Green Speed

[sms316]

Is there an optimum speed which greens should be?

I would love to putt on greens that stimp at 12+ every week, but I would be lucky to get my way for more than about 5 rounds a year. Reason I like it so much is that it is what I was brought up on at Albury, and on top of that, people who can't putt really get shown up on fast greens.

Am I wrong to wish that the greens around here should be faster? Or should clubs cater for old farts with shonky putting strokes?

[razaar]

Learn to get the ball on top of the grass early and you will get the hang of longer greens. You have to adapt to the course, not the other way around.

[sms316]

You never see a PGA event on greens stimping at 8. Why should members have to deal with it? Also slow greens invariably means bumpy greens.

[razaar]

http://turf.lib.msu.edu/2000s/2008/080721.pdf

[sms316]

Greens should be considered too fast when better players experience anxiety because the ball becomes uncontrollable on a putting surface.

I find this a very interesting point. I can't remember playing under these conditions ever. Faster the better. Pick a point, putt to it, and let gravity take it's course. It is an awesome feeling.

[Webster]

sms316, there are two problems with having greens stimping at 12:

1. Only really suitable for fairly flat greens. Any greens with significant slope in them are unplayable at that speed (except for the very best players).
2. The poorer players can't handle greens that speed and it slows down the pace of play enormously.

[Toolish]

I would think setting greens up to that speed week in week out would make life tough for the grass to thrive. I would imagine through the middle of summer here having greens set to that speed every day would be too much for it.

[virge666]

I would think setting greens up to that speed week in week out would make life tough for the grass to thrive. I would imagine through the middle of summer here having greens set to that speed every day would be too much for it.


You do have to protect the greens - but the main reason people don't do it is because it is too hard. You approach shot becomes a premium shot. Not like some course where you can shortside yourself and get up and down anyway. Most people don't enjoy that.

In Sydney . . .

Monash is the only place I have played where the greens are stimping at 10 or greater 90% of the time.

Long Reef can stimp it up when they want to as well.. Aussie Open Qualifying for example. New South Wales is always good speed and very consistant.

For mine - a good putt should stop near the hole - you should never have an un-puttable putt.

[BrisVegas]

I've played the last couple of weeks on Sunday arvo and I swear it's like putting across wet cement. I much prefer the fast, freshly mown greens on a Saturday morning. When they're quick and pure, you just pick the line and get it rolling. If it rolls 3-4 feet past the hole on fast greens it's a tap in. When the greens are shaggy, that length is missable.

[oz]

Add me to the list of those that prefer quicker greens. It doesn't have to mean slow play. At Albury Commercial, we have some pretty quick greens, and it is rare for a comp round to be over 4 hrs 15 min. Extremely rare to go 4 hrs 30 min.

[Grunt]

I prefer quicker but this time of year is a shocker. I played on cored greens yesterday and they were about 4, today I played at Calderwood and they were relatively like putting on glass, probably only about 9-10 really. I could not get the pace at all. Left some short and mostly pushed them miles past the hole.

[mikezone13]

Played Long Reef yesterday and yes they were their standard quick, break towards the ocean even if uphill self, but true, that's all you need from a greeen be it slow/fast is a true roll.

Unfortunately normally the slower the green the bumpier it gets and therefore the less true so the less confidence you can have on the short ones, conversely though standing over 4 foot downhiller on quick greens knowing you have an 8 footer if you miss can be harrowing as well - best not to get 4 foot above the hole then I guess ;)

[Webster]

break towards the ocean even if uphill

Thats not possible. You just aren't reading them correctly.

[PeteyD]

Maybe he should have said even if they appear to be uphill.

[mikezone13]

Maybe he should have said even if they appear to be uphill.

Cheers pete... ;)

I will say I putted well on them thsi time... only one 3 putt (up the last) and drained 6 putts outside of 12 feet and only missed 1 inside 5 feet

Greens are so much better when you putt well :D

[Jono]

I left Bayview because I was sick of slow greens ... :roll:


:lol:

[Bruce Dickinson]

ban the stipmeter.....all it does most of the time is produce dick pulling competitions between clubs as to who can get the quickest greens, with no thought as to green design and size, grass types, number of rounds played etc etc

[Berni]

ban the stipmeter.....all it does most of the time is produce dick pulling competitions between clubs as to who can get the quickest greens, with no thought as to green design and size, grass types, number of rounds played etc etc

Bruce, you have just won a prize for your "best dick pulling" comment. Agreed at times.