plumb bob putting, one of the most talked about and debated on techniques to read green contours, is among the many ways golfers look for to better understand green contours. There are some golfers that have total faith in it and use it before almost every important putt, and others who feel that it doesn’t compare to the advanced training in modern green reading techniques.

Plumb bob putting keeps gaining interest, as it’s a useful tool when you have a good grasp of the overall direction in which a putt is going to break if you aren’t using any technology or training aids. When using the putter’s shaft as an imaginary line, golfers try to see if the slope is toward the left or right. The technique goes back over 10 decades ago and several top players have employed it, but most recreational golfers remain in doubt as to whether it works or whether it is more of a tradition.

It is important to know what kind of putting plumb bob putting can and can’t do, to ensure that the player does not use and rely on the technique for every challenge encountered on a green.

What Is Plumb Bob Putting?

Plumb bob putting is a green reading technique that involves using a vertically hanging putting stick to determine a general slope of the putting surface. The golfer is standing posterior the ball and positioning the putter shaft vertically, while making a comparison of the shaft’s position to the hole. If the hole is on one side of the shaft, it is a good indication of where the putt will break.

The technique does not try to determine actual degree of break, but does aim to help determine the direction of the slope. Golfers’ tendency to use a plumb bob as a second opinion or supplementary reading tool rather than the first method to read golf greens has been reported, pointing out that most golfers do not use it as their primary putter reading method.

Why Plumb Bob Putting Remains Popular Among Golfers?

Although it may seem like golf instruction has come a long way, green-reading systems and the use of statistics are continually improving, there are still plumb bob putters at all levels of the game. One of the reasons that it is so popular is that it is straightforward. Unlike other methods for reading the greenness, it does not generally take a great deal of experience or detailed observation to be taught how to do it with a plumb bob.

Some golfers also value the assuredness that it offers them. While the method doesn’t provide players with all the information about a putt, it can still give them a good idea about their first read and help put them at ease before aiming and striking. Confidence is one of the most vital things in putting performance and many players think putting the plumb bob assists them to put them in their line.

The following table emphasizes some of the key factors why golfers still employ the technique on a regular basis today.

How to Perform Plumb Bob Putting Correctly?

Plumb bob putting is highly dependent upon putting technique. Everyone who states this method doesn’t work often lacks the important actions or fails to realize how it is supposed to be used.

You need to find out your dominant eye first. It’s important, because the angle at which the putter shaft, the golf ball and the hole meet will vary with the eye you use. Dominant eye–Once dominant eye is decided face directly behind ball and toward hole.

Grip the top of the putter with your thumb and forefinger so that it hangs lightly in the palms, with a natural grip. The shaft should make a perfect straight line. Shut non-dominant eye and attempt to level the shaft to the golf ball. Then just gaze at the hole in that position!

The interpretation is usually of this nature:

• The hole is directly in the back of the shaft: relatively straight putt.
• Hole on left side of the shaft – may be a right to left break.
• The shaft is broken and appears to have been from right to left, possibly from the hole on the right.
• Large visual offset: greater slope may exist.

Remember this is an indication of direction and not of distance or speed.

Does Plumb Bob Putting Actually Work?

For so many years, golfers have speculated about this particular question. The answer will vary with the golfer’s desire for the technique.

A golfer doesn’t count on plumb bob putting to provide the exact number of inches a ball will break. The technique just doesn’t allow for that kind of accuracy. Focusing on the overall direction of a green, though, is sometimes valuable to many golfers.

The most compelling reason to use plumb bob putting is that gravity provides almost a perfect vertical line to call. A golfer may be able to get “eyes” on these subtle slopes by comparing this line with the rest of the terrain.

There are many readings that have been done and many factors that play a role in the reading, such as the placement of the eyes, body alignment, the design of the putter, and posture. With these factors in effect, different golfers can get different readings for the same putt.

Due to this, contemporary instructors usually teach putting with a plumb bob as a key component in a more comprehensive teaching process for putting rather than as an isolated approach.

Common Situations Where It Helps Most

Not all puts can be plumb bobbed. This skill is best performed under particular conditions with a predictable slope pattern on the green. Golfers tend to do best with putts that have the biggest break. These make putts where the direction on the slope is the same from ball to hole.

Plumb bob putting may be useful in situations where:

• Putts from 8 to 20 feet in length.
• Gradually sloping greens.
• Situations with unknown direction of break.
• Any greens with a steep slope where slope identification is important.
• Situations that need extra confirmation due to competition.

In such applications, it can be a useful piece of data to help the golfer with their overall read.

When Plumb Bob Putting Is Less Effective?

As in all other cases, there are certain situations in which plumb bobs are extremely reliable, while others less so. There are all kinds of greens that involve more than one break, more than one contour and the influences from the grain, and not possible to represent with one vertical. Under these circumstances, the conventional definition of the term ‘green reading skills’ becomes significantly more useful.

To avoid relying on plumb bob putting, golfers need to be extra careful with the following putting areas. 

Knowing the restrictions helps golfers not overly rely on the technique.

Plumb Bob Putting vs Traditional Green Reading

There’s a question on many golfers’ minds about whether or not it’s easier to putt without reading the green or using plumb bob. The truth is, both work for other objectives.

Conventional Green reading consists of taking multiple perspectives on the green, feeling slopes under feet, looking around the terrain and assessing the speed of the green. This allows to see the trajectory through which the ball is likely to pass.

With a more streamlined appeal, Plumb bob putting is a more narrow focus. It tries to detect the main direction of the slope but it cannot tell distance between paces and the amplitude of the breaks.

Most people who have played golf for quite a long time utilize a blend of the two instead of adhering to one or another.

Common Mistakes Golfers Make While Putting

There are golfers out there who don’t get positive results because they make avoidable errors along the way. The following are the most frequent mistakes made:

• Mistake in conceptualizing the eye.
• Too tight of a grip on the putter.
• Out of the shooting circle line.
• Adjusting the head while realigning.
• Basing the measurement of the cracks on the technique’s expected precision.
• Failure to take into consideration green speed and grain conditions.

The benefits of avoiding these errors can be seen if golfers are able to identify them and avoid them; they significantly enhance the consistency with which they receive the reading.

Should You Add Plumb Bob Putting to Your Routine?

Plumb-bob putting can be of service to golfers who wish to enhance their putting technique, and who are not already using a green-reader. It should be used in addition to visual sign, being aware of the drop or speed control–not as a substitute for these.Not as a substitute for visual sign, or awareness of slope or control of speed, it should offer another piece of information before committing to a line.

Many successful golfers use plumb bobbing more as a brake-checking tool than as a decision making tool. If you already have a feeling of the technique, it can add to the conviction and dedication you already have. Unfortunately, if it isn’t correct, it could tempt you to go back to the ball again just before you putt it.

It comes down to whether or not plumb bob putting will help you to make consistently better decisions on the green. People who develop the technique correctly in golf usually make better use of the slopes, and those who are hoping for the magic bullet typically end up being let down.

Conclusion

One of golf’s most mysterious and under-used ways to read a green is “plumb bob putting.” It can’t call every putt, but it can assist a player to determine the slope’s direction and provide additional confirmation for subtle putt reads on difficult cup breaks. You should think of plumb bobbing differently: as one of many tools in the toolbox instead of the only one in the box. With good green-reading, the correct speed, and a solid stroke, it can make it a helpful aspect to a player’s green arsenal.

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