Plumb Bobbing
Plumb bobbing is dangling the putter vertically from the fingers, closing one eye, and using the shaft as a plumb line against the hole to estimate which way a putt breaks — a once-popular technique now considered less reliable than modern methods.
Plumb bobbing is a green-reading technique in which a golfer holds the putter loosely by the top of the grip so it hangs vertically like a plumb line, closes one eye (their dominant eye), and lines the shaft up with the ball, using its position relative to the hole to estimate the general direction of slope and break. If the hole appears to sit to one side of the vertical shaft line, that side is read as the low side, with the ball expected to break toward it.
Plumb bobbing was a widely taught and commonly used technique for decades, particularly before Stimpmeter data, systematic feel-based methods, and detailed green-reading materials became widely available. Its main practical limitation is that it only estimates the general direction of the overall slope trend between two points, without giving any real information about how much a putt will break, subtle changes in slope along the actual line, or the effect of grain — all of which matter for anything beyond a very rough directional estimate.
Modern short-game instruction generally treats plumb bobbing as a supplementary check rather than a primary reading method, useful mainly as one more data point to confirm or challenge a visual read, rather than a standalone technique a golfer should rely on exclusively. Golfers who still use it typically pair it with a walk-around visual read rather than trusting the plumb bob alone to determine the actual line and speed of the putt.
Example
A player plumb bobs a putt to confirm a general right-to-left trend they already suspected from a visual read, using it as a secondary check rather than their only source of information.
Why it matters
Understanding plumb bobbing's real limitations — it only estimates general slope direction, not magnitude or nuance — helps a golfer use it appropriately as a supplementary check rather than a primary reading method.
Common mistakes
- Relying on plumb bobbing as a sole reading method rather than pairing it with a visual read and walk-around assessment.
- Expecting the technique to reveal how much a putt will break, when it only estimates general slope direction between two points.
- Ignoring grain and subtle mid-putt slope changes that plumb bobbing simply cannot detect.
Frequently asked questions
Is plumb bobbing still used by golfers today?
Less commonly than in past decades — most modern green-reading approaches favor systematic feel-based methods, walking the putt, or green-reading materials, with plumb bobbing surviving mainly as a supplementary check.
Does plumb bobbing tell you how much a putt breaks?
No — it only gives a rough estimate of which direction the overall slope trends, not the magnitude of break or subtle slope changes along the actual line of the putt.
Related terms
- Reading BreakReading break is predicting how much and which direction a putt will curve based on slope, and it is a distinct skill from executing the putting stroke — a well-struck putt on a misread line still misses.
- Green ReadingGreen reading is assessing the slope, grain, and speed of a putting surface to predict how much and which way the ball will curve from its starting line to the hole.
- Aim PointAim point green reading uses the feet to feel slope percentage underfoot, then converts that number into a finger-count aim spot near the hole — a systematic, feel-based alternative to purely visual break reading.
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