Caddy Tools - Green Readers

[cometgolfer]

Would love to hear a little about how the tour caddies chart the greens? In the past I've charted the greens at a few of the courses I play at using a "Green Level" device that Harold Swash had developed (it looks like a 7 inch circular bubble level). It's a time consuming and tedious process and usually required a day of vacation so I could chart all 18 greens on a course when it wasn't full of golfers. It certainly helped me with my green-reading especially on those greens with subtle deceiving breaks. I've since purchased an electronic green reading level made by Exelys (about $80) that I plan to use on a couple of other courses that I play a bit at and in tournaments during practice rounds. Hopefully it will speed the process up a bit.

How heavily are "green readers" used on tour? Do you focus primarily on the areas near the known pin locations for the week? I know these guys are good putters but I've always been amazed at the green reading ability of the pro's (and the caddies for that matter). Is this how they get a bit of an edge over the average player?

Thanks,

CG