Scottie Scheffler’s putting coach shares the simplest way amateur golfers can improve their green-reading

“The simplest thing to do, but often this can be challenging for people because it makes them realise that they actually don’t have a very clear picture of what that read is, but the simplest thing to do is map out the picture that you see,” he said.

“Everyone’s got a little, cheap ball-marker. A couple of cheap ball-markers, get on the green, put one at two-thirds of the putt where you see the ball might be breaking through, and put one one-third in, where you feel you might need to start the ball by in order to meet that second-third. You’re naturally then going to map out the curvature of the putt, and then step in and hit it. You’ll get some feedback from where the ball is rolling to get a sense of did you actually start it somewhere near your line? And then it will give you good feedback as to if the ball did pass through those points, whether that read was appropriate for that putt.

“It’s as simple as that. Challenge yourself as to what you’re actually seeing, does that represent what actually happens? That’s probably the simplest way to start with.”

How Phil Kenyon helped Scottie Scheffler become one of the best putters on the PGA Tour

Kenyon has long been considered one of the best putting coaches in the game. But his reputation has received a further boost due to the work he has done with Scottie Scheffler in recent years.

Scheffler was previously an average putter on the PGA Tour. He finished the 2024 season in 77th for strokes gained on the greens.

He moved up to 22nd the following year. And Kenyon explained the role he has played in helping Scheffler realise more of his potential with a putter in his hands.

“The one thing I noticed immediately was how good a green-reader he was, just by using his intuition. I think he’d got a little out of kilter with a couple of things in and around his green-reading potentially,” he said.

“So it’s really simple to be honest. It’s not letting him go down the wrong path as opposed to pulling him down the right path. And helping him structure his practice with focus and feedback.

“He’s just a really gifted player. And the interesting thing was, very early when I met him, I had a lot of confidence that he would putt well at some point because he’s too good. I’d see his performance in practice and I see the things that he’s capable of doing, and I figured that if he could keep on that pathway with confidence that you can only get from results, he would display his capabilities on the greens, which I think he has done over the last 12, 18 months.”

Scheffler is now up to 12th for strokes gained putting at the start of the 2026 season. It is a remarkable improvement from the world number one.

It is also a very ominous sign for the rest of the tour if the 29-year-old can find a way to get his ball-striking back to its best.