There's an old saying in golf, "the difference between an amateur and a pro becomes more evident the closer they get to the hole." The point is, you may drive the ball like the boys on TV, but until you learn to read greens and handle a putter you'll never post the scores that they do. A common misunderstanding of the game is that tour pros are great at reading greens by eye. The truth is tour pros are great at reading greens because they (and their caddies) actually measure the slope of greens before tournaments and make notes in yardage books. In the old days these players and caddies used simple "bubble" levels or rolled a lot of golf balls by hand to read the slope of greens. What if there was a simple way to get the same information on the spot that the average weekend golfer could use? Well, worry no more ye short-grass illiterate, because the short game gurus at Exelys.com have you covered with their BreakMaster digital green reader.

The idea is you just place the BreakMaster in your putting line between your ball and the hole and push the button. Within seconds you get a digital readout of the direction of the break and the degree of the slope. The result is fewer near misses due to misread greens thus lower scores. And it works like a charm. The large display can be easily read from a standing position and the sixteen-direction break indicator leaves little room for error. And since it's compact, lightweight and weatherproof it will always be readily available when the shot calls for it.

But is this level on the level? Squarely. In fact, several big names (Vijay Singh, Ben Crenshaw, and Michelle Wie to name a few) have started using the BreakMaster as part of their practice round intelligence gathering. Officially it's just a training aide; you line up your shot by eye and use the BreakMaster to see if you've read it correctly.

Bottom line is if you are looking for an easy, effective way to help your short game, then the BreakMaster digital green reader is the way to go. The BreakMaster comes with a vinyl carrying pouch and instructional booklet. For about fifty dollars you can pick one up wherever golf equipment is sold or online at www.Exelys.com.