Putting in the USA vs Scotland: Three Things I’ve Noticed

Having grown up playing golf in Scotland, and then spending most of my adult life in the USA, I’ve been lucky enough to experience the game in two very different golfing cultures.

The golf is still golf, of course. The ball still needs to find the bottom of the cup. But the way we approach putting can feel quite different depending on which side of the Atlantic you are on.

The first big difference I noticed when I moved to the US was green speed.

Greens are often faster. Not always, but generally speaking, the ball seems to roll out more, and that changes everything. Faster greens mean more break. A putt that might feel fairly straight in Scotland can suddenly need to start outside the hole in America. You have to become more aware of slope, pace, and how the ball is going to die into the cup.

It taught me that reading greens is not just about seeing the line. It is about matching the line to the speed. The faster the green, the more the putt can move. And if you don’t respect that, the hole can feel like it is shrinking very quickly.

The second difference is green conditioning.

In the USA, I often found the greens to be beautifully conditioned — smoother, more consistent, and sometimes more predictable. That gives you confidence. When you feel the ball is going to roll well, you can make a better stroke. You trust the surface. You trust your start line. You are less likely to blame a bobble, a bump, or a little imperfection.

That confidence matters. Putting is such a mental part of the game. When the surface feels good, it gives you permission to roll the ball properly.

The third difference is probably the most Scottish one of all: using the putter from off the green.

In Scotland, putting is often just a natural extension of the ground game. We grow up playing pitch-and-runs, bump-and-runs, little running shots along the turf. The wind, the firm ground, and the links style of golf all encourage you to keep the ball lower and use the contours.

There is less need to throw the ball up in the air unless you really have to. Sometimes the smartest shot is simply to take your putter, get the ball rolling, and let the ground do the work.

And I love that.

Because in the end, putting is not just something that happens on the green. It is part of how we see the course, how we feel the ground beneath us, and how we choose to move the ball toward the hole.

The USA taught me to respect speed and trust good surfaces.

Scotland taught me to use imagination, feel, and the ground.

And honestly, I think the best putting sits somewhere beautifully between the two.

Love Putting,

Valerie x