Edward S. Stimpson, the 1935 Massachusetts Amateur champion, devised a device to measure the speed of a golf green, over sixty years ago. The result of his efforts was the Stimpmeter.
The Stimpmeter was first used at the U.S. Open in 1977. Once a ball travels down the contraption, it will hit a speed of about 6.00 ft/s. The distance the ball travels is called “the stimp speed”. A stimp speed of 11½ means the ball has rolled 11½ feet. An average speed on your local muni hovers around 6½, while the fastest reading recorded was a 14 at the 1981 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village.
How fast is 14? Take your Titleist to the nearest sidewalk and putt a few.