March 22, 2009 -- As I wrote last year about Innisbrook and the PODS Championship, Innisbrook and its unique Larry Packard design tends to offer a great week of golf, and it did not disappoint this year. With a new title sponsor, the Transitions Championship had the vision to see the Copperhead Course as the Tour's first real test of golf this season, as Innisbrook tends to do each year. Moving the tournament a few years ago so it is included in the "Florida Swing" was a great idea by the Tour. With the rolling terrain, higher rough conditions, narrower fairways, and faster greens, Copperhead takes the first real bite at the Tour professionals, giving them a hint at course set-up and conditions yet to come. Unlike last year, the weather conditions were ideal all four days, with a breeze filtering into consideration for Sunday's round.

The large and fast greens at Innisbrook meant controlling the speed of putts was critical. (Photo: Getty Images)

It was obvious that this year's winner, Retief Goosen, made fewer mistakes on the greens. This was mainly evident by where his approach shots consistently landed -- below the hole. As I watched all four rounds of the tournament, the birdies came in more abundance when the professionals were putting -- not surprisingly -- from below the hole. The greens were going to get quicker as the week rolled on, and proper placement of shots on the greens were going to be the most valued shot of all. Why? As speed increases on the greens, the less likely you have control over direction of your putts, if you are above the hole. Combine the increased speed with the sometimes severe undulation of Copperhead's greens, trying to make putts from above the hole is next impossible. The main focus becomes making sure you do not roll too far by the hole, allowing yourself a realistic chance at saving par.

One of the absolute truths about putting is "Speed Dictates Direction." What this means is as you increase the speed of a putt, the less likely nature and/or gravity can influence the break of the putt. On the other hand, as the speed of a putt decreases, the more likely gravity will exert force on your putt, increasing the amount of break you need to plan for as you putt.

Taking this thought in consideration, it is of utmost importance that if you want to make more birdies and pars on a course with fast greens, you must have your ball below. This type of positioning allows you to be the dictator of speed to your putts, rather than the downhill forces of nature. How do you do this? Easy, distance control of your approach shots and knowing where on the green to miss, if you are going to miss.

As you are in the fairway planning your approach to any green, it will be important for you to know the exact location of the hole on each green, as it relates to the terrain of the green. The tour professionals and their caddies have this information readily available at each venue, walking and surveying the course prior to the competitive rounds and making meticulous notes in their course guide book. The television networks which cover golf are doing a great job listening into the conversations the players and their caddies have as they discuss this information. As you should have picked up by these conversations, they plan to place the shots in exact locations, always planning on terrain being a factor influencing the next shot, the putt for birdie. Although we as the everyday players do not have the detailed information the tour players have, the courses we all play on a daily basis are doing a much better job providing us with this type of information, such as daily pin placement locations, superior graphics of greens on GPS systems and course guide books, as well some providing caddies that have all this information for you.

Not every shot is going to end up where you planned. When the ball is above the hole, what will you do then? Simple; take a more conservative approach to stroking your putt, and be accepting before the fact that your ball could roll by the hole. Being more conservative means setting up and executing a putt where you have planned for increased speed after striking the putt. One of the ways the tour pros do this is by striking the ball off-center with their putters. By having the ball strike slightly to the toe of a putter, the putter absorbs some of the energy not transferred to the ball, in turn, not producing the normal pace they are accustomed to experiencing. This technique takes quite a long time to master, and should be practiced quite a bit before actually trying to execute it on the course. It is not something I recommend to the average amateur because they do not strike putts consistently in the sweet spot of their putters; that being the biggest factor in executing that type of shot. Being able to strike the ball consistently in the sweet spot, each and every time, is essential before being moving on to the more difficult task of mastering the off-center technique.

An easier way for the average amateur to accomplish the same outcome is holding the putter with less grip pressure as they execute the stroke. Similar to dropping a crisp shot just over the net in tennis, holding the racket lighter absorbs the energy of the traveling tennis ball, making the drop shot easier to master. Holding the putter with less tension and pressure accomplishes the same results, dissipating the amount of energy the putter has as it moves to strike the ball. The result is a lower paced putt, without sacrificing a good stroke to the ball.

As the season progresses, and arguably the fastest greens are right around the corner at Augusta, pay attention to what the pros are doing with their downhill putts. What they do deal with and prepare for faster and more sloping contours is vital to their success. You too can realize better results if you leave your ball below the hole. Or when faced with the adversity of a treacherous downhill putt, remember that less tension is more control. Only then will you transition your game from being good to being great.

John Hughes is the Executive Vice President and National Director of Instruction for Advantage Golf Schools, one of the country's best golf schools as ranked by Golf Magazine. A PGA Master Professional, John oversees the daily operation of Advantage Golf School's award winning programs at 16 different high-end resort/private golf facility locations across the country, as well as the school's 50+ PGA and LPGA Instructors. His client list over the past 20 years includes a vast cross section of the world's corporate elite, entertainment celebrities, distinguished government officials, as well as male and female touring professionals, covering all skill levels of golfers. You can reach John by phone at 877-239-6609 or by e-mail, john@advantagegolfschool.com.